(NEXSTAR) — There’s still a little bit of summertime left before kids and teens return to school for a new academic year. But it’s never too early to get a jump on back-to-school shopping — but supplies can be expensive.
With that in mind, personal finance outlet FinanceBuzz recently gathered pricing data from July 2024 for some of America’s biggest retailers to compare the prices of identical sets of common school items on elementary, middle and high school supply lists.
FinanceBuzz found Walmart to have the cheapest total for back-to-school supplies ($70.50), while researchers said Michaels is the retailer with the highest total ($185.28), a cost that’s nearly three times the price of Walmart’s.
Find the full back-to-school-supplies cost ranking below.
| Store | Cost of school supplies |
| Walmart | $67.37 |
| Dollar General | $70 |
| Target | $83.25 |
| Staples | $101 |
| Meijer | $109.25 |
| Kroger | $114.01 |
| Amazon | $119.07 |
| Office Depot | $121.55 |
| Walgreens | $134.61 |
| Michaels | $185.28 |
FinanceBuzz researchers also broke costs down based on supplies for different school ages and an item-by-item comparison for each supply item.
For instance, the average price for pencils is $2.80, with the least expensive cost for pencils being found at Target and the most expensive being found at Michaels. Meanwhile, construction paper averages about $4.07 nationally, but FinanceBuzz says you’ll spend less on it at Kroger and most if you order from Amazon.
While Amazon is a go-to for many families — especially in areas with few in-person shopping options — FinanceBuzz explains that because many school supply items are small and inexpensive, shipping them may cost more than the actual price of the item.
Lastly, FinanceBuzz researchers say Dollar General’s total cost for all items is less than $4 more than Walmart’s total, “making it one of the best options available this school year.”
Back-to-school can be a costly time for families, with savings and couponing outlet CouponBirds finding that, on average, parents will spend about $701 per child for back-to-school this year. CouponBirds polled 2,500 American parents of school-aged children to gauge how they’re feeling about the season. CouponBirds also learned that 28% parents had taken second or side-hustle jobs to help pay for back-to-school costs.
Curious when 2024 tax-free weekend is in your state? Check out NerdWallet’s handy guide to sales tax holidays in every state.