We compared prices on Amazon and Costco to see which offers better deals. Here's the verdict.

Jessica Tyler

Dec 27, 2018, 00:22 IST

We compared prices on Amazon and Costco to see which offers better deals. Here's the verdict.

Business Insider/Jessica Tyler
Costco was less expensive than Amazon.

Amazon and Costco sell just about everything.
Both stores sell in bulk, offer free two-day shipping with a membership, and sell inexpensive private label products.
We compared prices across a few categories at both stores, and found Costco was generally less expensive. Here's how they stack up.

Amazon and Costco sell just about everything.

The two companies have a lot in common, including their membership programs, two-day delivery on online orders, and selling in massive bulk quantities.

Both online stores also sell a ton of private label products. Costco has its beloved Kirkland Signature brand to help keep prices low, and Amazon offers more than 80 of its own private-label products.

While Costco requires a membership to shop in-stores, it doesn't require one to shop online. Both Amazon Prime and Costco's membership offer free two-day shipping for online orders. Prime costs $119 a year, and a basic Costco membership costs $60 a year.

When we compared shopping online at each store, we found that Amazon had lower prices on home cleaning supplies like paper towels and dish soap, but almost everything else was less expensive at Costco.

Here's how the two compare:

A 12-pack of Bounty paper towels is listed on Amazon for $28.92. At Costco, it costs $29.99.

Amazon also was less expensive for cleaning supplies. An 8-count of Dawn dishwashing soap is listed at $39.40 at Amazon, and $41.19 at Costco.

Costco and Amazon don't always list the exact same products. Costco carried a 140-count pack of 13 gallon trash bags for $18.99, and Amazon carried an 80-count for $15.54. For a few dollars more, you can get double the amount at Costco.

200oz. of Tide laundry detergent costs $28.99 at Costco. On Amazon, you can buy two 100oz. packs of Tide detergent for $26.20.

Beauty products also were generally less expensive at Amazon. A two-pack of Aveeno lotion was $15.49 at Costco, but buying two single bottles of the same product on Amazon totals $14.38.

Costco sells a 180-count pack of its Kirkland brand makeup wipes for $15.99. On Amazon, a 50-count pack of Neutrogena brand wipes is $8.89. Costco offered a better deal in this case.

Amazon Price: $8.89 for a 50-count box

Costco Price: $15.99 for a 180-count box

Verdict: Costco

Groceries were generally cheaper at Costco. At Costco, Starbucks 60 Pike Place Coffee K-Cups cost $36.99. At Amazon, the exact same product cost $42.71.

At Costco, a two-count of 48oz. jars of peanut butter cost $11.49. The exact same product at Amazon cost $13.72.

Amazon sells a few of Costco's private label Kirkland products, but they are more expensive at Amazon. An 84oz. jar of coconut oil was almost half the price at Costco compared to Amazon.

Kirkland unsalted nuts from Amazon were $23.49. At Costco, the same product was $20.49.

After comparing prices across a few categories including cleaning supplies, beauty products, and groceries, Amazon had lower prices on most cleaning and home products.

But Costco had better deals on bulk quantities, and the groceries and Kirkland-brand products were significantly cheaper at Costco than on Amazon. It didn't have as big of a variety in terms of brands, but Costco had lower prices a majority of the time. A Costco membership is also much cheaper than a Prime membership, making Costco the winner here.

But Costco had better deals on bulk quantities, and the groceries and Kirkland-brand products were significantly cheaper at Costco than on Amazon. It didn't have as big of a variety in terms of brands, but Costco had lower prices a majority of the time. A Costco membership is also much cheaper than a Prime membership, making Costco the winner here.

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