Anyone who’s been to the supermarket lately knows food costs have climbed in recent years. If you’ve felt the squeeze at the checkout, you’re not imagining it. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price of food rose by roughly three percent in the year ending December 2025. It’s a mild uptick compared to recent volatility, yet prices still sit well above what they were just a few years back. Some cities now see shoppers paying up to nearly one third more than the national average just to keep their kitchens stocked. Geography, labor costs, and how far your groceries travel all play a role in determining what you’ll pay. Here’s the thing: where you live can determine whether filling your fridge feels manageable or downright painful.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu has the most expensive grocery costs in the nation, with prices more than twenty percent higher than in New York City as of mid-year 2025. Living in paradise clearly comes with a price tag. Residents of Honolulu pay over thirty-one percent more than the national average to eat, with households spending approximately nineteen thousand five hundred sixty dollars per year on groceries. That translates to nearly one fifth of income going toward food, which is well above what financial experts recommend. The isolation of the islands means almost everything has to be shipped in, and those transportation costs get passed directly to consumers.
Juneau, Alaska
Three Alaskan cities made the list for most expensive groceries, and Juneau’s food bill was the highest of the three, with residents paying about twenty-eight percent more than the national average. A typical household brings home roughly ninety-nine thousand seven hundred forty-eight dollars before tax and spends nineteen thousand one hundred sixty-four dollars of that on groceries, putting it just below Honolulu in terms of affordability. Alaska’s remoteness drives prices up, especially in the capital city where access depends heavily on air and sea transport. The lack of agricultural land and harsh climate make local food production nearly impossible, forcing the state to import the vast majority of its food supply.
Anchorage, Alaska
Alaska’s largest city doesn’t fare much better when it comes to grocery costs. With prices about twenty-four percent higher than the national average, Anchorage residents spend roughly eighteen thousand four hundred forty-four dollars per year on groceries on average, accounting for nearly twenty percent of the median household income. While Anchorage benefits from more direct shipping routes than other parts of Alaska, transportation expenses still dominate the pricing equation. The city serves as a major distribution hub for the rest of the state, yet consumers still pay a premium simply for living so far from major agricultural regions.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco ranks in second place nationwide, hovering just above New York City in grocery costs. Let’s be real, nobody expects San Francisco to be cheap. It is one of the most expensive cities to live in, yet when you compare the average grocery spend to the median income, the typical household spends just under fourteen percent of its earnings to keep the fridge stocked. That makes it the only city on this list where a household earning the median income can follow the recommendation to spend fifteen percent or less of their budget on food. High wages in the tech sector help offset those elevated grocery bills, even as retailers pass along steep commercial rents and labor costs to shoppers.
Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks might only have the third-most-expensive groceries in Alaska, but income here is spread thinner than it is anywhere else in the state. When you factor in the significantly lower median household income of approximately seventy-three thousand two hundred dollars, the cost to keep a household fed takes up nearly twenty-three percent of that income. Harsh winters and limited road access to much of the interior make food distribution costly and unpredictable. Residents often see higher prices during winter months when ice roads are the only connection to remote areas, and supply chains become even more fragile.
Brooklyn, New York
While Brooklyn residents technically spend a little less per month on groceries than their Manhattan neighbors, the dramatically lower median household income means groceries are far less affordable here, despite the slightly lower price tag. With a typical household spending over twenty-two percent of its income on food, it’s the second least affordable city in the United States when it comes to keeping your family fed. Brooklyn’s grocery landscape includes everything from expensive organic markets to budget corner stores, yet the borough’s rapid gentrification has pushed prices upward across the board. Honestly, it’s hard to say for sure whether that trend will ease anytime soon, especially given the continued demand for housing and commercial space.
Manhattan, New York
Manhattan has long been synonymous with high costs, and grocery shopping is no exception. Living costs in Manhattan are more than twice the national average, about seventy-two percent higher than even San Francisco. The borough’s dense population and limited retail space drive up commercial rents, which grocers pass along to customers. High wages for store employees, expensive real estate for warehouses, and the logistical challenges of delivering goods in such a congested area all contribute to the elevated prices. Still, the concentration of higher-income earners means that, for many residents, these costs represent a smaller share of take-home pay than in other expensive cities.
Oakland, California
When you factor in the significantly lower median household income of roughly seventy-three thousand two hundred dollars, the cost to keep a household fed in Oakland takes up nearly twenty-three percent of that income, making groceries the least affordable here among the cities on this list. Oakland sits across the bay from San Francisco, sharing many of the same high operating costs without the same level of median income to cushion the blow. The city faces challenges with food deserts in certain neighborhoods, where limited grocery store options push residents toward more expensive convenience stores or require longer trips to affordable supermarkets.
Seattle, Washington
Seattle’s booming tech economy has brought prosperity to many, yet it’s also driven up the cost of nearly everything, including groceries. Washington has one of the highest minimum wages in the country, raising labor expenses throughout food production, transportation, and retail, particularly influential in metropolitan areas like Seattle where wages, commercial rents, and utility expenses run well above national averages. While Washington is an agricultural leader in products such as apples and potatoes, consumers still rely heavily on imported goods including meat, dairy, and packaged foods that travel long distances, and congestion at the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma can increase freight delays. Rapid population growth only intensifies these pressures.
Washington, D.C.
The nation’s capital rounds out the list with grocery costs that reflect its status as a major metropolitan area with high incomes and elevated operating expenses. In the D.C. metro area, egg, meat, poultry and fish prices rose sharply, jumping over nine percent, driving overall grocery inflation higher than in many other cities. The region’s strong job market, particularly in government and professional services, supports higher wages that grocers must pay, which then shows up in retail prices. Limited competition in certain neighborhoods and the high cost of commercial real estate further push prices upward, making D.C. one of the priciest places in the country to shop for food.
