How Much Should I Spend on Groceries?
7 Min Read | Last updated: October 31, 2024
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People can spend very different amounts on groceries, depending on their family size, income level, and many other factors.
At-A-Glance
- Based on nutritional guidelines and cost analysis provided by the USDA, people can get a nutritious diet by spending as little as $200 per month on groceries.
- Depending on how much you earn, what people actually spend on all food (groceries and dining out) ranges from about 10-16% of your income, according to government research.
- You can build your own grocery spending budget to get good nutrition for any size family by using the USDA guidelines and cost analysis.
When grocery shopping for the week or month is on your to-do list, you'll want to write out everything you need, especially if you are planning meals and making lunches for work and school. But you may also want to create a budget to help you stay within your means.
Luckily, federal government agencies publish detailed, up-to-date reports on how much people should spend on groceries and how much they do:
- Should spend on groceries: The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offersthree food plans to help Americans pursue healthy diets at different cost levels, and it publishes monthly updates showing the national average for what spending on groceries for each plan should cost. The report referenced is from May 2024.1
- Do spend on groceries: The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) publishes annual consumer expenditure survey reports that include grocery spending for individuals, couples, and families. The most recent report is for 2022 and was published in 2023.2
Looking at the two reports together offers insights into how much you should spend on your grocery runs.
There’s also the 50-30-20 rule for budgeting. It divides your monthly, after-tax income into your needs (50%), wants (30%), and what you want to put toward savings (20%). Groceries and other food expenses fall within the “needs” category, along with housing and transportation.3
How Much Should a Single Person Spend on Groceries?
All USDA plans define nutritional needs for children and adults of different ages and assume money spent is only on groceries — no eating out.
Table 1 shows how much adults ages 19-to-50 should spend on three USDA plans — low-cost, moderate-cost, and liberal.
Table 1: How Much Single People Should Spend on Groceries1
| Food Plan | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Low-Cost | $362.28 | $313.92 |
| Moderate-Cost | $453.84 | $383.88 |
| Liberal | $553.32 | $489.48 |
What do single people actually spend on groceries? According to the latest BLS survey, the average single person spent $5,093 on food in 2022. However, only $3,176 of that amount was spent on groceries to prepare food at home. The rest was spent on food “away from home.” Don’t forget, that’s an average for all single people —whose average income after taxes was roughly $40,136.2
Higher earners tend to spend more and lower earners tend to spend less on groceries. In general, households spend between 10.6% (for households that make $200,000 or more a year) and 17.2% (for households that make less than $15,000 a year) of their pre-tax annual income for groceries and dining out, combined.4
How Much Should Couples Spend on Groceries?
The old saying, “Two can live as cheaply as one,” may still be true, but the data proves that two do not eat as cheaply as one. Table 2 shows the USDA’s expected spend on groceries for couples following the three food plans mentioned above.
Table 2: How Much Couples Should Spend on Groceries1
| Food Plan | Two men | Two women | One man and one woman |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-Cost | $664.18 | $575.52 | $619.85 |
| Moderate-Cost | $832.04 | $703.78 | $767.91 |
| Liberal | $1014.42 | $897.38 | $955.90 |
What do couples actually spend on groceries? The BLS report, which averages all couples without regard to genders, shows the couples spent $10,242 on groceries in 2022, or about $853.50 per month. Of that amount, $6,224 was for food prepared at home and $4,018 was for dining out. That translates into average monthly spending by couples of $518.67 on groceries and $334.83 on dining out.5
How Much Should the Average Family Spend on Groceries?
Table 3 shows how much the USDA expects a family of four to spend on groceries every month, depending on the children’s ages and the cost level of the plan. It is based on one mother and one father in the 19 to 50 age range, with two children ages 9 to 11 or two children ages 6 to 8.
Table 3: How Much a Family of 4 Should Spend on Groceries1
| Food Plan | With 2 children, 6 to 8 | With 2 children, 9 to 11 |
|---|---|---|
| Low-Cost | $1,049.30 | $1,078.30 |
| Moderate-Cost | $1,274.70 | $1,359.90 |
| Liberal | $1,543.20 | $1,641 |
What do families actually spend on groceries? Table 4 below reveals BLS survey results of how much different families/households spend on groceries.
Table 4: What Different Households Spend on Groceries, 2022 Averages5
| Household | Annual Grocery Spend | Annual Dining Out | Annual Food Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Married couple, oldest child under 6 | $7,051 | $4,003 | $11,054 |
| Married couple, oldest child 6 to 17 | $8,486 | $6,225 | $14,711 |
| Married couple, oldest child 18+ | $8,703 | $5,329 | $14,031 |
How to Save Money on Groceries
If you’re trying to stay on budget, don’t fret — there are several ways you can save money on groceries.6
- Check out the weekly ads from your local grocery store
- Find coupons for your most-used items
- Buy in-season produce
- Purchase store brands instead of name brands
- Make enough for leftovers or to meal plan
- Take advantage of the grocery store’s loyalty program
- Don’t buy too much at once
- Establish a grocery shopping routine
Eating at Home Can Be Good for You — and Your Wallet
Cooking is a great activity that can bring households together. You can consider each recipe a new adventure. And, paying with American Express cash back credit cards that give high rewards, may help stretch your budget a few percentage points further and give you more reason to cook at home with your loved ones.
The American Express® Gold Card, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, and the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express offer rewards for Uber Eats and buying groceries at U.S. supermarkets, including cash back and Membership Rewards® Points. With American Express, you can earn additional rewards at supermarkets like ALDI, Whole Foods, Vons, Trader Joe’s, Meijer, and Gelson’s.
The Takeaway
The grocery spending information in this article may help you zero in on how much is right for you, or your family, to spend. By examining the USDA and BLS sources, you can do a deeper dive into healthy meal planning — and what it should cost.
1 “Official USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home at Three Levels, U.S. Average, May 2024,” USDA
2 “Consumer units of one person by age of reference person: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Surveys, 2021-2022,” Bureau of Labor Statistics
3 “The 50-30-20 Budget Rule: A Simple Way to Save Money,” Kiplinger
4 “Income before taxes: Annual expenditure means, shares, standard errors, and relative standard errors, Consumer Expenditure Surveys, 2022,” Bureau of Labor Statistics
5 “Composition of consumer unit: Annual expenditure means, shares, standard errors, and relative standard errors, Consumer Expenditure Surveys, 2022,” Bureau of Labor Statistics
6 “How to Create a Grocery Budget That Works for You,” National Council on Aging
Tony Azzara is a business technology writer and researcher based in Queens, NY, whose work focuses primarily on financial services technology.
All Credit Intel content is written by freelance authors and commissioned and paid for by American Express.
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