How to Save at the Grocery Store: D1 vs Ara vs Éxito (With Real Prices)

The first time I walked into a D1 in Medellín, I left with two bags of groceries for less than $40,000 pesos. I honestly thought they'd charged me wrong. But no — that's just how the prices are. That experience led me to systematically compare how much the basic basket costs at the three most common discount supermarkets in Colombia: D1, Ara, and Éxito.

The short conclusion: D1 is almost always the cheapest, Ara follows very closely with some advantages in variety, and Éxito has higher prices but justifies part of that difference with more options and recognized brands. But the strategy that lets you save the most isn't choosing just one — it's knowing what to buy at each place.

In this guide I break down prices product by product, analyze what each chain has that the others don't, and at the end I leave you with the shopping strategy I use when I want to stretch my grocery budget to the max.

Why Discount Supermarkets Changed the Market in Colombia

Before the D1 and Ara boom, the mainstream option for the average Colombian was Éxito, Carulla, or the neighborhood supermarket. Discount stores arrived with a radically different model: few brands, no expensive decoration, no catchy music, no clothing or appliance sections. Just the essentials, with minimal margins.

D1 is owned by Koba Colombia group (previously, until being acquired by Grupo Nutresa and then by BTG). Ara belongs to Portuguese group Jerónimo Martins, the same company behind Biedronka in Poland — one of Europe's most successful discount chains. Both opened hundreds of stores in Colombia in the last decade and are in neighborhoods where Éxito simply doesn't reach.

Today D1 has over 2,000 points across the country. Ara surpasses 1,000. And both continue expanding. That says a lot about the Colombian market's appetite for low prices and local convenience.

D1: The King of Minimum Price

D1 wins on price in almost all basic products. Its model is strict: few references per category, own brands in everything it can, and small stores with little staff. The result is the cheapest supermarket for a basic basket.

What I like most about D1 are the prices on oil, rice, pasta, and eggs — products you buy week to week. The difference versus Éxito on those items can reach 20-30%. For a family that spends $400,000 on groceries monthly, that's between $80,000 and $120,000 in savings.

What's missing: D1 doesn't have a fruits and vegetables section in most of its stores, the selection of recognized brands is very limited, and if you're looking for something specific like soy sauce, Fruco tomato paste, or Kellogg's cereal, you probably won't find it. There's also something that makes many people uncomfortable: you can't pay with Nequi or Daviplata in most branches — only cash or debit/credit card.

Ara: The Balance Between Price and Variety

Ara is a step above D1 in price, but it also offers more. It has fruits and vegetables (though the selection is basic), some recognized brands that D1 doesn't carry, and products imported from Portugal at surprisingly reasonable prices — jams, cookies, olive oil.

Ara's app is also useful: you can review weekly offer catalogs, which rotate with considerable discounts on certain products. If you organize your shopping around those offers, you can buy some items at Ara cheaper than at D1.

Something I appreciate about Ara: the atmosphere is slightly more comfortable than D1. The stores are a bit bigger, the layout is clearer, and there's better lighting. It sounds trivial, but when you're in a hurry or with kids, it matters.

Price Comparison: Real Basic Basket

Here's the comparison you were looking for. These are basic basket prices I compared at branches in Medellín and Bogotá in 2026. Prices can vary up to 5-8% depending on the city and specific branch:

The difference between doing all your shopping at D1 versus doing it at Éxito exceeds $8,000 pesos on that basket of eight products. Extrapolated to a more complete monthly purchase (fruits, meat, household items, additional dairy), the difference easily reaches $60,000-$100,000 COP per month. That's not nothing.

Éxito: When It's Really Worth It

Éxito has higher prices, but it's not a bad supermarket — it's simply a different one. There are situations where going to Éxito makes total sense:

If you need real product variety. Éxito has between 10 and 20 times more references than D1. If you're looking for ingredients for a specific recipe, international products, or simply options to choose between brands, that's where you go.

Éxito's meat section (and especially Carulla's, which is its premium brand) is noticeably better than D1's or Ara's. The meat has better presentation, there are more cuts available, and the inventory rotation shows. For meat or fish, I still go to Éxito or directly to a neighborhood butcher.

There's also the matter of household cleaning and personal care products. Shampoo, creams, brand-name detergent — Éxito has it all. D1 has a couple of options, Ara a bit more, but if you have brand preferences in that category, Éxito is where you find everything without going around in circles.

An additional point in its favor: Éxito accepts all payment methods, has parking, and in many locations you can make other purchases (clothing, technology, pharmacy). That has value if you want to make a single weekly stop.

The Smart Shopping Strategy

After years of comparing prices, my strategy is this: D1 for dry basics (rice, pasta, oil, sugar, salt, eggs, milk), Ara for fresh fruits and weekly offer products, and Éxito or Carulla for meat, brand-name household products, and any specific ingredient I can't find elsewhere.

This combination reduces my total bill by 20-25% compared to buying everything at Éxito, without sacrificing quality on the products that matter most. The only real cost is that I make two stops instead of one — but D1 and Ara are in almost every neighborhood in the country, so the detour is usually minimal.

Another trick: compare prices per unit, not per package. D1 sometimes sells smaller presentations that seem cheaper but the price per gram is higher. Always check the price per kilo or liter that appears on the shelf labels.

Other Supermarkets Worth Knowing About

Beyond the main trio, there are other options depending on your city and priorities:

Justo & Bueno: It was the third major discount player, but closed operations in 2023 after financial problems. If you still see a store with that name in your city, it's no longer the same chain.

Surtimax: It's the budget version of Éxito, with intermediate prices and the group's private label. More variety than D1, prices below regular Éxito. It's in popular areas of Bogotá and other cities.

Alkosto and Ktronix: They're not food supermarkets, but for cleaning and home products in bulk, they usually have good prices.

Market plazas: If you live near a municipal market plaza (Paloquemao in Bogotá, Minorista in Medellín, Bazurto in Cartagena), prices for fruits, vegetables, and proteins are considerably cheaper than in any supermarket. The only issue is that they require cash, you have to haggle a bit, and the experience is totally different — but the savings are real.

Frequently Asked Questions

❓ Is D1 always cheaper than Ara?

For most basic dry products (rice, oil, pasta, eggs), D1 has equal or lower prices than Ara. However, Ara has rotating weekly offers that can make some products cheaper than D1 in that specific week. For fruits and vegetables, Ara is usually the better option because D1 barely has that section.

❓ Can I pay with Nequi or Daviplata at D1?

In most D1 stores, the answer is no — they accept debit card, credit card, and cash. Some newer branches have incorporated QR payments, but it's not standard yet. Ara and Éxito do accept Nequi, Daviplata, and other digital methods without problem.

❓ Is the Éxito card worth it to save more?

The Éxito credit card (issued by Bancolombia) offers points and discounts at the supermarket itself. If you already make large purchases at Éxito regularly, it might make sense. But if your strategy is to mix supermarkets, the benefits get diluted. Do the math before applying.

❓ In which cities are D1 and Ara?

D1 has presence in practically all major cities and many intermediate municipalities — Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Pereira, Manizales, and hundreds of municipalities. Ara is concentrated in the Caribbean region, the Coffee Axis, and some interior cities, but is expanding. To confirm if there's a store nearby, use the locator in each chain's official apps.

❓ Is the quality of D1 products good?

For basic products like rice, sugar, pasta, and oil, the quality is perfectly comparable to recognized brands. They're basically commodities — rice is rice. Where there is a difference is in more elaborate products: snacks, beverages, premium dairy. There the taste and quality of D1 can be below known brands, depending on each person's preference.

Conclusion: The Smarter Market

There's no single absolute winner among D1, Ara, and Éxito — there's a correct use for each one. If your goal is to pay the least possible for basic groceries, D1 is your first stop. If you want a bit more variety and have Ara nearby, combine them. And save Éxito for what the others can't give you: quality meats, variety of brands, and one-stop shopping.

Do you have a favorite supermarket in your city or any money-saving trick I didn't mention? Leave it in the comments — I'm interested in knowing how people do it in different cities in Colombia.