On this page
Average grocery bill by household type
USDA publishes four food plans every month. Each one prices a healthy diet cooked at home, from the bare-bones Thrifty plan to the Liberal plan. The table below uses the September 2026 report.
| Household | Thrifty | Low-cost | Moderate | Liberal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 woman, 19-50 | $305 | $332 | $404 | $516 |
| 1 man, 19-50 | $383 | $381 | $478 | $584 |
| Couple, 19-50 | $630 | $653 | $808 | $1,008 |
| Couple, 51-70 | n/a | $625 | $777 | $933 |
| Family of 4, kids 2-5 | n/a | $947 | $1,164 | $1,437 |
| Family of 4, kids 6-11 | $1,024 | $1,127 | $1,389 | $1,682 |
Source: USDA Food Plans, Cost of Food at Home, September 2026. Only the $1,024 family figure is published by USDA as a total. Other rows are our calculation: we added USDA’s individual costs and applied its household size adjustments (add 20% for one person, 10% for two). The Thrifty plan uses a 20-50 age band.
Most households land between the low-cost and moderate plans. If you cook most meals from scratch and buy store brands, the Thrifty or low-cost column is realistic. If you buy more prepared foods, organic produce or premium cuts, expect the moderate or liberal column.
One quirk: the Thrifty plan was rebuilt in 2021, while the other three still rest on older data updated for inflation. That is why the Thrifty single-man figure can sit slightly above the low-cost one.
Example: building your own grocery budget
USDA’s tables are per person, so you can build a budget for any household. Here is how it works for a couple aged 19 to 50 with one child aged 4 or 5, on the moderate plan:
- Add the individual costs: $336.40 (woman) + $398.40 (man) + $221.50 (child) = $956.30.
- Apply USDA’s household size adjustment. A three-person household adds 5%, which brings the total to about $1,004 a month (our calculation).
On the low-cost plan the same family comes to about $812 a month, and on the liberal plan about $1,244 (our calculation). Treat the result as a starting point, then compare it with two or three months of your actual receipts. If you spend much more than the moderate plan, the gap is usually takeout, snacks and prepared foods rather than staples.
What households actually spend
USDA’s plans show what a healthy diet costs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics measures what people really spend.
| BLS spending category (2024) | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Food at home | $6,224 | $519 |
| Food away from home | $3,945 | $329 |
| All food | $10,169 | $847 |
Source: BLS Consumer Expenditures 2024, released Dec 2025. Monthly figures are our calculation.
The BLS figure is an average across all households, including singles and retirees, so it is lower than a family of four’s bill. It also shows that eating out adds about 63% on top of the grocery bill for the average household (our calculation).
Are grocery prices still rising?
Yes, slowly. In the 12 months ending September 2026, the BLS Consumer Price Index shows:
| Category | 12-month change |
|---|---|
| Food at home (groceries) | +1.8% |
| Food away from home | +3.5% |
| All food | +2.5% |
Source: BLS CPI, September 2026, released Oct 14, 2026.
Grocery prices are rising more slowly than restaurant prices, which makes cooking at home a better deal relative to eating out than it was a year ago.
What drives your grocery bill
- Household size and ages. Teen boys and adult men have the highest food costs in USDA’s tables. A 14 to 18 year old boy costs about $404 a month on the moderate plan, more than an adult woman.
- Economies of scale. USDA adds 20% to per-person costs for someone living alone and subtracts 5% for households of five or six, because larger households waste less and buy in bulk.
- Where you live. USDA publishes separate, higher Thrifty costs for Alaska and Hawaii.
- How much you cook. Prepared and convenience foods cost more per serving than ingredients.
How to lower your grocery bill
- Set a target from the table. Pick the plan column that fits your goals and use it as your monthly grocery line. Our 50/30/20 budget calculator shows how it fits with the rest of your spending.
- Plan meals around sales. Build the week’s menu from the store flyer, not the other way around.
- Buy store brands and staples in bulk. Rice, beans, oats, frozen vegetables and canned fish are cheap per serving and keep well.
- Cut waste. Shop with a list, use leftovers for lunches, and freeze what you will not eat in time.
- Watch the restaurant line. Food away from home is growing faster in price, so swapping a few takeout meals a week for home cooking saves the most.
Raising kids? Food is one part of the cost of raising a child. And for the other big monthly bills, see our guide to the average utility bill.
See how we research every number on our method page, browse more budgeting guides, or try all our calculators.
Common questions
What is the average grocery bill for a family of 4?
USDA's September 2026 food plans put a family of four (two adults aged 19 to 50 and kids aged 6 to 11) at $1,024 a month on the Thrifty plan and about $1,127 low-cost, $1,389 moderate and $1,682 liberal (our calculation from USDA's individual costs). Families with younger children spend less.
How much should one person spend on groceries a month?
For one adult aged 19 to 50, USDA's September 2026 moderate-cost plan works out to about $404 a month for a woman and $478 for a man, after USDA's 20% single-person adjustment (our calculation). The low-cost plan is about $332 and $381.
Are grocery prices still going up?
Yes, but slowly. The BLS Consumer Price Index shows food at home up 1.8% over the 12 months ending September 2026, while food away from home rose 3.5%.
What are the four USDA food plans?
USDA publishes four plans each month, Thrifty, Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost and Liberal, which estimate the cost of a nutritious diet prepared at home at different budget levels. The Thrifty plan is the basis for SNAP benefits.
Sources
Every number above comes from these pages. We list the date each page showed when we checked it.
- USDA, Cost of Food Monthly Reports
- USDA, Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost and Liberal Food Plans, September 2026
- USDA, Thrifty Food Plan, September 2026
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, September 2026
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditures 2024
Estimates are for general information only. Get written quotes from licensed local pros before you decide.
- Passed Level II of the CFA® Program
- Canadian Securities Course (CSC)
- Conduct and Practices Handbook (CPH)
Sepehr Parsa is a financial planner and the founder and editor of DollarMap. He has passed Level II of the CFA Program and completed the Canadian Securities Course (CSC) and the Conduct and Practices Handbook (CPH) course. He writes and edits our guides on cars, home repairs, budgeting, saving and investing, and checks that every number has a source.
“In a slowing economy, a budget is what keeps you afloat.”
How we check every number
