What started as a simple curiosity for one local resident has evolved into a massive data project that is pulling back the curtain on local grocery costs. Justin Bishop, a West Seattlite and technologist, has launched the West Seattle Grocery Index, an interactive tool that compares thousands of identical products across the neighborhood's five major retailers.

The inspiration for the project was born from a common shopper's dilemma. "I started wondering whether PCC or Metropolitan Market was actually cheaper, and the project got slightly out of hand," Bishop says. That "out of hand" project now tracks 3,854 comparable products across PCC, Metropolitan Market, Safeway, QFC, and Whole Foods.

The Neighborhood Standings

According to the July 2026 snapshot, QFC currently offers the lowest overall prices with a price index of 94.7 and a 70.6% "win rate" against other stores. Whole Foods Market followed closely, actually taking the top spot for the lowest total cost on a "strict shared basket" of 257 products found at all five locations, totaling $1,589.62.

On the other end of the spectrum, Metropolitan Market was identified as the most expensive option, with a price index of 107 and a win rate of only 19.2%. For the same 257-item basket, shoppers at Metropolitan Market would pay 1,759.39∗∗—nearly∗∗170 more than at Whole Foods.

Startling Price Spreads

The index reveals that price differences for the exact same brand and size of an item can be dramatic:

• California Olive Ranch Olive Oil (16.9 oz): Priced at 16.99atWholeFoods∗∗comparedto∗∗32.99 at PCC.
• Kettle & Fire Beef Broth (32 oz): A bargain at 4.99atPCC∗∗,butastaggering∗∗15.99 at Safeway.
• Kraft Mac & Cheese (5 ct): Costs 4.49atQFC∗∗whileMetropolitanMarketcharges∗∗11.59.
• Oscar Mayer Center Cut Bacon (12 oz): Available for 6.99atQFC∗∗versus∗∗13.69 at Metropolitan Market.

Methodology and the "Instacart Factor"

Bishop's methodology is rigorous, matching products conservatively by brand, variety, and package size. The data includes displayed member, club, and sale prices, though it excludes one-time coupons.

A key finding of the research involves how stores handle online pricing. While Safeway, QFC, and Whole Foods data comes from their direct pickup websites, PCC and Metropolitan Market prices are sourced from Instacart. Bishop’s research indicates that while PCC claims "No markup" over in-store prices, the status of Metropolitan Market’s regular-catalog markup remains "unknown". For comparison, the index found that Safeway and QFC prices on Instacart were 16% to 17% higher than the prices found on their direct websites.

A Tool for the Community

Bishop has made the entire project transparent and accessible. "It’s a July 2026 snapshot—not a guarantee about today’s shelf price—but you can select any combination of stores, compare shared baskets, browse every product, and download the underlying data," he explains.

Neighbors looking to optimize their grocery budgets can visit the index at https://west-seattle-grocery-prices.jubishop.chatgpt.site/ to build their own custom baskets and see which store wins their specific shopping list. For those interested in the technical side, the full SQLite database and methodology are available on GitHub