Not necessarily. Co-ops usually have a lower overhead than most grocery stores and offer the capacity to buy in bulk, which can actually lead to lower prices. Some organic or other specialty foods are inherently more expensive, but owners can choose to stock and offer lower cost options as well. Co-ops strive to build community and as such are not always the lowest cost available compared to low cost chain stores which are often damaging to communities and ultimately have a higher cost to local communities.