A survey undertaken by GROCERYchoice in Australia has found that Coles still offers the lowest prices on an average basket of groceries, but competitors such as Woolworths and independent supermarkets are narrowing the gap.

For a total grocery basket, Coles supermarkets came out the cheapest in 40 of the 61 regions surveyed in the study, compared with 52 from 61 in the inaugural investigation earlier in the year – showing that the gap has narrowed in recent times.

The study looks at prices of grocery baskets including fruit, vegetables, meat and seafood, dairy, breads and cereals, drinks and other snacks, general groceries and household and personal care.

The retailers surveyed included Woolworths/Safeway, Coles/BI-LO, Aldi and others such as IGA and Franklins.