Winner, winner, steak dinner!
Here’s Why Costco Is the Best Place to Buy Beef—And It’s Not What You Think!
Published on Mar. 20, 2025
As you know all too well, grocery prices are skyrocketing, and the cost of beef, in particular, is going through the roof. Yes, even your standard ground beef is feeling the effects. And it’s only going to get worse: Meat prices are expected to go up another 3.2% in 2025. Ouch!
If you haven’t done so already, now might be the time to invest in a warehouse membership—specifically at Costco. But believe it or not, the lower prices aren’t the only benefit when it comes to buying meat here. In fact, there’s a whole other surprising reason that will make those deals even sweeter.
Read on to find out why buying beef at Costco is a good idea for a reason you would never expect—and see if a membership is worth it for you.
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Why is Costco the best place to buy meat?
Of course, Costco’s prices are low, but that’s not the only reason to buy meat at everyone’s favorite membership warehouse club. You can actually find high-quality, prime cuts of beef here that can be hard to find elsewhere. Translation: While your average grocer may be hawking mostly chuck roasts and London broil, you can buy a Japanese Wagyu New York Strip Loin Roast at Costco—and it’s A5 grade, which is considered the highest quality you can find. The store also carries filet mignon and rib-eye steak in USDA Choice quality, the second-highest grade after USDA Prime. And yep, these prime cuts will cost you less than they will at other stores.
Forrest Webber, owner of the online home improvement store The Trade Table and a Costco devotee, can attest to both the great cuts and the great prices. “I buy the Sous Vide Sliced Grass-fed Beef Sirloin weekly to put on steak sandwiches,” he says. “The majority of the time, they’re high quality and last the whole week.”
He notes that a comparable steak that makes a week’s worth of sandwiches would likely cost him twice as much as what he currently spends at Costco.
Is there a catch?
OK, there is a catch—but it really depends on your perspective. Costco is known for its bulk portions, and if you’re buying these prime cuts of meat, you may have to buy a lot of it. That means you’ll have to determine if that kind of purchase makes sense for you.
Remember that wagyu roast we mentioned above? That specific roast weighs 11 pounds and will run you $999. That’s a hefty price tag (and an enormous amount of meat!) that breaks down to around $90 per pound. For comparison, just 20 ounces of that same cut and quality of beef at other grocers will cost you at least $212, which is a whopping $151 per pound.
The bulk option is a good deal, but you really need to be throwing a big, fancy dinner party—or simply have a cool grand to spend on this up-front and the freezer space to accommodate it—to make it worth it. That said, the sirloin that Webber buys comes in a 2-pound package, which is a lot more manageable.
How much will you save on meat at Costco?
It really depends on the cut and amount you’re buying, but in most cases, you’ll save at least 20%.
Take, for example, Costco’s USDA Choice Beef Tri-Tip. It’s typically sold in a 10-pound package, which costs $78.90, or $7.89 per pound. At a national grocery chain, the exact same cut is sold in a 2.5-pound package and costs $24.99, or $9.99 per pound.
In another price comparison, Costco offers a USDA Prime Commodity Beef Brisket typically sold in a 14-pound package, for $64.26, or $4.59 per pound. A 5-pound USDA Choice Beef Brisket (which is considered slightly lesser quality than USDA Prime) costs $34.95, or $6.99 per pound, at the same national grocery chain mentioned above. That’s a 34.3% savings at Costco—and better-grade beef, to boot.
Is Costco’s membership fee worth it just so you can buy meat here?
If you’re shopping at Costco for meat every week, the membership fee is probably worth it. Your savings will likely eclipse that annual $65 fee pretty quickly. But if you’re only picking up a giant brisket once a year to host a summer barbecue, probably not (though you will still save in plenty of other ways if you’re shopping there often enough).
You also have to keep in mind that while the per-pound price of meat at Costco is typically less than traditional grocers, you’re likely going to be purchasing it in large quantities. So if you don’t have freezer space to store what you aren’t going to use before its expiration, then you’re actually losing money.
“When you buy food in bulk, you’re still spending more since these bulk packages cost more—even though you’re getting a better price per unit,” says Andrea Woroch, a consumer and money-saving expert. “With that in mind, your total grocery bill at checkout will likely be much higher than if you bought smaller quantities at a grocery store. So if you didn’t budget correctly, you could end up overspending that month. And if you carry a balance on your credit card and pay interest, those fees will take away any discount you got in the first place.”
How else can you save on meat at Costco?
Aside from that 20% savings you’ll enjoy at Costco, there are even more ways to cut down on your meat bill when shopping at Costco. Here are some ideas:
- Look for instant savings on specific cuts of beef. “I look to see which of our favorite foods are on sale because that drives the price down even further,” Woroch says. “That can be a potential savings of around 40% compared to traditional grocery stores.”
- Strategize your meal planning. Let’s say you get a great deal on ground beef, but you’re buying it in bulk. Yes, you can freeze some of it, or you can meal-prep with it, creating a variety of different lunches and dinners. Use it for meatballs, burgers, chili, bolognese and whatever else you’re craving … as long as you’re being strategic about it.
- Freeze what you can’t use immediately. Cut roasts down into smaller portions you can use for future meals, then vacuum-seal them and pop them in the freezer. You can freeze ground beef for three to four months and steaks and roasts anywhere from four to 12 months.
- Use a cash-back credit card for Costco purchases. “Figure out which credit card will get you more cash back at Costco,” says Woroch, who recommends a site like CardRates.com to compare options. “If you shop at Costco often, sign up for their Costco Anywhere Credit Card by Citi to maximize cash back on warehouse purchases, plus other money-saving perks. However, if you shop at other stores like Walmart and Target, opt for a general-use cash-back card, like the Bread Cashback American Express Credit Card, which offers an unlimited 2% back at every store and every transaction.” Just remember to pay your statement balance, or you’ll risk interest fees, which will lessen your savings.
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Sources:
- USDA Economic Research Service: “Food Price Outlook, 2025”
- FoodSafety.gov: “Cold Food Storage Charts”
- Forrest Webber, avid Costco shopper and owner of the online home improvement store The Trade Table
- Andrea Woroch, consumer and money-saving expert
