The Best Costco Foods To Buy When You Live Alone

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According to Investing.com, over 70 million Americans have access to Costco through paid memberships and household cards. For many folks with large, hungry families, investing in a membership is a no-brainer. However, lots of people who live alone may be on the fence about shopping there. Buying in bulk is supposed to cut expenses significantly, but any savings can disappear if you're throwing out tons of spoiled food you couldn't get to in time.

The truth is, plenty of single people rave about their Costco membership. One Redditor even joked that you'd have to pry their membership card from their cold, dead hands to take it away. With some thoughtful planning, anyone could get their money's worth by buying the right types of food in bulk.

If you're new to wholesale shopping or want to reduce waste, countless Costco products can help you eat healthy, delicious meals while saving money. These recommendations are based on personal experience shopping and cooking for myself, creating meal plans for other people who live alone, and suggestions from solo shoppers on Reddit (see the methodology slide at the end for further details). Read on for some grocery-list inspiration.

It doesn't matter if you're single, married, young, old, rich, or poor: Everyone can get down with some rotisserie chicken. Slow roasting a whole bird with tons of spices leaves you with flavorful, crispy skin and juicy meat. In fact, when Adam Driver was a university student, he admitted to eating an entire rotisserie chicken every day. Some folks may be up for that challenge, but most won't be able to gobble one whole.

This shouldn't stop you from taking advantage of Costco's famous $5 rotisserie chickens, though. Even celebrity chefs like Alex Guarnaschelli rave about them. To prevent waste, turn Costco rotisserie chicken into multiple meals. For a simple meal you can whip up the same day you shop, eat a portion of the rotisserie chicken with simple sides like mashed potatoes and corn.

While you're slicing off a breast or thigh for dinner, you might as well break down the rest of the bird to save fridge space. You can cut it into strips, dice it, or even shred it. With the leftover meat, you can add effortless, tasty protein to any pasta, rice, or soup. Speaking of soup, you can even hang onto the carcass and simmer it for a nutritious broth that freezes well.

Getting advice to buy a 25-pound bag of rice as a single person may seem like a joke, but hear me out. If you eat rice regularly, you can finish this colossal bag faster than you'd expect. Best of all, you'll save a significant amount of money. Those little 2-pound bags of rice definitely are handy for storage, but you're paying for this convenience. Walmart's 2-pound bags of jasmine rice cost $3.57. By the time you consume 25 pounds, you'd spend $44.63, compared to Costco's $20.99 bags.

There are dozens and dozens of main dish rice recipes that can keep your meal rotation fresh and fulfilling. Not to mention all the times you can make plain rice as a side dish. As long as you can find a place to tuck this large bag of rice so it's out of sight, you can still make everyday cooking simple by filling a smaller storage container with rice and refilling it from the large bag. Growing up, my parents always bought giant rice bags and kept them on the pantry floor in the corner.

It's true: Costco does sell some comically large portions that make you wonder how even a large household could use them in a reasonable amount of time. The good news is that the warehouse also offers a smaller bundle of eggs for shoppers who don't need to feed an army. If you aren't in the market for a whopping five dozen eggs, you can opt for the more reasonable two-dozen egg cartons. You'll be able to get through the carton in two weeks or less if you make two or three eggs for breakfast regularly and maybe do some baking. Worst-case scenario, you can always rescue old eggs by making frittata. This dish not only uses a dozen eggs, but you can also throw in any veggies that are starting to wilt.

For two dozen eggs, Instacart lists the price at $4.30, but actual warehouse prices will be even cheaper. At Walmart, a dozen eggs costs $2.96, so the savings are clear. If you have an insatiable hunger for eggs, like Gaston from "Beauty and the Beast," you can save even more by opting for the 5-dozen carton, which costs only $10.66 on Instacart. According to The American Egg Board, whole eggs last about three weeks after you buy them, so you can maximize your savings if you have the fridge space.

Ground beef is always great to have on hand because it can save you in a pinch. Burgers, tacos, chili, stroganoff, and Bolognese are just a handful of ground beef dinner recipes that can simplify your life. Instead of spending $7.47 at Walmart to buy a pound, you can save a bit by buying the 4-pound package of grass-fed beef at Costco for $7.09 per pound. Again, this price is from Instacart, so in-store pricing will be even more competitive. The beef comes in three 1.33-pound packages, so you can pop the other two into your freezer until you're ready to cook them.

If you don't mind getting your hands a bit messy, you can save more money by buying the larger 6-pound package of ground beef. That comes to about $6.80 per pound. With some Ziploc freezer-safe bags, you can create the perfect portions to pull out for affordable dinners. If you smush the meat flat inside the bags, you can stack them without taking up much space.

Lots of parents burn through containers of peanut butter making PB&Js for their picky eaters. However, you don't even need to be a PB&J enthusiast to benefit from Costco's peanut butter savings. Costco offers a few different types of peanut butter, but for comparison's sake, let's use Jif's creamy peanut butter.

Costco sells two 48-ounce jars for $10.99, while Walmart's 16-ounce jar costs $ $2.98. That breaks down to $0.11 per ounce versus $0.19, which is nearly double the price. Since Costco sells two jars, you only need to worry about one shelf life at a time. Once opened, you'll have about three months to use it if you keep it in the pantry, or nine months if you refrigerate it.

Beyond the beloved PB&J, you can make satay sauce, peanut lime dressing, peanut butter toast, and more. Of course, you can also get your almond butter fix, treat yourself to Nutella, or even stock up on whole nuts for a good deal.

Broccoli is one of the greatest multi-purpose veggies of all time. It's a staple side dish that you can steam in the microwave, roast in the oven, or pan-fry on the stove. You can chop or purée them in dishes like broccoli and cheddar soup or make hearty casseroles like chicken divan. Don't get me started on how much I love broccoli in stir-fries. Diced broccoli is fantastic in omelets, too.

Needless to say, broccoli can always enhance any meal, so it's worth having a bunch in your freezer. Costco sells a 4-pound bag of organic broccoli florets for $9.89. Don't be fooled by the giant bag — it includes four 1-pound bags. Not only do they fit more easily in your freezer, but they're also microwavable. If you buy the smaller individual bags that Walmart offers, you're paying an extra 5 cents per ounce, and that adds up quickly if you eat a lot of broccoli.

Along with ground beef, chicken breasts are a go-to protein that's easy to cook. There's an endless supply of phenomenal chicken breast recipes that can keep your menu exciting. Costco sells packages of chicken breasts that are around 8 pounds, but they're sealed in smaller packages containing two to three breasts each. This makes it easy to freeze what you won't use that week. Costco's chicken breasts cost about $2.79 per pound, which is actually a bit more expensive than Walmart's $2.57 per pound.

However, it's worth noting that Walmart's chicken breasts contain rib meat, which some folks trim. Once you get a clean breast, the value may be the same. Costco's breasts are trimmed and ready to go, which saves time. Another perk is that Costco's chicken meat is advertised as air-chilled. Without this label, you can assume the chicken breasts were dunked in a cold bath during processing. When air-chilled, the meat turns out more tender and juicier.

If you're a cheese lover, you'll have a blast wandering around Costco, single or not. Sure, the bags are bigger than what other grocery stores like Walmart sell, but they're still manageable. Plenty of folks on Reddit love buying their cheese from Costco.

Your shopping cart will look different based on your preferences and favorite recipes, but most of us can agree that mozzarella is a wonderful multi-purpose cheese to keep stocked in the fridge. At Costco, you can snag 5 pounds of shredded mozzarella divided into two resealable bags for $12.49. Another perk is that Costco's dairy cows are not treated with any growth hormones.

From pizza to baked ziti and casseroles, you'll have no trouble gobbling up your cheese. In fact, you may need to keep fighting the urge to snack on a handful here and there. Still, if you need some inspiration, here are 44 ways you can cook with mozzarella.

One of the few products on this list that aren't more cost-efficient than Walmart is Costco's organic whole milk. A half gallon costs $3.97 at Walmart, while Costco's 3-pack costs $4.66 per half gallon. However, this is still a justifiable purchase because many folks drink and cook with a lot of milk, so they might as well get 1.5 gallons at once. Having three separate half-gallon containers alleviates the stress of using it all before it spoils.

So, why not hunt for the cheapest milk elsewhere? If you pass a grocery store on the way home that offers a better deal, you may want to run inside and grab it. However, it's also important to factor time and the cost of gas into your grocery hauls. One Redditor who regularly buys 2% milk at Costco also works at Albertsons in Washington. They compared prices at both stores and discovered they'd have to spend twice as much buying groceries at Albertsons instead of Costco.

Out of all the popular Starbucks menu items ranked worst to best, the sous vide egg bites come quite close to the top. People go nuts over them because they're a convenient and tasty pop of protein. If they're already grabbing a drink, it makes sense to add some egg bites to their order. The major downside is that making this a habit will cost you big in the long run. Two egg bites at Starbucks cost around $5.75, plus tax.

Making copycat Starbucks egg bites is a breeze, but some mornings, time just slips away. If you can't fuss with cooking, heat some Costco sous vide egg bites. For $11.79, you get 10. If you ordered 10 at Starbucks, you'd spend significantly more.

Costco even offers two flavors to prevent taste bud fatigue. You can't go wrong with Uncured Bacon and Gouda and Egg White with Cheese Trio and Peppers. If you're worried about the taste or texture, plenty of folks are convinced these bites come from the same manufacturer Starbucks uses.

Cooking chicken breast may seem like the more "adult" option, but sometimes you need to get your fill of chicken tenders. Costco carries several breaded chicken tenders from Tyson, but the product that gets the most hype online is Kirkland's lightly breaded chicken chunks. Some folks like the Just Bare brand chicken chunks, but one Redditor described them as squishier than Kirkland's.

There are countless ways you can enjoy these chicken chunks. Heating them with some tater tots is a quick, nostalgic meal. You can also add them to pasta and rice dishes. I suggest making one-pot mac and cheese and topping your bowl with chicken chunks tossed in buffalo sauce.

Costco sells its 4-pound bag for $14.99, which is only $3.75 per pound. It's an affordable protein option that feels more indulgent than plain chicken breasts. You can always count on crispy, breaded chicken when you're in a dinner rut.

The thought of a giant square of gooey, hearty lasagna waiting for you at the end of a long workday can give you immense strength. Learning how to make lasagna is a skill everyone should have, including folks who live alone. The leftovers hold up beautifully, and you can even freeze individual portions if you buy the right baking dishes.

However, if you're in a pinch, frozen lasagna is worth buying compared to other meals that dry out or taste bland. Costco's Italian sausage and beef lasagna gets glowing reviews online, and the portions aren't as wild as you might imagine. For $18.49, you can get two 3-pound trays of frozen lasagna. The label claims to have six servings per tray, but this may be closer to four if you're a pasta fiend like me. Regardless, this is still a fabulous deal that can cover lunch or dinner several days during the week.

In fact, I included this lasagna in my breakdown of the best Costco foods under $20 that feel like $50. Costco has plenty of great frozen foods packaged in individual servings, so it's worth exploring the frozen foods aisle as a single shopper.

Like rice, all-purpose flour is a staple ingredient that's always good to have on hand. Folks who live alone may be used to keeping small bags on hand that are only 2 to 5 pounds, but running a small household shouldn't scare you away from heavier bags. At Costco, you can get two 10-pound bags for $16.49, which breaks down to only $0.05 per ounce. At Walmart, organic all-purpose flour costs nearer $0.08 per ounce. It may not seem like a huge difference, but every cent counts if you're trying to cut grocery bills.

Twenty pounds of flour may seem like a lot, but you won't have to throw any of it away if you enjoy cooking and baking. Plenty of dishes require small amounts of flour, such as crispy fried chicken and pancakes. Plenty of recipes also use a lot of flour, such as quick no-knead pizza dough.

All-purpose flour will keep in your pantry for 12 to 18 months. If it's hard to imagine consuming 20 pounds of flour by then, let's use the pizza dough as an example. The average person may have pizza night once a week. That pizza dough recipe takes 4 cups of flour. You may want to split the dough in half for a personal-sized pie and freeze the other half until next week's pizza night. If you do this, you'll use the 20 pounds in roughly nine months, without even considering other recipes that require flour.

Across several Reddit threads, folks kept recommending stocking up on spices at Costco. They're cheaper to buy than regular grocery stores, and they're vital for making your meals more dynamic and satisfying. If you cook at home often, you can burn through big containers of spices at lightning speed. The spices I use most frequently are black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, and chili powder. Of course, my spice cabinet is stuffed to the brim with a variety of other spices, but it's easy to justify buying giant containers of the ones I use most often.

One Redditor said she stocks up on spices yearly and slowly works through the large containers. If you're worried about using up your spices, ground spices remain potent for up to four years. As long as they don't get wet, spices won't expire; they'll just lose some flavor. Label your containers if you buy and replace them at different times, so it's easier to track their freshness.

If you're a baker, Costco's vanilla extract is a must-buy, too. This is one of the most expensive baking ingredients, so it's great to find an affordable product. Vanilla extract doesn't expire, so you don't have to worry about that.

I want to explain why these products should be on your radar. Admittedly, I am married, but I cook for just the two of us every day instead of a large household. I also have plenty of experience shopping and cooking for myself, as well as creating meal plans and grocery lists for loved ones who live alone.

I'd also consider myself frugal and always on the lookout for deals. I compared prices while writing this article to verify that everything I recommend will be good for your budget. I compared Costco's prices to Walmart's, since many folks have access to Walmart and its brand is centered on being one of the most affordable grocery stores. The prices I share come from Costco and Walmart locations in Charlotte, North Carolina, in September, 2026, so your local prices may vary slightly.

I wanted to go beyond my personal taste and cooking habits, so I also explored several Reddit threads where single folks shared their favorite staples. While we've discussed food products, many Costco shoppers also urged others to stock up on household items, such as toilet paper, laundry detergent, and trash bags, which would add even more value to your membership.