Walmart Vs Costco: Which Is Actually Best For Deli Meat?

As satisfying as a meal from a good sub shop may be, it's not too difficult to make a restaurant-quality sandwich at home with the right ingredients. It's possible, for instance, to put together the signature seasoning blend from Jersey Mike's with just a simple, two-ingredient recipe. A homemade sandwich can fall short, however, without either good bread or high-quality meat. To avoid subpar meats, then, it's important to shop at a grocery store with a solid deli department.

I already determined the best and worst deli meats to buy from Walmart as well as the best and worst deli meats to buy from Costco. Based on those experiences trying wide selections of products from both stores, I was able to break down in detail just how the two chains stack up against one another. All cited prices reflect my visits to each of my local stores in June of 2026. Ahead are analyses of Walmart's and Costco's deli meat selections in various categories, before asserting my pick for which grocery store is actually best for deli meat overall.

It shouldn't come as a huge surprise that Walmart stocks more deli meat brands than Costco. The inventory at Costco stores is deliberately limited for the sake of maintaining low prices, especially for the 13 Costco grocery items that will save you the most money.

At the time of my visit, my local Costco carried five Kirkland Signature products, one Hillshire Farm product, and one Dietz & Watson product in its deli meat department, in addition to two different items by Italian brands specializing in Italian cold cuts. Walmart, meanwhile, offers a wide range of deli meat brands by names like Oscar Mayer, Prima Della, Hormel, Applegate Natural, Sara Lee, Bar-S, Land O'Frost, FUD, Buddig, Columbus, and more — in addition to the aforementioned Hillshire Farm. For brand variety, Walmart's deli meat department offers a selection that's quite a bit more robust than Costco's.

Costco is well-known for its bulk quantities. The fact that Costco packages most products in bulk is, of course, a double-edged sword. The downside of that method, naturally, is that some extra planning might be necessary to ensure the freshness of items that might spoil. The biggest upside, meanwhile, is that bulk quantities almost always mean cheaper prices. Costco's deli meats are indeed cheaper by volume than the equivalent items at Walmart.

One item I picked up during my visit to Costco's deli department was the Kirkland Signature Oven Roasted Turkey Breast, at $12.99 for 40 ounces, equivalent to $0.32 per ounce. A 9-ounce package of Great Value Oven Roasted Turkey Breast from Walmart, meanwhile, costs $0.40 per ounce. A larger 16-ounce container only saves a few cents, still coming in at a higher price point than the same one from Costco. Unsurprisingly, Walmart's proprietary Great Value brand is its cheapest option, and prices only go up from there. Meanwhile, Kirkland Signature ham costs just $0.19 per ounce, whereas the cheapest Great Value ham is $0.28 per ounce. So, for the best value on deli meat, Costco has Walmart beat pretty handily.

While customers looking to stretch their dollar furthest should head to Costco over Walmart, the flip side of Costco's comparatively lower price-per-volume is that items carry higher price tags overall. In other words, getting ham at $0.19 per ounce requires buying a massive 48 ounces for $8.99 — and that's on the lower end of Costco's cost spectrum. The sole organic sliced turkey available at my Costco, meanwhile, totaled $17.99.

Walmart customers interested in picking up some deli ham can do so for as little as $0.92. While that option is more than double the price-per-ounce of Costco's Kirkland Signature Ham, sometimes spending less takes priority over maximizing value. Organic turkey, meanwhile, starts at $6.24, just over a third of the price of Costco's only option. Those looking for solid deli meat at lower total price points should skip Costco's bulk-oriented selection and shop at Walmart.

For my analysis of Costco's deli department, I tried three different kinds of turkey, covering almost every deli turkey product available at my local warehouse. For my breakdown of Walmart's deli department, I also sampled three different turkey products. The best turkey I had from Walmart — Prime Fresh Delicatessen Oven Roasted Turkey Breast — still wasn't as good as Costco's baseline Kirkland Signature Oven Roasted Turkey Breast. Costco's Dietz & Watson Organic Roasted Turkey Breast, meanwhile, is quite a bit better than anything I tried from Walmart.

The sole caveat to the superiority of Costco's deli turkey selection is the fact that I didn't like the Hillshire Farm Oven Roasted Turkey I picked up in a two-pack, also containing Honey Ham. That said, I think it's fair to assume that anyone shopping for turkey at Costco is more likely to opt for plain turkey over that Hillshire Farm two-pack. Walmart, meanwhile, carries at least two mediocre turkeys, in addition to turkey produced by brands that made poor versions of other kinds of meats I tried. Simply put, two-thirds of Costco's deli turkey products are great, whereas buying deli turkey from Walmart is a bit of a gamble.

From Costco, I tried a regular Kirkland Signature ham, a Kirkland Signature Black Forest Ham, and Hillshire Farms Honey Ham sold in a two-pack with Oven Roasted Turkey. My Walmart selection covered six kinds of ham from five different brands. Technically, I found there were more Walmart ham products worth recommending than Costco products, but if I were shopping for ham to enjoy at home, I would pick Costco over Walmart every time.

Walmart, for what it's worth, carries a Black Forest Ham by the Land O'Frost brand that I found slightly superior to Costco's Black Forest ham. Nevertheless, I'd pick that Kirkland Signature Black Forest Ham over any other ham option from Walmart. They were mostly no better than adequate, whereas Costco's Black Forest ham simply fell short relative to the rest of a pretty solid field. Kirkland Signature Extra Lean Uncured Ham, meanwhile, is the single best ham from either store. So overall, Walmart's ham selection features low lows and some middling highs, save for a single product. Costco's ham, therefore, maintains a higher batting average, thanks largely to Costco's baseline product beating out anything from Walmart.

Costco will always have some things in stock, like its iconic rotisserie chickens, or most of the 13 best pantry staples you can find at Costco. Frequently, however, products that fall outside of the chain's core range are rotated on and off of shelves, often frustrating customers who grow to like one of those limited-time offerings. Whether due to that shifting inventory strategy or simply because Costco keeps its deli department small, my local warehouse only stocked turkey, ham, salami, and prosciutto.

Meanwhile, my local Walmart Neighborhood Market carried at least one of just about every kind of standard deli meat imaginable. The selection of 17 products I picked up for my analysis covered turkey, ham, chicken, salami, bologna, corned beef, and pastrami. Walmart's online inventory also indicates that the chain carries ample options for prosciutto and roast beef. Costco may often be the better option if it carries the specific type of meat, but plenty of deli meats like sliced chicken and bologna can only be found at Walmart.

One of the biggest surprises shopping for deli meats at Walmart was that its proprietary Great Value products advertised their lack of nitrites and nitrates — it matters if nitrates are in your deli meat because studies have linked them to health risks. However, for each Great Value product without nitrites or nitrates there were ample products full of controversial preservatives.

At Costco, meanwhile, every deli meat I picked up except for Kirkland Signature's Reduced Sodium Italian-Style Dry Salame was free from nitrates and nitrites, while each also advertised various additional levels of natural ingredients. In conjunction with that baseline naturalness, I simply found that my Costco meats tasted better on average than my Walmart deli meats. 

Comparing what's in Great Value turkey and Kirkland turkey, the latter contains less ingredients overall. While I wouldn't consider myself a nutritional expert, I don't think it's a coincidence the product with a shorter list of ingredients tasted noticeably better. So, for the highest-quality deli meats, Costco is the better call.

I found that Costco excelled in four categories versus Walmart's three. Based on the numbers, then, that should make Costco the superior grocery store chain for deli meat. Furthermore, I value the categories Costco won a little higher than those in which Walmart came out ahead.

Walmart beat Costco for its selection of brands, budget-friendly prices, and variety of meats. Those are each different shades of an overall wider selection. But as long as the desired product is something Costco carries, Costco is the superior store for its higher level of quality, regardless of product type. Plus, its inventory is cheaper by volume, meaning that Costco sells tastier deli meats at lower prices. For, say, an inexpensive packet of sliced bologna, Walmart isn't just the best option but the only option. However, for any and all deli turkey, the best deli ham, and whatever else Costco happens to carry at the time, like sliced salami, Costco is a better grocery store for deli meats than Walmart.

My analyses of Walmart's and Costco's deli departments are based on my experiences determining their best and worst deli meats for two previous articles published by The Takeout. I had this assignment in the pipeline at that time, so I was already breaking down how the two chains compared to each other while in the midst of working on those pieces.

From Walmart, I tried 17 different deli meats, covering as wide of a selection of kinds of meat and brands as possible, while also featuring a variety of Great Value products. From Costco, I tried almost every deli meat available to me at my local warehouse. For this piece, I also broke down factors that weren't important before, like relative price and inventory. My assessments of each chain are based entirely on those experiences, and not on any thoughts I may have had about either store previously.