Check out the savings: survey says L.A. beats New York and Chicago on organic food costs.

Think organic foods are expensive? Well, at least you don't live in New York or Chicago.

It turns out that while organic foods still tend to cost more than nonorganic foods, they're cheaper in Los Angeles, according to a recent survey from Santa Monica industry research firm IbisWorld.

The survey found that a shopping cartful of select organic grocery brands in Los Angeles costs $135.80, compared with more than $142 each in Chicago and New York. What's more, the cost differential between organic and nonorganic products is less in Los Angeles, at just 11 percent, compared with 18 percent in New York and 27 percent in Chicago.

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Study author George Van Horn said organic products--mostly produce--are cheaper in Los Angeles because organic farms are nearby, reducing transportation costs. Meanwhile, Chicago has cheaper commercial brands given its proximity to the farm belt and slaughterhouse industry.

Los Angeles came out on top--or bottom--even though Whole Foods markets were surveyed in each of the cities and the chain publicly maintains a uniform national pricing policy. But also surveyed was a major supermarket competitor in each city.