Costco Vs Sam's Club: It's Clear Which Hot Dog Is Better

While it's true you need to be a member to purchase items at Costco and Sam's Club, this isn't necessarily the case for dining at the cafe. In fact, at Sam's Club, visitors without a membership can step in for a quick bite. It's a different story at Costco — because you'll need to show a membership card as you walk in.

My family recently joined Costco — and we sampled one of the more popular items on the menu: The beloved Costco hot dog, a favorite of Julia Child. The same evening, we took a trip down the road to Sam's Club to compare the two dogs. On the surface, these are basic hot dogs made by the individual private label for each retailer. In the end, there was a clear winner, and one hot dog my family will definitely be ordering over and over again.

If there's one thing to know about these hot dogs, it's that they are cheap. Each cafe sells the hot dog as a combo with a drink. At Sam's Club the total for the dog and soda is $1.38, and it's $1.50 at Costco. It seems like Sam's Club is intentionally undercutting Costco as direct competition, but this isn't the only food item Sam's Club charges a bit less. Between the two stores, Sam's Club is the warehouse chain with the cheapest rotisserie chicken.

Comparing these prices to hot dogs you find at other places, and the value becomes even clearer. Take Portillo's, for example — at this Chicago dog joint, you can get what it calls a regular hot dog for $3.99 or a jumbo for $4.99. Of course, these dogs come as fully dressed Chicago dogs with all the trimmings, but you can remove anything you don't want. Either way, even if you just go for mustard and relish, it's the same price. This in mind, both dogs are significantly less than other fast food styles of hot dogs.

Of course, with the Costco dog, you need a membership, and that comes at a few different levels. We have the Executive Membership which is $130 a year. The Gold Star membership is $65. Sam's Club does not require a membership to eat in the cafe, so the price of the hot dog is indeed the price of the hot dog, no extra pennies spent on belonging to Sam's Club. However, if you were to spring for a Sam's Club membership, you could pay $50 for a Club level or $110 for a Plus level membership. At the time of writing, Sam's Club is offering a discount of $30 on the Club level, making the membership a competitive $20.

For me, one of the most important parts of a hot dog is a balance between bun and meat. Both hot dogs had a solid footing of each criteria, but the buns between the two hot dogs were quite distinct. I noticed right away that the Sam's Club bun had a hard feel to it. It didn't feel steamed or warmed, and it may have even been left out for some time, as if it were starting to go stale. It didn't have a stale taste to it, but the texture wasn't particularly enjoyable.

The bun with the Costco dog was much softer, and didn't stand out in any negative way. If you're going for a quality hot dog, the Costco dog is probably your baseline. So while I wasn't particularly impressed by the bun, it didn't hurt the hot dog either. While the Sam's Club bun was more beige in color, I noticed that the Costco one had a sheen to it with a golden coloring. It was definitely the more tasty looking bun of the two, but the texture or flavor didn't stand out.

I also noticed that there was a difference in bun size relative to the hot dog. At Costco, the hot dog is just a little longer than the bun. I definitely prefer the way Costco offers this balance because it doesn't leave you with any part of a bite without hot dog and condiments since there's extra dog. With Sam's Club, the hot dog and its bun are similar in size, making it easy for the dog to shift within the bun, giving you a chance at just biting into the bun without a hot dog — and for me, that equals a less desirable bite.

I'm an absolute condiment queen. I love to load down my hot dogs with plenty of mustard, pickle relish, onions, and anything else that might be reasonably available. Admittedly, I wasn't expecting much from either condiment area, but surprisingly, Sam's Club's condiments offered greater diversity than the options at Costco.

At Sam's Club, every condiment had its own package. They were arranged in tubs and placed near flatware and napkins. All of your normal suspects like ketchup, mustard, and relish were available, but there were also a few unexpected options. I could have picked up some kraut or even added red pepper flakes or grated Parmesan cheese — both of which are obviously meant for other items in the menu, but the sauerkraut addition was a notable inclusion.

Costco, on the other hand, did not have its condiments in packets but in pump form. It was also very limited and only offered ketchup, mustard, and relish. To make matters worse, the condiment section was dirty, and one of the relish containers was either stuck or empty. Thankfully, the other dispenser added a fair amount of relish onto my hot dog without issue. Also of note, the condiment area can get crowded as people dress their dog. I didn't expect to prefer the prepackaged condiments, but for both cleanliness of the area, options, and the ability to grab condiments and go, it was a big plus.

In general, both hot dogs had good flavor. The balance between the bun and hot dog was decent, and each tasted like a quality hot dog. Though both are 100% beef, the Costco hot dog had something of a "cleaner" taste. Sam's Club, on the other hand, tasted like it had other flavors within the dog, muddying that pure beef flavor. Although size doesn't necessarily play a role in the flavor of a hot dog, it can impact the overall balance — and I found the amount of hot dog on the Costco option made it more enjoyable to eat. Not to mention, the fluffiness of Costco's bun makes for an even better experience.

Both hot dogs came with a soda (each cafe serve Pepsi products), so there was no distinguishing factor between pairing your hot dog with a soda from one brand versus another. In this way, the hot dog's interaction with the drink was exactly the same. However, in summer 2025, Costco's food court soda fountains will switch over to Coca-Cola products. For those who prefer Coke products to Pepsi, the gap between the two combos could widen.

When you take enough pictures of food, you really start to observe exactly how appetizing some food looks or doesn't look. There's a clear winner for overall beauty — the Costco hot dog definitely wins the crown here.

One of my Sam's Club hot dog was split. This can happen as a result of a hot dog experiencing too much heat — which is a big hot dog mistake – because it indicates how absently the hot dogs were tended to in the cooking process. Aside from that, it had a brownish, speckled tone that wasn't very appetizing. Hot dogs should have a slightly red coloring.

With its golden bun and reddish color hot dog, Costco's dog had the ideal aesthetic. Although the bun itself split pretty easily on the bottom, I didn't find this to be a problem — but it did impact how nice the hot dog presented.

As someone who has had their share of Chicago-style hot dogs, I'm a big fan of a hot dog having a great snap to it. There's something about breaking through the casing and the soft meat within that makes it feel fresh and crisp while still being warm and enjoyable. Unfortunately, there was only a mild snap in each — but a tad more with the Costco dog. I'm guessing, it's because both softened to a point that they lost the ability to snap.

Obviously, this won't be the situation for everyone who visits a Sam's Club and samples the hot dog — but based on my experience, you're more likely to get a small amount of snap from a Costco dog then you would a Sam's Club one.

Honestly, I don't have many reasons to go back to the Sam's Club cafe. The hot dog wasn't particularly enjoyable. And the place felt something like a glorified high school football concession stand stuck in the middle of a big box store. Unless I'm at Sam's Club and super hungry, I can't recommend returning for a hot dog.

On the other hand, I was impressed with the overall quality, flavor, and texture of the Costco hot dog. Not only was it an enjoyable taste, but the balance of everything felt spot on. Not to mention, I got a separate hot dog for my son, which we cut into much smaller pieces, and he inhaled it. He's a picky eater, and something of a budding hot dog connoisseur himself, but he sincerely approved. He ate almost every piece, which is something of a rarity for him. This is certain: We'll be enjoying Costco hot dogs for a long time.

The cost of a Sam's Club hot dog is cheaper than the price of a Costco dog. At Sam's Club, you'll pay $1.38 for a hot dog and soda, and at Costco, you'll shell out $1.50, which — as long as co-founder Jim Sinegal gets his way — will never change.

And if you take a little math to the situation, it appears that the Sam's Club hot dog combo cost 8% less than the Costco hot dog combo. Why is this important? Well, according to the packaging of Costco's Kirkland Signature Beef Dinner Franks, which are the variety served in Costco's food court, Costco's hot dogs are "8% larger than the typical ¼ pound link." The franks are labeled with a "¼-pound Plus" designation, and that 8% is most certainly what Costco accounts for in the "Plus" indicator. That said, you get 10 ounces more soda in your cup at Sam's Club than you do at Costco — Costco's hot dog comes with a 20-ounce soda, and the Sam's Club dog is accompanied by a 30-ounce soda.

The hot dogs share many ingredients with one another, but there are a few food additives that stand out with each one. 

When it comes to nutrition, Sam's Club has the lighter hot dog at 340 calories, while Costco clocks in at 360 calories. There's also 31 grams of fat in Costco's hot dog to 29 grams in Sam's. Costco has a lower sodium count at 960 milligrams to Sam's Clubs 1,100 milligrams, and both hot dogs have a substantial amount of protein. Sam's Club will get you 14 grams of protein while Costco will get you 18 grams. Each hot dog has 4 grams of carbohydrates.

In terms of food additives, Sam's Club's hot dog and Costco's share several, including dextrose, sodium erythorbate, and sodium nitrate. Sam's dog also includes hydrolyzed corn protein as an umami flavor enhancer, potassium chloride for salt, and sodium phosphates for a myriad of uses like curing meat and balancing pH levels. For unique additives, the Costco dogs include sodium lactate and sodium diacetate for food preservation.

One of the best parts about having a cafe like the one at Sam's Club and Costco is that you can take some time before or after your shopping experience to enjoy a bite. Even better? It's really inexpensive. If it's a family shopping trip, everyone can eat well for only a few dollars per person. Granted, not everything is nearly as cheap as the hot dog and soda, but I noticed that most other items on the menu were also super reasonable.

However, inexpensive food isn't worth much if sitting down to eat isn't enjoyable. The experience at Costco was significantly nicer than sitting down for a hot dog at Sam's Club. But I know that every Costco and Sam's Club experience will vary depending on the people working as well as the customers seated around you. I found the staff at Costco was kind, attentive, and helpful. At Sam's Club, it seemed like I was interrupting their day by ordering.

The process at Sam's Club involved placing an order with an attendant at the counter, but at Costco, we got to plug in our items right onto a screen. Especially in a new situation where I'm not familiar with the menu, I prefer the technology option, so this was a huge benefit.

In most every way, I preferred the Costco food court hot dog because it just tastes better. My complaints about this dog are few, and I understand why it's a staple. There's something so endearing about a co-founder steadfast in keeping the price at $1.50, and I can imagine many Costco hot dogs in my family's future. Though Costco and Sam's Club appear very similar, there are plenty of differences between them, and the hot dog is certainly one item.

However, I would like to see Costco improve its condiments bar — additional toppings that could be included to bring the dog from good to great. Chopped onions, for example, would be a delicious addition. I would also appreciate greater attention to wiping down surfaces and keeping the space clean. All told, customers seemed happy to be in the Costco cafe, but the customers dining at Sam's Club seem to be doing so out of necessity rather than enjoyment — and this alone says so much about what you can expect from these places.