Grocery Budget Calculator
Estimate a monthly at-home grocery budget by household composition and USDA low-cost, moderate-cost, or liberal food-plan benchmarks.
Household composition
Estimated monthly food-at-home budget
for .
USDA food plans assume meals and snacks are prepared at home. Restaurant meals, delivery, alcohol, household supplies, and regional price differences are not included.
About the USDA benchmark
The January 2025 USDA report lists monthly costs by age and sex for low-cost, moderate-cost, and liberal plans. It also recommends household-size adjustments: smaller households generally add a percentage because they have fewer economies of scale, while larger households subtract a percentage.
Make the number local
Track four weeks of grocery receipts and separate food from toiletries, paper goods, pet food, alcohol, and prepared meals. Compare your actual total with the benchmark, then decide whether the gap reflects local prices, dietary needs, waste, convenience purchases, or a deliberately higher food standard.