Free tools
Free tool · USDA data
How much should your household spend on groceries?
Add each person who eats at home and pick how you shop. The answer is what the US Department of Agriculture says a healthy diet costs for that household at four budget levels, updated monthly from grocery prices.
Who eats at home
Example householdLow-cost plan, food at home
$1,119
a month
$258.20 a week
4 people: no size adjustment
All four plans, a month
- Thrifty$1,002
- Low-cost$1,119
- Moderate-cost$1,380
- Liberal$1,668
Compare against your real receipts
A benchmark is a guess about you. Scan a month of grocery receipts and Sorayli shows what your household actually spends, item by item. Free for 10 scans a month.
How the number is worked out
- Each person has a monthly cost by age, sex and plan level, from USDA's Cost of Food at Home reports. Those costs assume a four-person household and every meal made at home.
- The costs of everyone in the household are added together.
- USDA's size adjustment is applied: add 20% for one person, 10% for two and 5% for three; nothing for four; take off 5% for five or six and 10% for seven or more.
- The weekly figure uses USDA's weekly costs the same way. A month is 4.333 weeks.
Sources
- Official USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home at Three Levels, U.S. Average, April 2026 (low-cost, moderate-cost and liberal plans).
- Official USDA Thrifty Food Plan: U.S. Average, March 2026. This report uses 14–19 and 20–50 years where the others say 14–18 and 19–50; the calculator puts them in the matching row.
- Both read on 6 October 2026. USDA publishes a new month a few weeks after it ends.
03 · FAQ
Questions about grocery budgets
Open any question for the full answer.
Which plan should I pick?
Pick the one closest to how you shop now, then compare it with your receipts. Thrifty is the plan SNAP benefits are based on and assumes careful shopping and cooking from scratch. Low-cost and moderate-cost are where most households land. Liberal allows more convenience food and pricier choices.
Does this include eating out?
No. Every USDA plan assumes all meals and snacks are made at home. Restaurants, takeaway and coffee shops are extra, so budget them in their own category.
Why is my real spending different?
The plans are national averages: prices vary by region and shop, and they price a specific healthy diet, not what your family actually eats. Your own receipts are the better number. How to set a grocery budget walks through using both.