Buying online can be cheaper than you think, but only if you know where the same basket costs less. Continente was the online supermarket with the lowest prices in 2025, according to DECO PROteste, which analyzed a basket of more than two hundred products daily and awarded the brand the “Cheapest” seal in the annual ranking.
The podium is completed by Pingo Doce and Froiz, who share second place, while Auchan and 360Hyper appear in third place, according to the indices calculated between January 1st and December 31st, 2025.
The comparison was made by the consumer protection organization based on price indices (in which the cheapest receives the index 100) and results from a daily collection of prices in nine online supermarkets operating in mainland Portugal.
Who was the cheapest online supermarket and who was at the bottom of the table
In detail of the annual ranking, DECO PROteste indicates that, after Continente (index 100), Pingo Doce and Froiz register index 101, that is, 1% above the first, and that Auchan and 360Hyper appear with index 102 (2% more expensive).
On the opposite side, El Corte Inglés was the most expensive online supermarket in 2025, with an index of 110, a price level 10% above Continente, in the same period of analysis.
In an intermediate position, ae places Minipreço (index 104) and Intermarché (index 103), reinforcing that each point above 100 means 1% more for the same basket, compared to the cheapest.
How the analysis was carried out (and what is not included in the calculations)
The organization explains that it collects prices daily from a basket with more than two hundred products and that it weighs the data taking into account the expenses of Portuguese families, in a continuous assessment throughout the year.
The universe analyzed includes Apolónia, Auchan, Continente, El Corte Inglés, Froiz, Intermarché, Minipreço, Pingo Doce and 360Hyper, but a supermarket is only included in the index calculation if it has at least 65% of the products in the basket considered.
There is a detail that can change the “real savings” at the end of the month: DECO PROteste highlights that, in the index accounts, there are no delivery costs, no card/slip discounts, no promotions conditioned on the purchase of other products, that is, the ranking looks at the “base” prices of the basket, and not at loyalty benefits.
The simulator: how to see the cheapest one in your municipality (and interpret the index)
DECO PROteste reminds you that its simulator, created in December 2021, allows you to choose a district and municipality and see which is the cheapest online supermarket for the selected delivery area, with indices calculated based on prices collected the previous day.
According to the same source, the reading rule is simple: the cheapest supermarket receives an index of 100 and the rest are above; for example, an index of 105 means that the same basket is 5% more expensive, without considering deliveries or discounts associated with cards.
The organization itself also warns that prices may vary depending on the delivery area and that, when the rates are very close, delivery costs (and conditions such as order minimums) can be decisive in the final choice.
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