Calculator
What should our grocery budget actually be?
Set your household and spending level to get a realistic figure. The four tiers correspond to the USDA food plan levels, so this is anchored to published data rather than a guess.
Groceries per month
$1,638
2 adults + 2 children · moderate plan
What this means
That is about $409 per person per month. If your real spending is well above this, the gap is usually convenience food, delivery, or waste rather than the weekly shop itself.
Tiers approximate the four USDA food plan levels: Thrifty, Low-cost, Moderate, and Liberal. They are not refreshed monthly the way the official reports are. Larger households are adjusted downward per head, since buying for more people is more efficient.
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What this result means
If your actual spending is well above the Liberal tier, the gap is usually convenience food, delivery, or waste rather than the weekly shop itself.
If it is below Thrifty, that is worth knowing too. The Thrifty plan is the basis of federal food assistance and is a genuinely tight budget to sustain.
The per-person cost falls as household size rises, which is why a family of five does not spend two and a half times what a couple spends.
A number on its own does not tell you what to do.
The decision page walks through what to consider, your options, and a plan for this week.
How much does it cost to raise a child?How it works
- Start from the monthly per-adult cost for the chosen USDA plan tier.
- Multiply by the number of adults.
- For children, apply an age factor: 0.62 under 6, 0.78 from 6 to 11, and 0.95 from 12.
- Apply a household size adjustment, from 1.2 for a single person down to 0.9 for six or more.
- Convert to weekly or yearly if selected.
Assumptions and limits
- Tier values are approximations of the USDA plan levels and are not updated monthly the way the official reports are.
- It covers food brought into the home, not restaurant meals or takeaway.
- Age factors are broad bands rather than per-year figures.
- It makes no regional adjustment, and grocery prices vary meaningfully by area.
- It does not account for dietary requirements, which can move the figure substantially.
Sources
- Last reviewed
- October 1, 2026
- Geography
- United States
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USDA Food Plans: monthly cost of food reports (Thrifty, Low-cost, Moderate, Liberal)
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion · United States
Updated monthly. Our grocery tiers approximate these four plan levels and are not refreshed monthly.
Common questions
What are the USDA food plans?
Four reference levels, Thrifty, Low-cost, Moderate, and Liberal, published as monthly cost-of-food reports. The Thrifty plan underpins federal food assistance benefit levels.
Why do children cost less than adults?
They eat less, and the gap narrows with age. By the teens the difference is small, which is why the factor rises to 0.95.
Does this include eating out?
No. It covers groceries only. Restaurant and takeaway spending is a separate line and is often where the real overspend sits.
Got the number. Not sure what to do with it?
Eight questions, about two minutes. You get one clear priority for your family, a few things to do this week, and the free tools that fit. No account, no email.