11 Costco Signature Food Items Under $5 You Should Buy Every Trip

Finding well-priced items at Costco is the whole reason for bulk shopping at the warehouse chain in the first place; who wouldn't want to make their food dollars stretch as far as possible, especially in the age of eternally-rising food prices? So knowing Costco peppers its shelves with exceptional items priced at $5 (or less, even!) is like winning the Super Bowl, the World Series, and the March Madness of food shopping. And the feeling of amassing a tasty collection of bargains that only Costco can offer is like popping bottles of champagne after the big game. We Costco shoppers really get into our money-saving purchases.

The list of products available for $5 and under at your local Costco is select and varies by location and timing, of course. And as frequently as availability and prices change, it may be like hitting a moving target to find the buys you want at this bargain-busting price. But if you look closely, you'll discover an array of products in sections ranging from produce to snacks to bread items, most of which will save you considerably compared to national grocery chain prices. I took a shopping adventure to scout out the most favorable current finds so I could clue in eager shoppers on the exciting choices in Costco's $5 trove of treasures. With a little luck, you may discover these premium treasures waiting in the location near you.

Anyone shopping for apples in the grocery store knows how wild and wacky prices can be. One day you'll find them on sale for 99 cents a pound, the next they're upwards of $1.99 or more. And the type of apple you're looking for may not be the one you find on rollback. Search for organic apples and prices get even loftier. Rather than hoping you can find the right apples at the right price, Costco makes it possible to pick up organic versions of two of the most premium types of apples for $4.99 a bag, a dependable deal that presents the pick of the crop instead of making you search out the best pieces among the pile.

For Fuji fans, there's a generous 4-pound bag available for $4.99, a bargain when these apples can jump up to $2.50 or more per pound when the apple market takes a bounce. Lovers of Gala apples can grab a 3-pound bag for the same $4.99 price, making it easy to keep your crisper drawer filled with healthy fruit. Having selections like these on hand helps you combine your warehouse run and your general grocery shopping into a single task, which is bound to save you on gas money as well.

Any item with a French name found at Costco is bound to be a tasty affair, but Le Chic Patissier petite Belgian waffles are a particularly noteworthy purchase. This translucent tub of temptation shows off its decadent contents as you pass through the aisles, beckoning you closer as you notice the $4.99 price point on the label above the display. Suddenly, your interior dialogue takes on a French accent and you're wondering how you'd look snacking on these luscious bakes while wearing a beret. That's the power of a $5 Costco purchase, bien sur!

These three-bite treats feature real butter and come with a rustic edge that gives them a handmade feel. They make fantastic snacks when you're looking for something just a little more special than a cookie but would rather not deplete your shopping funds at a specialty bakery. Spread them out on a tray as a party bite or incorporate them into celebratory desserts for birthdays and special occasions that call for a touch of sweet elegance without requiring a culinary professional — or a trip to Paris.

Wholesome eaters hoping to add fresh vegetables to their menu will be happy to discover whole organic white mushrooms taking up space in Costco's refrigerated produce section. A 24-ounce package of these food-friendly fungi for $4.99 provides a bounty of plant-based goodness that's easily added to salads and wraps, incorporated into sautés and sauces, or blended into alternatives for ground beef and chicken that make your favorite dishes entirely vegan-ready. And if you're extra-ambitious, you can whip up sausage and cream cheese stuffed mushrooms to dazzle partygoers at your next festive occasion.

For similar packages of organic mushrooms in your usual grocery outlet, you'll get only 16 ounces for the same $5 payout. There's no shopping philosophy that advises paying the same price for two-thirds of the quantity, even for organic produce. Knowing you can count on Costco for a more affordable mushroom crop gives you cost-effective alternatives to chain grocers and provides the kind of plant-based ingredients you need when mushrooms are out of season with growers at your local farmers market.

One of the most popular Costco purchases in my house has always been Kirkland tortilla chips. At $4.99 for an oversized bag, this is my go to party purchase, a collection of crispy Tortilla Strips sturdy enough to hold salsa and dips of all kinds and salty enough to make tongues tingle around the table. The generous 3-pound bag is a steal, especially when bumped up against store brands at national grocery chains priced at almost double the Costco cost. You're likely to be in the warehouse shopping for other snacking essentials, which makes snagging a bag of these crisps a sensible strategy.

You may be tempted to buy more than one bag considering how attractive the price is for the size bag you get. Be warned that it can be a challenge to get through so many tortilla strips in one go; I often find myself dumping half the bowl back into the bag for personal snacking once the party is over. If you end up purchasing more than you need, you can always stash the extras in the pantry for late-night sheet pan nachos sessions and for crunching over salads in need of a little salt and crunch.

Sweet treats from a real bakery are likely to wring your wallet dry, especially if you purchase them by the dozen. Costco swoops in with El Camino Real Dulce de Leche Delights to help you spend in a more favorable fashion, offering a 30-pack for $4.97. These bite-sized biscuits provide a pillowy sugar-powdered shell filled with gooey caramel sauce. They're the sort of deluxe sweets you might see in a pastry case and purchase as a single-bite sampler. The warehouse power-player makes it possible for you to go all-in on enough to feed a houseful of guests without hitting double digits on your receipt, though it's perfectly fine if you enjoy them all on your own.

Non-Costco listings for these El Camino goodies show a regular price of $19.98 for a two-pack, which brings a single tub to almost $10. Costco knows the struggle is real in the world of luxe pastry shopping and breaks that number in half, giving curious consumers a chance to dive into the deep end of the pastry world while letting them breathe easily when they surface. But, no one would fault you for doubling up your purchase with such a delicious price.

Whether you use them as part of your weekend brunch lineup, add them to your morning breakfast routine, or turn them into killer sandwiches for a sumptuous lunchtime treat, the eight-count brioche bag from La Boulangerie priced at $3.99 is a no-brainer of a buy. Sure, you could pay $4.97 at Walmart for the store's Marketside brand brioche rolls, but you'd only be getting six pieces. While that quality is sufficient, La Boulangerie boasts no high-fructose corn syrup or GMO-based ingredients, giving this bag an edge in both quality and pricing.

For anyone unfamiliar with this gourmet French roll, the difference between brioche and other upscale breads is the use of butter and eggs, which makes them incredibly rich and makes brioche more expensive than other breads. So when Costco offers an opportunity to give them a try without feeling like you might be wasting your money on a poorly-considered purchase, you know adding a package to your shopping cart is the right decision. You can always stash extras in the fridge or freezer for future use to make sure they stay fresh until you're ready to use them.

Boxed pasta is one of the most affordable items in the world of grocery shopping, but finding it in elegant forms like those offered by Di Bari drives prices up and limits availability to specialty shops and online orders. Costco grants your gourmet wish for upscale pasta by providing a gift box with six different pasta shapes from this artisan food producer for just $4.97 for a 4.6-pound box. You can choose from orecchiette, cicatelli, and fusilli in traditional form, or tricolor versions of pettini, gnocchetti, and macaroni. If all of this Italian-made goodness isn't worth five smackers on a Costco trip, what is?

As a longtime provider of authentic pasta products, pasta factory Di Bari Tarall'Oro offers artisanal pasta distributed by Barbiero. Costco's thoughtful buyers make it possible to incorporate these regional wonders into your own dining plans or wrap them up for foodie friends who'll adore receiving treats from far away, even if they came via your latest warehouse shopping adventure. They even come in a hexagonal box that's ready for presentation with a bottle of chianti and a wish for buona salute e lunga vita (good health and a long life).

Specialty spice blends can set you back a pretty penny if you don't have a source for budget friendly options. Costco comes to the rescue with a couple of Spiceology seasonings that load you up on exceptional blends in full-size bottles that ring up at just under the $5 mark. You may have seen these cleverly-branded seasonings with labels that look like elements from the periodic table, hinting at their essential nature in the world of culinary chemistry. It's a sharp way of cluing shoppers in on the necessity of bold flavors that blow minds and please palates, and Costco is practically giving away the goods.

Buying directly from the website, you can expect to pay $14.95 for a 4-ounce bottle of Greek Freak Mediterranean or a 5.3-ounce bottle of Nashville Hot Chicken shake-ons. But cruise into the Costco closest to you and you might discover 9.8-ounce bottles of both flavors for a cool $4.97 each. It's your signal to stock up on these high-end add-ins, which are flexible enough to flavor meats, veggies, salads, and even snacks like homemade chips or popcorn. With such a stellar price, you might as well get your money's worth.

Wander down the bread aisle at your local Costco and you're likely to run into a bag of 12 flatbreads from Papa Pita, precociously priced at $3.99. While not part of the chain's bakery section, these pitas are a prime purchase nonetheless, providing one of the few Mediterranean alternatives to regular bread found in the store. Similar bags featuring only four pieces are priced in the neighborhood of $3 and up elsewhere; even Sam's Club, Costco's main competitor on the warehouse circuit, carries Papa Pita 12-packs for $4.98, giving Costco a $1 advantage that's worth seeking out.

Your most obvious use for a bag of Papa Pita flatbreads is the classic gyro; if you've never made your own, the value of these baked beauties makes it possible to assemble strips of tender beef or lamb with a bevy of crisp veggies and a drizzle of homemade tzatziki. You can also snip or slice your pitas into wedges, spray or brush them with oil, give them a sprinkle of coarse salt, and send them into the oven or air fryer to become crisp pita chips, the perfect homemade snack for scooping up hearty cowboy caviar.

When the spirit of the cookout calls in a voice that can't be ignored, it's nice to know you can cruise over to Costco and pick up a 12-pack of Hattie's hamburger buns for a cool $2.89. How much of a bargain is this oversized bag of buns? Walmart carries the same bag for $3.87, and Kroger stores carry an eight-count bag for $3.99. When you line it all up numerically, Costco makes it undeniably economical for grill masters to serve up their supreme patties on bread that doesn't break the bank.

Maybe your neighborhood get-together leaves you with a few buns extra but no burgers to fill them. You can use the remainder of your under-$5 Costco find to create personal pizzas for a weeknight dinner. Of course, being just bread in circular form, you can find all sorts of inventive uses for your leftover burger buns, everything from making your own breadcrumbs to cooking up a sweet and chewy bread pudding. So if the dozen count seems a little daunting, even for such a fantastic price, know that a little creativity will ensure every last bun is put to good use.

One of the most renowned items on the must-have list of Costco buys, the ever-present rotisserie chicken is a list-topper in the world of $5 warehouse deals. The company seems to have an unending source of chickens lined up to pass through the rotisserie and bag up for quick and ready meals. Aside from being a nonstop budget saver of a purchase, the Costco rotisserie chicken has become an iconic symbol of how cheap and easy it can be to serve a succulent centerpiece for supper without feeling like you've made a huge financial mistake. It's always nice to find that kind of modestly-priced, minimally-sized merchandise, especially in a store where buying massive amounts of product is the norm.

Of course, Costco places the rotisserie chickens among the other items in the meat, deli, and premade meal section of the store. The aroma wafts toward you as you shop, alerting you to your most coveted choice among refrigerator cases loaded with more expensive options. If you hope to make it out with your billfold intact, your best bet is to swing by the heating station just before you head to the check stand and pick up your chicken on the way out. That way, you won't be tempted to buy a rack of ribs or a pile of mashed potatoes to go with it, thereby keeping your promise to spend only what you need to. Costco shopping is tricky like that.