That number increases when children are factored in; HelpAdvisor found that households with children spend an average of $331.94 a week at the store, or 41% higher than households without children.
Weekly grocery prices vary widely across the country, the study found, and California topped the list of most expensive places to buy food with a household average of $297.72 per week, or $27.51 more than the average for the 48 continental states.
The Golden State’s easterly neighbor, Nevada, is not far behind; residents of the Silver State fork over roughly $294.76 a week at the grocery store, enough to rank second in the nation.
Rounding out the top five most expensive are Mississippi ($290.64); Washington ($287.67) and Florida ($287.27).
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Wisconsinites spend $76 less at the grocery store per week than their California counterparts; their average weekly grocery bill is $221.46, the study found.
The cheapest states to purchase foodstuffs are all located in the Midwest, HelpAdvisor research suggests, with Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan and Indiana households all spending under $240 at the store on average per week.
When broken down by city, three California municipalities are unsurprisingly featured in the top 10 most expensive cities to go to the grocery store; Riverside, San Francisco and Los Angeles ($300.50, $298.44 and $295.33, respectively) rank as the third, fourth and fifth-most economically unfriendly places to buy food in the country.
The most expensive city in America to buy groceries in is Miami, HelpAdvisor found, with grocery bills there costing residents an average of $327.89, or about 14% higher than Florida’s statewide average.
Rank
City
Avg. cost
1.
Miami
$327.89
2.
Houston
$302.65
3.
Riverside
$300.50
4.
San Francisco
$298.44
5.
Los Angeles
$295.33
6.
Seattle
$289.23
7.
New York
$282.60
8.
Dallas
$282.21
9.
Chicago
$278.91
10.
Atlanta
$277.54
Data displayed “an apparently direct correlation” between average grocery spending and education level, according to the study’s findings.
Even though U.S. inflation slowed in 2023, grocery store cash registers “continued running hot,” HelpAdvisor said, which could correlate with the consumer price index for food at home increasing 1.7% year-over-year in November.
More information on the HelpAdvisor study can be found here.
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Weekly grocery prices vary widely across the country, the study found, and California topped the list of most expensive places to buy food with a household average of $297.72 per week, or $27.51 more than the average for the 48 continental states.
A new study from the United States Census Bureau shows that Californians pay more for their weekly groceries than any other state, tacking on to the already costly living expenses that come along with living in the Golden State.
Where Do Americans Buy Groceries?These Stores Top the List
Local Chain Grocery Stores. Roughly 37.81% of respondents said that they preferred local chain stores, like Kroger's, Ralphs or Publix, to other stores.
Among the states, Alaska had the highest per capita state and local spending in 2021 at $18,719, followed by Wyoming ($17,175) and New York ($15,899). As is typical, the District of Columbia's per capita spending exceeded all states at $25,061.
The state in the Northeast with the highest average salary is Massachusetts at $76,600. The state in the West with the highest average salary is California at $73,220. The state in the South with the highest average salary is Maryland at $69,750.
Mississippi. Mississippi currently has the highest-taxed groceries in the U.S. The state taxes essential food items at the regular 7% tax rate. Some Mississippi lawmakers proposed reducing the grocery tax, but their efforts haven't succeeded. Efforts to reduce the state's income tax have been more successful.
The most expensive city in America to buy groceries in is Miami, HelpAdvisor found, with grocery bills there costing residents an average of $327.89, or about 14% higher than Florida's statewide average. 1.
According to a 2024 Popmenu study, families spend 10% less of their food budget on restaurants than they did in 2022. A year before the Popmenu study, a National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association survey found that four out of five people eat at home for more than half their meals.
According to the BLS survey, the largest expenditures were housing and transportation, which comprised 26 percent and 13 percent of people's pay, respectively. Another big spending category was food, to which 10 percent was devoted.
Nigeria spends over half of household income on food, and there are nine other countries that spend over 40% on food. Four of them are in Africa: Nigeria 56.4%; Kenya 46.7%; Cameroon 45.6%; and Algeria 42.5%. Four are in Asia: Kazakhstan 43.0%; Philippines 41.9%; Pakistan 40.9%; and Azerbaijan 40.1%.
Walmart is the largest supermarket chain in the United States, and indeed the world, with a global turnover of $611.3 billion (€556.45 billion) in the year to end 31 January 2023, of which 69% was generated in its Walmart US business*, resulting in a total US turnover of $421.8 billion (€388.4 billion).
About 89 percent of households do their primary grocery shopping at supermarkets or supercenters. The types of stores used for food shopping do not vary by SNAP or WIC participation or food security status.
The most expensive city in America to buy groceries in is Miami, HelpAdvisor found, with grocery bills there costing residents an average of $327.89, or about 14% higher than Florida's statewide average. 1.
Colorado's residents averaged the most monthly searches in the U.S. by far, with 74,795 per 100,000 people. Other states that appeared in the top five were Hawaii (second place, 72,127 average monthly searches per 100,000 residents), Florida (third, 71,903), Nevada (fourth, 70,101) and Arizona (fifth, 67,194).
In a 2023 survey of U.S. shoppers, 68 percent of respondents who identified themselves as primary shoppers in their household were women, while 56 percent were men.
Introduction: My name is Edwin Metz, I am a fair, energetic, helpful, brave, outstanding, nice, helpful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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