Are These 14 Ridiculously Expensive Costco Groceries Worth The Price?

You've heard the buzz, noticed the commotion, or caught glimpses in-store while nearly crashing your cart and choking on free Heavenly Hunks samples. We're all well aware there are some ridiculously expensive groceries available at America's most popular warehouse club. But could a jaw-dropping haul actually be worth the eye-popping price tag? Bust out someone else's Black Card, 'cuz we're going on a Costco run.

Most of us probably don't transform into the picture of glimmering luxury as we load up on toilet paper, rotisserie chickens, and cheese Danishes while sloughing around Costco in slippers. But for some discerning shoppers, money is no object. Whether it be dropping thousands of dollars on a vintage wine collection, spending the equivalent of 200 years' worth of Starbucks lattes on a tin of caviar, or selling your soul for a couple truffles, you're looking at a bottomless pit of shopportunities should you be prepared to shell out a little (cough) extra dough.

Luckily for my writer's budget, I didn't actually have to buy any of this stuff because plenty of other people did and then they posted about it on the internet. This afforded me the luxury of pressing my best Kirkland Signature polo, sailing my yacht out on The Med, and popping open a few Crown Prince smoked oysters as I sipped Champagne and thought about where I'll hang "The Mona Lisa" once I get her home from Costco Paris. Get ready to jot down the high-end Costco groceries that are actually worth the price.

Costco is often more affordable than other stores, but some of its warehouse staples were priced extravagantly before skyrocketing grocery prices were "cool." Still, Costco's caviar is always a steal, with the $2,000 tin of Plaza Golden Osetra Caviar topping the list.

This XL package maxes out at a whopping 35 ounces, but no one's pretending this isn't a splurge. Still, at roughly $80 per ounce, it's a bargain if you consider that osetra caviar can reach upwards of $300 per ounce. As one Costco reviewer noted, "Obviously this is a luxury item, it was purchased to celebrate a milestone birthday with some friends ... It was impeccably packaged and tasted amazing. Ten out of 10."

Even if you flex on the family-sized tin of briny sturgeon eggs, your accompaniments can be fabulously low-key and still feel like a party. There's nothing like caviar and potato chips, but if you happen to have a bag of Kirkland chicken nuggets in the freezer, please pull a Rihanna-approved move and top those toasty, fresh-outta-the-oven nuggets with a little of that roe.

If $500 vinegar sounds like the biggest scam in the condiment aisle, you've probably never tasted real balsamic. Instead of playing second fiddle in a vinaigrette, authentic balsamic vinegar is thick, rich, and glaze-like; made of grape must — and nothing else. Costco's Giusti 50 Year Aged Balsamic Vinegar Reserve happens to be yet another winner from Acetaia Giusti in Modena, Italy, with a recipe that goes back to 1605, and often finds its way onto Costco shelves in various forms.

Yes, the bottle is only 3.4 ounces which — at around $150 per generous-ounce drizzle — is quite steep. But it's one extravagance that's truly meant to delight your taste buds, or impress your gastronome friends. (It comes in a cute box with a glass pipette that's for portioning single drops of vinegar. You may have seen a 100-year version of the balsamic on Costco shelves, as well as unaged gift sets — all of which have gotten rave reviews despite the hefty prices.

One Redditor explained of the brand's 100-year balsamic, "I've actually been to this company in Italy and it's so legit. They really do ferment this stuff for a hundred years in 400 year old barrels." What do you do with a single drop of exquisite balsamic? Add it to cheese, creamy desserts, and whatever you want.

In case anyone was wondering if I'm an undercover Costco sales rep masquerading as the writer next door, let me confirm my identity and advise you against adding Costco's $38,000 Chateau Latour 30-Bottle Vertical Collector's Set to your cart. While a fully stocked wine cellar sounds like a Showcase Showdown prize on "The Price Is Right," this ain't your grandma's Two-Buck Chuck.

If the cost already feels completely out of your ballpark, Reddit sees you. One user did the math, posting, "At about $50 per ounce, I can't even afford a standard pour." Not only that, but this particular non-refundable stunner is only available in California, via in-person pickup at the Costco Burbank Business Center. Another Redditor waved an additional red flag regarding how this vintage collection has been maintained over the years, writing, "I would question storage for sure. If they could not tell me the details I would pass."

Should you decide to make this esteemed Chateau Latour estate collection of reds your very own, you'll be enjoying vintner hits from the '80s, '90s, and 2010s. And — if all went well for those decades — they'll still taste like wine, and not thousand-dollar salad dressing.

Just like real estate is about "location, location, location," Costco's $170 Aysen Coho Sashimi Quality Salmon is all about portion, portion, portion — clocking in with about 27 6-ounce filets, to be exact. Vacuum-sealed and frozen fresh off the boat from Chile, this Coho salmon is antibiotic, hormone, and chemical-free, and totally perfect for stocking your freezer.

Seemingly on track to upset tuna as the real Chicken of the Sea, there is only praise for the quality, value, flavor, secure shipping, and user-friendliness of this "incredible" Costco salmon. As one five-star reviewer noted, "I bake it, grill it, and eat it sashimi. It's awesome and delicious. I will buy it again and again!" And another fan shared, "Outstanding. Love the packaging. Super fresh tasting, not fishy at all." Salmon just happens to be one of the absolute best types of fish for sashimi, and salmon goes really well with full-bodied white wine, so it seems this one's a win-win for just about any day of the week.

On this episode of "Costco Mystery Theater: A Case of Mistaken Identities," you'll find anonymous seafood parts, and questionable labeling — enough to turn fans off of Costco's $380 A5 Wagyu Surf & Turf Pack with its cold water lobster tails and Japanese A5 wagyu filet mignon (allegedly).

For the record, four complete packs that include two 28-ounce lobster tails and two 6-ounce wagyu filet mignons seems like a great deal. (Just off the top of my head, I would say that should normally cost you a million dollars, give or take a few bucks.) The wagyu comes from the Kagoshima Prefecture, a prized region of Japan, known for producing highly regarded, A5-quality meat. The lobster is harvested from the ice cold waters off the coast of Canada and the Northeastern United States. It would be the perfect gourmet dinner-in-a-box if it weren't so sketchy IRL.

With several customers complaining about subpar shipping, one Costco reviewer explained, "Lobster tails were just in a plastic bag with no labels (no origin or packed date which I thought was unusual) ... The lobster meat tasted old and it broke into small pieces after we boiled it." If we're spending the big bucks on an item that can only be shipped, we prefer that our food arrives in stellar condition.

Finding it hard to filter your way through all the buzz around this honey? Of all the splurge-worthy grocery items you should try at least once, Costco's Comvita UMF 25 Special Reserve Mānuka Honey should make your list. That is, if you enjoy the precious nectar of New Zealand's rarely blooming mānuka flower — and also want to experience the sheer thrill of telling people you only eat mānuka honey. Clover? Who's she? (Look away, honey bear.)

This creamy honey comes with some classy designations, which carry a little more weight at this price point. Not only is it sustainable, non-GMO, kosher, and halal; it's also certified UMF (Unique Mānuka Factor) as a genuine product of New Zealand. That, and it's got a very high "25+" antibacterial content rating from a minimum of 1,200 milligrams of methylglyoxal (MGO) — which is the antibacterial stuff. It's Comvita's purest, most potent offering, meant to amplify your wellness by the daily spoonful. 

That didn't quite work out for this Costco shopper, who wrote: "I bought five bottles and ate them but [it] did not have obvious [effect]." But, purported health benefits aside, the honey is beloved by its many enlightened fans. One user recalled, "I feel like I'm tasting the honey in waves again and again even after I've already finished it. Very special experience, feels unique." For $350, it better "bee."

Before you jump on the wagyu wagon, the most gigantic caveat here may be that the chef responsible for preparing Costco's $1,000 12-pound Japanese Wagyu Boneless Ribeye Roast is, of course, you. (No pressure.) But if you're feeling up to the task, this is one hunk 'a meat that's totally worth the cash.

Don't miss out on the boneless ribeye roast that tastes just as good as it sounds. One five-star reviewer noted, "The ribeye A5 roast rivals that of Tokyo steakhouses for a fraction of the price." Someone else — who went in on the cut with friends — reported, "Came out like butter. Everyone agreed this was the best steak they ever had." Luckily, slow roasting happens to be one of the more forgiving cooking methods, and with a quick trim of the fat, a little salt and pepper, and a nice sear, you'll be sampling the fine flavors of Japan's Kagoshima Prefecture in about an hour and a half.

You could upgrade Costco food court pizza with a sprinkling of diced onions — or — you could shave fresh black truffles on it. (Hands in the air for the second thing!) At nearly $200 for 3 ounces of ultimate umaminess, Costco's European Fresh Black Winter Truffles are a done deal (at least when they're in season November through April).

Unless you're highly trained, you might find it challenging to gauge just how much truffle you get for your buck, here. Think of it like this: At a restaurant, a typical "serving" of truffles (bedazzling your truffle pecorino pasta, for example) weighs in at around 5 grams per entrée. With 85 grams in 3 ounces, you'd enjoy roughly 17 truffle-topped meals. Of course, you could always make it rain with a deluge of shavings — which also works, since these prized Périgord truffles from Spain are best enjoyed fresh. And, hey, you might even get more than you budgeted for. "The truffles were fresh (not dry) and had a great aroma ... and we got more than the 3 ounces that were ordered," wrote one five-star reviewer.

If you're hoping to save your truffles for a special occasion, another Costco fan confirmed that fridge storage preserved that signature flavor. "I still have about 1 ounce left and it's holding up well in my fridge under appropriate temperature (37 degrees Fahrenheit)." 

Handing over $1,099.99 for Costco's 80-pound imported Whole Wheel Parmigiano Reggiano earns you 1,214 servings of authentic Italian culture at $15 per pound, and a cheese experience that gets the whole family off the phone. (After everybody banks some good pictures.)

Adhering to the strict regulations of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium (The official standard bearers of genuine Parm), this 24-month-old umami round also bears the prized DOP (or POD) imprint proving its registered Italian origin. You can slice, shave, or grate it — or even use the entire thing as its own party bowl for pasta alla ruota. One Costco reviewer shared, "We bought this for a Christmas activity; hand-made pasta, flambé in the cheese wheel while wine tasting! So much fun! ... No one was on their phones or zoned out on TV. We had three generations fully engaged with each other!"

Luckily, it's also exactly enough cheese to go with that 30-bottle Costco vintage wine collection! Don't think about it too hard, just cheese wheel it.

If you dream of enjoying a delicate slice of cured, sweet yet nutty, 100% Black Iberian pig whenever the craving hits, Costco's Covap Jamon Iberico Bellota Ham Leg is definitely worth the cool $650. It also comes with a wooden stand and a serrated knife so you won't feel like you're wrangling meat legs at the Renaissance faire.

These pigs are free-roaming, acorn-eating, highly prized (and cared for) natives of the fertile pastures of Southern Spain's Valle de Los Pedroches. And, for those who know, Costco's offering tastes as good as its pedigree. One five-star reviewer explained, "Being from Spain, a good Iberico is something that we miss terribly in the U.S. ... Forget about those cheap serranos, this is something completely different!!!" Wrap it around a sweet slice of cantaloupe, tuck it into a baguette, or pop it straight into your mouth, when it comes to Costco's jamon Iberico, living high on the hog is a solid investment.

"Don't you just love a glass of '70s Dom for breakfast in the morning?" — is what you can say once you own Costco's $17,500 Dom Pérignon Champagne Collector's Edition Vertical Set with 24 bottles from 1976 to 2012. Maybe it's the price of a new economy car, but it has a nice ring to it, right?

While other Costco vintage wine collections might be a hard pass, old-school Dom Pérignon is known for uncompromising quality with roots leading back to 1668 — and, for being consistently delicious. As one Redditor recalled, "I was never a big fan of Dom P — thought it was too expensive — until I tasted one from the '70s in 2018. It had been properly stored and was mind-blowing." While normie, non-vintage Champagnes are only good for about four years, unopened, vintage Dom is crafted to last a lot longer. Still, once you pop that top, all bubbles are best enjoyed in about three days, so get toastin'.

You know you've fully crossed over into "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" when $200 for fancy Lunchables seems like a great deal. But when it comes to Costco's D'Artagnan 13-piece Gourmet Roasting Ham & Luxury Charcuterie Gift Box, you couldn't find a better way to treat yourself. No phony-baloney here — just heritage pork, truffle butter, and duck fat.

Even casual followers of Ina Garten know that she recommends D'Artagnan brand white truffle butter any chance she gets. Sample 3 ounces of your own as part of this curated charcuterie box, along with black truffle butter, rendered duck fat, and a wide range of smoked and cured meats — both the cheese board kind, and the heritage ham-y type you might serve for Sunday supper. It's a brand that's worth your trust, and your top dollar, with one Costco shopper noting, "I'm a regular D'Artagnan customer and this basket was a good deal with the shipping included." But about that truffle butter, another fan confirmed: "We all love the truffle butters — white and black — and we used them with hot French baguettes many times over."

You buy Costco's Mountain House 1-Year Emergency Food Pallet hoping you never need it. But, man, if all those servings of freeze-dried spaghetti with meat sauce don't come in handy during a zombie apocalypse.

Describing a full year of three meals per day as "peace of mind," one Costco reviewer noted the quality fuel, writing, "We like that each meal option in this assortment has meat/protein, with the exception of the granola with milk and blueberries." A Redditor commented on the lightweight quality of freeze-dried food being a selling point — especially if you also want to take it hiking. While exactly no one is calling this prepper's fantasy pantry "gourmet" — and the food definitely has the sodium content meant to maintain your body's hydration levels over the long haul — if you've got the extra dough, it's smart to squirrel away a little sustenance for emergencies. Once the world returns to normal, you can get back to that truffle pasta in the cheese wheel situation.

After all this internet window shopping, please reward yourself with as many as 17 crab legs for $600. Costco's Alaska Glacier Golden King Crab Legs are what one Redditor called: "Heaven — with some warm butter and sourdough!"

Arriving at your doorstep pre-cooked and flash frozen, these wild-caught Alaskan Golden King Crab legs just need to thaw in your fridge and they're ready to eat. Of course, you can also roast, bake, or grill them, but steaming or boiling is probably the best way to evenly cook your crab legs. Melt a little butter for dipping sauce, then twist and crack your way to the best meal of your life.

Tallying up our tab, if you went in on all of these ridiculously expensive groceries, you'd be out roughly $70,000. Still, it's a (ahem) small price to pay for some seriously head-turning Costco clout.