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Average Grocery Cost by State 2026 (Monthly)

How much do groceries cost in your state? All 50 states ranked by average monthly grocery spending.

$355/mo
Best (Mississippi)
$650/mo
Worst (Hawaii)
$415/mo
Average
$400/mo
Median

Top 5 States

#1 Mississippi$355/mo
#2 Arkansas$360/mo
#3 West Virginia$365/mo
#4 Kentucky$370/mo
#5 Kansas$375/mo

Bottom 5 States

#50 Hawaii$650/mo
#49 Alaska$520/mo
#48 California$480/mo
#47 New York$470/mo
#46 Massachusetts$470/mo

All 50 States — Monthly Groceries

#State Monthly Groceries VisualIncome COL Grade
#1Mississippi$355/mo
$46,50083A+
#2Arkansas$360/mo
$52,10084A+
#3West Virginia$365/mo
$48,00084A+
#4Kentucky$370/mo
$55,60087A+
#5Kansas$375/mo
$62,10089A+
#6Oklahoma$375/mo
$55,80086A+
#7Alabama$380/mo
$56,20087A+
#8Indiana$380/mo
$58,60090A+
#9Iowa$380/mo
$63,20090A+
#10Michigan$385/mo
$63,40089A+
#11Missouri$385/mo
$61,00088A+
#12Nebraska$385/mo
$66,50091A+
#13Ohio$385/mo
$59,30089A+
#14Idaho$390/mo
$62,30097A+
#15New Mexico$390/mo
$53,00091A+
#16South Dakota$390/mo
$62,10091A+
#17Tennessee$390/mo
$59,70091A+
#18South Carolina$395/mo
$56,20092A+
#19Texas$395/mo
$67,30093A+
#20Georgia$400/mo
$63,40093A
#21Louisiana$400/mo
$52,30091A
#22North Carolina$400/mo
$61,00095A
#23North Dakota$400/mo
$64,80093A
#24Utah$400/mo
$75,600103A
#25Wisconsin$400/mo
$64,80093A
#26Wyoming$400/mo
$65,00095A
#27Arizona$410/mo
$65,600103A
#28Illinois$410/mo
$72,20093A
#29Minnesota$410/mo
$77,70097A
#30Montana$410/mo
$60,600103A
#31Pennsylvania$410/mo
$67,60094A
#32Virginia$415/mo
$80,600103A
#33Delaware$420/mo
$69,100102A
#34Florida$420/mo
$63,100103A
#35Nevada$420/mo
$64,200104A
#36Colorado$430/mo
$80,200105A
#37Maine$430/mo
$63,200109A
#38New Hampshire$430/mo
$83,300112A
#39Oregon$430/mo
$71,200113A
#40Rhode Island$430/mo
$71,200109A
#41Maryland$440/mo
$90,200118A
#42Vermont$440/mo
$63,400110A
#43New Jersey$450/mo
$87,700121B+
#44Washington$450/mo
$82,100115B+
#45Connecticut$460/mo
$83,800121B+
#46Massachusetts$470/mo
$89,700135B+
#47New York$470/mo
$75,900139B+
#48California$480/mo
$84,900142B+
#49Alaska$520/mo
$77,800127B
#50Hawaii$650/mo
$84,900190F

Key Takeaways

Based on our analysis of food costs across all 50 states, Mississippi ranks #1 with $355/mo, while Hawaii ranks last at $650/mo. The national average is $415/mo.

States with no income tax (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming) generally perform well on affordability metrics due to higher effective take-home pay.

The gap between the best and worst state is significant: $295/mo. This means your choice of state can make a dramatic difference in your food costs. Use our budget planner calculator to run the numbers for your specific situation.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What state has the best food costs?

Mississippi ranks #1 with $355/mo. Arkansas and West Virginia round out the top 3.

What state has the worst food costs?

Hawaii ranks last (#50) with $650/mo. Alaska and California are also among the worst.

What is the national average for food costs?

The average across all 50 states is $415/mo. The median is $400/mo.

How is this data calculated?

This data is calculated using the latest available median income, housing prices, cost of living indices, tax rates, and expense data for each state. Our methodology uses consistent formulas applied to all 50 states for fair comparison.

Data & Research

State RankingsSalary DataFinancial by AgeMortgage DataInsurance DataCredit Card DataTax Brackets 2026Minimum Wage

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