Is your trip to the grocery more expensive these days? You’re not alone. Food prices have been steadily increasing since 2020 and jumped 3.7% between September 2022 and September 2023, according to the most recent consumer price index report.

One way to deal with rising food prices? Have a plan for how to manage the amount of money you spend on groceries.

Here, we’ll look at the average cost of groceries, provide a grocery budget calculator table to help you manage your food spending, and explore a few ways you can save.

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What Is a Grocery Budget?

In order to manage what you spend on food, you have to know how much you can afford. That’s where having a grocery budget comes in handy.

A grocery budget is simply an allotted amount that you can use to buy food for your household. Ideally, you’d spend that amount or less, and anything left over can go toward other living expenses or savings.

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Pros and Cons of Grocery Budgets

Grocery shopping on a budget generally means being more mindful about your food purchases, which has a number of benefits.

One of the biggest perks of sticking to a grocery budget is that it helps you avoid overspending. It also ensures you still have money for other expenses.

Plus, having an idea of how much you should spend on food can help cut down on the amount of food that goes to waste.

On the other hand, creating a grocery budget means reigning in impulse buys and being stricter about what ends up in your cart. You may have to spend more time looking for the best prices on food items, and you might even need to visit multiple grocery stores to save money.

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Average Cost of Groceries by State

Curious about how your grocery bills stack up against others in the U.S.? Here’s the average monthly cost of groceries in the most populous city in each state, ranked from lowest to highest.

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Wyoming

City: Cheyenne

Monthly Food Costs: $335.97

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Arkansas

City: Little Rock

Monthly Food Costs: $343.15

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West Virginia

City: Charleston

Monthly Food Costs: $347.40

Image Credit: DenisTangneyJr/istockphoto.

Iowa

City: Des Moines

Monthly Food Costs $351.80

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New Hampshire

City: Manchester

Monthly Food Costs: $357.33

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Utah

City: Salt Lake City

Monthly Food Costs: $359.65

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Virginia

City: Virginia Beach

Monthly Food Costs: $362

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Arizona

City: Phoenix

Monthly Food Costs: $367.15

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Mississippi

City: Jackson

Monthly Food Costs: $367.52

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Idaho

City: Boise

Monthly Food Costs: $371.54

Image Credit: Sean Pavone/istockphoto.

Kansas

City: Wichita

Monthly Food Costs: $372.42

Image Credit: Sean Pavone/istockphoto.

Missouri

City: Kansas City

Monthly Food Costs: $377.06

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Nevada

City: s

Monthly Food Costs: $382.16

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Indiana

City: Indianapolis

Monthly Food Costs: $382.62

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New Jersey

City: Newark

Monthly Food Costs: $390.89

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Michigan

City: Detroit

Monthly Food Costs: $392.16

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Ohio

City: Columbus

Monthly Food Costs: $392.59

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Oklahoma

City: Oklahoma City

Monthly Food Costs: $401.48

Image Credit: Sean Pavone/istockphoto.

Kentucky

City: Louisville

Monthly Food Costs: 406.95

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Montana

City: Billings

Monthly Food Costs: $411.70

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Minnesota

City: Minneapolis

Monthly Food Costs: $416.66

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Alabama

City: Huntsville

Monthly Food Costs: $420.97

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Texas

City: Houston

Monthly Food Costs: $424.71

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South Carolina

City: Charleston

Monthly Food Costs: $427.57

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Maryland

City: Baltimore

Monthly Food Costs: $429.38

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Vermont

City: Burlington

Monthly Food Costs: $434.48

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Florida

City: Jacksonville

Monthly Food Costs: $434.98

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Nebraska

City: Omaha

Monthly Food Costs: $438.79

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New Mexico

City: Albuquerque

Monthly Food Costs: $440.66

Image Credit: Faina Gurevich/istockphoto.

Louisiana

City: New Orleans

Monthly Food Costs: $443.34

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Pennsylvania

City: Philadelphia

Monthly Food Costs: $444.29

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Colorado

City: Denver

Monthly Food Costs: $452.45

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California

City: Los Angeles

Monthly Food Costs: $458.71

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South Dakota

City: Sioux Falls

Monthly Food Costs: $462.65

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Oregon

City: Portland

Monthly Food Costs: $467.77

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Tennessee

City: Nashville

Monthly Food Costs: $469.01

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Illionis

City: Chicago

Monthly Food Costs: $470.65

Image Credit: Shelly Bychowski/istockphoto.

North Dakota

City: Fargo

Monthly Food Costs: $474.01

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North Carolina

City: Charlotte

Monthly Food Costs: $475.19

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Georgia

City: Atlanta

Monthly Food Costs: $477.96

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Rhode Island

City: Providence

Monthly Food Costs: $479.81

Image Credit: SeanPavonePhoto/istockphoto.

Alaska

City: Anchorage

Monthly Food Costs: $480.11

Image Credit: Jacob Boomsma/istockphoto.

Maine

City: Portland

Monthly Food Costs: $486.53

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Washington, DC

Monthly Food Costs: $486.63

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Connecticut

City: Bridgeport

Monthly Food Costs: $497.70

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Massachusetts

City: Boston

Monthly Food Costs: $506.63

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Washington

City: Seattle

Monthly Food Costs: $512.11

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Delaware

City: Wilmington

Monthly Food Costs: $527.51

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New York

City: New York City

Monthly Food Costs: $555.11

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Hawaii

City: Honolulu

Monthly Food Costs: $638.57

Image Credit: Art Wager/istockphoto.

Average Cost of Groceries by Age

It’s not just geography that can impact how much you spend on groceries. Your age and budget can also play a role. Let’s look at how spending can differ by age and budget sizes. Note that these figures are suggestions and reflect a grocery bill for two.

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Average Cost of Groceries by Household Size

Not surprisingly, the size of your household can have a major impact on how much you spend at the grocery store. But it’s worth noting that the more family members you have, the less your budget increases. In other words, you don’t have to double a single person’s budget for two and triple it for three.

Instead, add about 20% to your budget for one extra person, 10% for two extra people, and 5% for three extra people. So if your allocate $400 a month for yourself, you’d increase that to:

• $480 for two people
• $576 for three people
• $605 for four people

This will, of course, vary depending on who’s in your household. Teenagers, as we know, eat a lot!

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How to Calculate for a Grocery Budget

Generally, people spend about 12% of their household income on groceries. To get an idea of what you’ve been spending, gather receipts from past grocery shopping trips.

Pay attention to what you’ve bought. How much of it was necessary and how much was an impulse buy? Keep in mind that when you make your new monthly or weekly budget, you’ll likely need to curb some unnecessary spending.

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Grocery Budget Calculator Table

Let’s create a scenario to illustrate what a monthly grocery budget could look like. The example below is for a household of three.

This budget may be on the high end for a three-person household, depending on its monthly income. If $800 per month is too high for you, you might explore ways to cut down on spending in some of these categories.

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Ways to Saving Money on Groceries

One effective way to save money on groceries is to track your spending. Categorize your spending so you can track your budgets and make sure you’re within the margin. A money tracker app or grocery budget calculator app can make the job easier.

It also helps to familiarize yourself with the grocery stores in your area so you know who has the best deal on which items. Check the weekly store flyers, and stock up on good deals. Many things, including meat, can be frozen, so consider buying in bulk.

Having a membership to a store like Costco or Sam’s can also be a smart economical move, especially if you’ve got a large family. Also consider cutting coupons the old-school way or downloading a coupon app.

Always make a game plan before you leave for the store. Look at your list and see which store is offering the best prices on the things you need. Check your coupons and plan to buy items that you can save on.

Finally, here’s a tried-and-true tip that’s very useful: Never go to the store hungry. If you’re shopping on an empty stomach, you’re more likely to buy what you want to eat, rather than what you need.

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The Takeaway

If you’re looking to save money on food, consider making a grocery budget. The spending plan can ensure that you only buy what you can afford, and may leave you with extra money to put toward other expenses or financial goals.

This article originally appeared on SoFi.comand was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

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