Average food cost per month for 4

When setting up your budget, it’s hard to know how much money to set aside for the essentials—like food. Exactly how much should you spend on groceries each month?

Well, it depends.

Income, family size, dietary restrictions and lifestyle all affect your monthly grocery budget.

Average Cost of Groceries Per Month

The average household grocery cost per month is $475—which totals to $5,703 a year.¹

And that number is likely to increase as overall food prices continue to go up.

Monthly food budget for 2

In fact, Americans spent 1.3% more on food at home (aka groceries) in December 2023 than they did in December 2022.² And that doesn’t even include how much people also spend eating out each month!

But depending on where you live, what grocery store you shop at, and what you put in your cart, you could spend more or less than the average grocery cost.

So, let’s talk about how to set a monthly grocery budget that makes sense for you.

How Much to Spend on Groceries Each Month

Unfortunately, there’s no magic number for what each family should spend on grocer

how much does food cost a month for 2 people

how much should groceries cost a month for 2 people