Butter prices vary wildly across Montreal grocery stores
A 454-gram block of the same butter brand costs up to $1.50 more at premium supermarkets than at discount chains.
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A 454-gram block of Lactantia Country Churned unsalted butter costs $7.47 at Walmart but $8.99 at IGA, Metro, and Provigo — a difference of about 20% for the exact same product sitting on shelves a few kilometres apart across Montreal.
The price gap emerges from a clear pattern: the three stores charging $8.99 are full-service supermarkets, while the two cheapest options, Super C and Maxi, are discount banners. Super C is Metro's budget arm, and Maxi belongs to Loblaw, the same company that runs Provigo — meaning shoppers are sometimes buying the same butter from the same parent company at different prices depending on which chain they choose.
The variation reflects broader grocery inflation affecting Montrealers. According to Statistics Canada figures, the average price of a 454-gram block of butter rose about 41% between 2019 and 2025, reaching around $5.99 nationally as of April 2026.
House-brand alternatives offer more modest gaps. At IGA, switching from Lactantia to the Compliments house brand drops the price from $8.99 to $6.99 — a $2.50 gap for what is essentially the same product once it reaches your kitchen. The same pattern repeats across other stores: the name brand commands a premium that varies by retailer, but house brands compress the spread. For shoppers tracking every receipt, the choice between full-service and discount chains adds up across the weekly shop.
