Are butchers cheaper than supermarkets? It depends on the cut, the grade and how much you buy, so the fair test is the price per usable kilo on the same day, not a blanket rule.
This guide shows how to compare an online butcher, a local butcher and the supermarket shelf on equal terms.
It also covers the wider meat delivery vs supermarket question, including when the supermarket makes more sense.
Disclosure: Cost Cut Meats publishes this page and sells the beef priced in it. The only prices shown are our own, checked 18 October 2026.
How to Compare Butcher and Supermarket Meat Prices
Compare the same cut in the same form, at the regular price, per kilo you actually cook, with every extra cost added in.
Whether you shop at Aldi, Coles, Woolworths, Costco, a local butcher or online, the same five checks keep the comparison fair.
- Match the cut and its form. Set porterhouse against porterhouse and a whole primal against a whole primal, or note that one side is pre-cut steak.
- Match the label. Where it is stated, compare like with like on MSA grading, feed, breed, marble score and origin, and do not count a lower grade as a saving.
- Use the regular unit price. Shelf labels and online listings usually show a price per kilo beside the pack price, so use that figure and record specials and markdowns separately.
- Add the extras. Delivery, any membership fee and the trip itself all belong in the total, even though time and fuel are hard to put a figure on.
- Price what you keep. For a whole primal, divide what you paid by the weight left after trimming, which gives the price per usable kilo.
Do the whole check on the same day, because prices and specials move from week to week.
What to Check on the Shelf Before You Compare
A price per kilo only means something once you know exactly what it buys, so read the label before the price.
- Cut name: porterhouse is also sold as sirloin, and scotch fillet as rib eye, so check you are pricing the same muscle.
- Bone in or boneless: bone is weighed and priced with the meat, so a bone-in cut and a boneless one are not the same value per kilo.
- Pre-cut or whole: steaks are portioned and ready to cook, while a whole primal still carries some fat and trim.
- Grade and marble score: an MSA reference or an MB number tells you about eating quality, and not every pack states one.
- Feed and breed: grass fed, grain fed, Angus and Wagyu are separate claims, so compare only where both labels say the same.
- Regular or special: a special or markdown sticker is that week's price, not the usual one.
Price per Kilo vs Price per Usable Kilo
Compare price per usable kilo, not price per kilo as sold: a whole primal loses some weight to trim, and a small online order also carries delivery.
Take the AMG grass-fed porterhouse striploin. Bought as a single 4kg piece at $42/kg, it costs $168 plus $30 delivery, or $49.50/kg delivered before trim. In a 20kg full box at $32/kg, the order totals $640, delivery is free and it stays at $32/kg before trim.
To turn either figure into a price per usable kilo, weigh the steaks you keep after trimming and divide the order total by that weight. That is the number to set against a supermarket's price per kilo for the same cut, since a pre-cut steak is already portioned.
| Cut | Cost Cut Meats line | Smallest order | Delivered per kg | Full box | Delivered per kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porterhouse | AMG whole striploin, grass-fed Angus, MSA graded | 4kg single piece at $42/kg, $168 plus $30 | $49.50 | 20kg at $32/kg, $640, free delivery | $32.00 |
| Scotch fillet | AMG A Budget whole cube roll, grass-fed Angus | 4kg single piece at $49/kg, $196 plus $30 | $56.50 | 20kg at $39/kg, $780, free delivery | $39.00 |
| Rump | AMG whole rump, grass-fed Angus | 6kg single piece at $36/kg, $216 plus $30 | $41.00 | 20kg at $26/kg, $520 plus $30 | $27.50 |
| Eye fillet | AMG whole tenderloins, 1.8kg to 2.2kg each, grass-fed Angus | 6kg half box at $50/kg, $300 plus $30 | $55.00 | 12kg at $45/kg, $540 plus $30 | $47.50 |
| Rump cap (picanha) | AMG whole rump caps, grass-fed Angus | 7kg half box at $33/kg, $231 plus $30 | $37.29 | 14kg at $28/kg, $392 plus $30 | $30.14 |
Before trim, at the nominal weight of each order. Cost Cut Meats prices checked 18 October 2026.
How Box Size and Delivery Change the Price
Order size moves the price per kilo as much as the shop does, because bigger boxes cost less per kilo and larger orders ship free.
At Cost Cut Meats, a single piece costs $10/kg more than a full box and a half box $5/kg more, while a double box costs $3 to $5/kg less. Delivery is $30 flat below $600 and free from $600, with chilled meat delivery to every state and territory except the NT.
That $30 adds $5 to $7.50 a kilo to a 4kg to 6kg single piece. Rump, eye fillet and rump cap full boxes come to $520, $540 and $392, all under the free-delivery threshold, so they still pay $30 unless the order grows.
Freezer space is the other limit. A full box of 12kg to 20kg needs room before it arrives, so size the order to what you can store.
When the Supermarket Makes More Sense
The supermarket makes more sense when you need a small amount, when a special or markdown is on, or when you want a cut an online butcher does not sell.
Cost Cut Meats sells whole primals from about 3.5kg upward, so a single dinner's worth of steak is a supermarket job. We also sell no mince, chicken, lamb or pork, so for those the supermarket or a local butcher is the place to compare.
Specials change the picture week to week. A supermarket special can undercut that store's own regular price, which is why a fair comparison records specials separately.
Supermarkets are only one option, and where to buy cheap meat depends on the cut, the quantity and the week.
When Buying Whole Primals Online Makes Sense
Whole primals cost the least per kilo in full and double boxes, so buying online makes most sense when you can use and store a large order.
That suits steak-heavy households, families who cook beef several times a week and anyone happy to portion a primal on delivery day. It does not suit a small freezer or an occasional steak night.
Portioning is part of the deal. Cut the primal into steaks or roasts, seal and label each pack, and freeze what you will not cook within a few days.
Planning ahead for buying meat in bulk helps you size the order to your freezer before you commit.
Is Butcher Meat Better Than Supermarket Meat?
Compare what the label tells you rather than where you bought it: grade, feed, breed, marble score and origin shape eating quality, and the shop does not.
MSA grading predicts eating quality for a cut and cooking method, so an MSA graded steak carries an independent assessment wherever it is sold.
Feed is a separate claim. The difference between grass fed versus grain fed beef shows up in flavour and fat, so look for it stated on the label rather than assumed.
A marble score, where given, tells you how rich the beef will eat. Cost Cut Meats ships whole primals in cryovac, chilled and never frozen. Nutrition follows the cut and how lean it is, so the same cut and grade carries the same nutrition wherever you buy it.
Conclusion
Are butchers cheaper than supermarkets? It depends on the cut and the order size, so compare regular prices per usable kilo on the same day.
Small amounts suit the supermarket, while full boxes bring a whole primal's price per kilo down.
Our bulk packs and whole primals arrive chilled to every state and territory except the NT.
