12 Items That Are Always Cheaper at Costco

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Vanilla Extract

Costco price: $2.23 an ounce

Walmart price: $3.46 an ounce

Pure vanilla extract has always been an expensive ingredient, but a recent vanilla bean shortage in Madagascar drove up prices in the U.S. from $11 per pound in 2011 to $193 by the end of 2016, CBS News reported. This price surge made its way down to consumers, who are paying nearly triple what they did even a year ago.

Vanilla extract costs a whopping $3.46 an ounce for Walmart’s generic pure vanilla extract and $3.36 an ounce for McCormick’s pure vanilla extract on Amazon. Compare those prices to Costco, where members can get a 16-ounce bottle of the real stuff for just $2.23 an ounce. It’s still not cheap, but it’s the best price in town.

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Spices

Costco price: 21 cents an ounce for taco seasoning

Walmart price: 34 cents an ounce for taco seasoning

Costco sells a wide range of McCormick cooking spices at really low prices — sometimes even half the cost of competitors. For example, at Costco, McCormick taco seasoning is just 21 cents an ounce, compared to 34 cents an ounce at Walmart and 31 cents an ounce on Amazon. The brand’s lemon pepper is 32 cents an ounce at Costco, compared to 82 cents an ounce at Walmart and 69 cents an ounce on Amazon.

However, shoppers might find comparable prices on Lawry’s garlic salt. It costs about 24 cents an ounce at Costco and only one cent more at Walmart, but it costs much more on Amazon at 57 cents an ounce.