The Average Cost of Food in the US

The average cost of groceries in America in 2023 is $415.53 a month per person¹. However, this number can vary greatly depending on factors like age and personal eating habits. Location is another important—though potentially surprising—factor in determining food costs. Groceries cost more in some US cities and states than others.

To find out where people pay the most for food every month, we looked at grocery costs in each state’s most populous city. We found that residents of Honolulu, Hawaii pay the most for food every month ($638.57), while people living in Cheyenne, Wyoming pay the least ($335.97).

Keep reading to learn more about food costs across the country and to see where your state ranks.

• The average Honolulu resident pays $638.57 for groceries every month. That’s over $200 more than the national average of $415.53.
• An area’s population size doesn’t seem to greatly influence food costs. Densely populated cities and smaller metros both show up evenly throughout our rankings.
• With three exceptions (Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii), the ten states where food costs the most are all eastern states.
• New Hampshire is the only Northeastern state in the 10 states with the lowest food costs
• Wisconsin experienced the smallest change in price from 2022 to 2023 ($2.17 lower).
• South Dakota experienced the largest change in price from 2022 to 2023 ($176.42 higher).

For our rankings, we looked at Numbeo’s estimated monthly food costs¹ in each state’s most populous city for 2022 and 2023.²  These prices only include the costs for basic groceries. Additional food costs like restaurant bills were not included in these prices.

1. Numbeo, “Food Prices in United States.” Accessed Oct 4, 2023.
2. Census, "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in the United States: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022" Accessed Oct 4. 2023.