JB Hi-Fi vs Harvey Norman vs The Good Guys: who is actually cheapest?

Ask anyone in Australia where to buy a TV or a laptop and you'll hear the same three names: JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman and The Good Guys. All three run big sales, all three print "was" prices, and all three say they're competitive. So instead of guessing, we counted.

Every morning we check the prices of the same products at each store. Whenever two or more stores sell the same model (and the same storage size or screen size) in stock, that's a head-to-head. The tables below count how often each store had the lowest price, and how much more it typically charged when it didn't.

The short answer: no single store wins everything. When we wrote this (October 2026), Harvey Norman was cheapest on TVs far more often than you might expect, the PC specialists beat all three on computer gear, and JB Hi-Fi won on range (it sells the most products) rather than on price. The tables below are recalculated every morning, so they show today's picture, not ours.

Across everything we compare

Two things stand out. First, the stores that are cheapest most often are rarely the ones with the biggest range: specialists like digiDirect (cameras) and MSY / Umart (computer parts) only stock what they're good at, and they price it hard. Second, "cheapest" usually means a few per cent, not a fortune. When a store isn't the cheapest, the gap in the last column is often under 10%.

TVs

For TVs, the big three plus Betta are close on most models. When we wrote this, Harvey Norman had the lowest price (or tied for it) on the largest share. That surprised us because Harvey Norman's reputation is "go in and haggle". Its website prices are often already sharp, and on a TV the store-by-store gap can be hundreds of dollars.

The most compared TVs right now, with the cheapest store for each:

Laptops and computers

Laptops are where the PC specialists pull ahead. MSY and Umart (which list the same price on almost everything, so we count them as one) and digiDirect usually undercut the big three on the models they share. JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys tend to be closer on popular consumer laptops, especially MacBooks.

Phones

Phones are tighter. Costco and Mobileciti often have the lowest outright price, but their ranges are narrower and Costco needs a membership. Among the big three, the gap on a current iPhone or Galaxy is usually small, so it's worth picking the store with the best returns policy or a bundle you actually want.

Headphones, speakers and soundbars

JB Hi-Fi sells far more headphones than anyone else, which is why its "prices compared" number is so high. That range is the reason to shop there: it often has the colour or model nobody else stocks. On the models other stores also carry, it's cheapest less often.

Does JB Hi-Fi own The Good Guys?

Yes. JB Hi-Fi Limited bought The Good Guys in 2016, and the two still run as separate brands with separate prices. You can see it in the tables: they're rarely the same price on the same product, so it's worth checking both.

Harvey Norman stores in Australia are run by franchisees, which is one reason prices can vary between a store and the website, and why asking in store can still get you a better deal. Betta Electrical is a group of independently owned stores that buy together.

How to use this

1. Don't assume your usual store is cheapest. Even the store at the top of the table loses some of its head-to-heads, and the order changes from category to category.
2. Check the exact model. A TV's model code tells you the year and series. Two "65-inch Samsung OLEDs" can be different TVs.
3. Ask for a price match. If another store is cheaper, show the staff the price. Several big retailers will match a genuine advertised price from a competitor for the same item in stock, though each has its own rules, so check the store's policy first. Our price-match guide explains how it works.
4. Look at the price history. A "sale" price is only a deal if it's actually lower than usual. Every product page here shows what it cost every day.

Want to see it for a specific product? Search for it above, or start from TVs, laptops or phones: every page lists each store's price side by side.