The average cost of groceries in America is $355.50 a month per person. However, this number can vary greatly depending on factors like age and personal eating habits. Location is another important—though potentially surprising—factor in determining food costs. Groceries cost more in some US cities and states than others.

To find out where people pay the most for food every month, we looked at grocery costs in each state’s most populous city. We found that residents of Honolulu, Hawaii pay the most for food every month ($556.76), while people living in Manchester, New Hampshire pay the least ($183.00).

Keep reading to learn more about food costs across the country and to see where your state ranks.

• The average Honolulu resident pays $556.76 for groceries every month. That’s over $200 more than the national average of $355.50.
• An area’s population size doesn’t seem to greatly influence food costs. Densely populated cities and smaller metros both show up evenly throughout our rankings.
• With three exceptions (Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii), the ten states where food costs the most are all either eastern or southern states.
• Many of the states with the lowest food costs are western states, though there are exceptions. The most notable exception is New Hampshire, which, despite being an East Coast state, actually has the lowest food costs in the nation.

For our rankings, we looked at Numbeo’s estimated monthly food costs¹ in each state’s most populous city.² These prices only include the costs for basic groceries. Additional food costs like restaurant bills were not included in these prices.

1. Numbeo, “Food Prices in United States.” Accessed May 27, 2021.
2. Wikipedia, “List of U.S. States' Largest Cities.” Accessed May 27, 2021.