Author: Dani Reyes — Melbourne lifestyle writer covering food, fitness and the everyday economics of inner-city living. Reviewed by MELBZ Editorial, May 2026.
You live in Richmond and your grocery bill keeps acting like rent. The cheapest answer is not loyalty points or a perfect supermarket. It is one Aldi staples run, one chain top-up, and Victoria Street for the fresh stuff.
The Verdict
Aldi is the Richmond grocery winner for the main weekly staples shop, but only if you treat it as the base of the system, not the whole system. On like-for-like basics, Aldi is typically about $30-50 a week cheaper than Coles or Woolworths, which matters in a suburb where a one-bedroom unit can sit in the mid-$500s a week and two-bedroom houses push well past $700. That saving is not cute. It is roughly $2,080 a year if you actually stick to the pattern.
The smart Richmond routine is Aldi for staples, Coles or Woolworths for the gaps Aldi does not stock, then Victoria Street’s Vietnamese grocers and Bridge Road independents for produce, fresh herbs, tofu, noodles, fish sauce and Asian pantry items. Victoria Street is the real edge here. It is where the suburb stops behaving like an expensive inner-city postcode and starts giving you fresher, cheaper food than the chain produce aisle. Click-and-collect at the major chains is worth using when Richmond is busy, especially for families, because parking around supermarkets can chew up the saving in time and irritation. Don’t do one big trolley at the closest Coles just because it is easy — that is the Richmond convenience tax, and you will feel it by Sunday.
Local Reality
Victoria Street, especially the Little Saigon stretch, is the single biggest food-cost lever in Richmond. The mix of grocers, Vietnamese supermarkets, fishmongers and butchers makes it stronger than the chains for herbs, tofu, noodles, sauces and weekly produce. If you cook Vietnamese, Thai or Chinese-style meals even twice a week, skipping those shops is basically volunteering to overpay. Carry small notes, because some stalls are still cash-friendly, and expect the strip to feel busier than the supermarket even when the total shop is faster.
Bridge Road and Swan Street are better for convenience than value. Coles and Woolworths-format stores, independent grocers and specialty shops fill gaps well, but you are often paying for location. Church Street is the calmer big-shop belt, with larger-format supermarket access and generally easier parking than Bridge Road. East Richmond and the Burnley edge are better for quick top-ups when the Victoria Street crush is not worth it.
The best off-peak windows are weekday 10am-2pm and Sunday after 5pm, with late Sunday and the last hour before close worth watching for markdowns. Tram 78 on Church Street, tram 48 on Bridge Road, Richmond Station and East Richmond Station are often more useful than a car if you are not buying a full family load. Skip this system if you refuse to split the shop across two stops; the saving depends on actually using Victoria Street, not just admiring the idea of it.
Who This Suits
If you are a budget-conscious renter, pick Aldi for staples, Victoria Street for produce and Coles or Woolworths only for brand-specific gaps. That is the cleanest way to make the $30-50 weekly saving real. If you are a Victoria Street cook, go straight to the Vietnamese grocers for fresh herbs, tofu, noodles, fish sauce and sauces, then use the chains only where they genuinely help. If you are a tram commuter, shop around tram 78 or tram 48 access rather than chasing the theoretical best store across the suburb. If you are a time-poor family, use click-and-collect at a major chain, then do one focused Victoria Street top-up.
Cost-wise, expect a weekly Richmond shop to land around $120-180 for a single-person household and $250-400 for a small family. The wide range mostly comes down to behaviour: one-chain convenience shopping sits at the expensive end, while Aldi plus Victoria Street pulls the total down. A $14-18 bowl at Pho Hung Vuong 2 on Victoria Street is a nice shopping ritual, but Anchovy on Bridge Road and Top Paddock on Church Street are treat stops, not grocery-budget hacks.
Timing changes the whole experience. Saturday late morning is when Richmond feels least forgiving: queues, tight parking, full trams and everyone pretending they only came in for milk. Weekday middle hours are calmer, Sunday after 5pm is useful for markdowns, and summer produce shopping on Victoria Street can be excellent if you go early. If you are west of the main Victoria Street strip and closer to Abbotsford or Collingwood, it may be easier to build your routine around those edges instead.
What to Do Next
Do your next shop as a split run: Aldi first, Victoria Street second, chain top-up only if needed. Then compare the receipt against your last one-chain shop. If rent is the bigger problem, read Richmond rent guide.
At-a-Glance Table
| What | Richmond 2026 reality |
|---|---|
| Weekly shop (1 person) | $120-180 typical |
| Weekly shop (family of 3-4) | $250-400 typical |
| Aldi saving vs Coles/Woolies | ~$30-50/week on like-for-like |
| Specialty produce / Asian | Victoria Street the standout |
| Best markdown windows | Late Sunday and last hour before close |
| Click-and-collect | Available at major chains, time-saver at peak |
| Parking | Tight — bike, tram 78/48 or train (Richmond/East Richmond) |
| Best off-peak shop | Weekday 10am-2pm, Sunday after 5pm |
| Cash-only shops | Some Victoria Street stalls still cash-friendly — carry small notes |
| Bulk / Asian pantry | Victoria Street + a couple of Bridge Road specialty stores |
Comparisons Table
| Option | Cost vs benchmark | Range | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aldi | Cheapest on like-for-like | Narrower range | Big staples, basics, pantry | Doesn’t stock everything |
| Coles | Mid-tier on price | Broad range, brand depth | Brand-specific items, gaps | Convenience premium |
| Woolworths | Mid-tier on price | Broad range, fresh focus | Fresh, ready-meals, brands | Convenience premium |
| Victoria Street grocers | Cheapest on produce / Asian | Specialty depth | Herbs, tofu, fish sauce, fresh | Cash-friendly stalls — carry notes |
| Click-and-collect | Same shelf price, time saved | Major chains | Time-poor, families | Substitutions on out-of-stock items |
| Weekly farmers’ market | Premium on price, premium on quality | Limited days | Special meals, gifting | Price per kg can sting |
Trust Block
How we researched this: Price-comparison walk-through of Aldi, Coles, Woolworths and a sample of Victoria Street and Bridge Road grocers in April-May 2026 on a standard 30-item basket covering pantry, produce, dairy, protein and household items. Public transport options confirmed against PTV journey planner.
Source: Domain Richmond suburb profile — check the current quarter before quoting on a lease.
