Six dollars and thirty cents — these days, it could buy you around two gallons of gas or a single carton of eggs. That’s no yoke, but rather the result of U.S. grocery costs rising over 25% since 2019.
According to a recent report from personal finance company WalletHub, there is a silver lining for Georgia shoppers. The Peach State has the second cheapest groceries in the South.
Where are groceries the most expensive in the U.S.?
To determine where groceries are the most expensive across the U.S., WalletHub compared prices across 26 different food types for all 50 states. The personal finance company used data from the Council for Community and Economic Research and the U.S. Census Bureau to compare the average food costs to each state’s median monthly income.
What their researchers discovered was that high grocery costs weren’t always the biggest affordability factor.
“While grocery prices have gone up tremendously in recent years, the states in which people spend the greatest percentage of their income on groceries actually aren’t those with the highest prices,” according to WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.
“Instead, the median incomes in these states are quite low, so even with reasonable grocery prices, residents end up shelling out a higher percentage of their earnings than people in states with more expensive products.”
Mississippi shoppers topped the rankings, spending an average 2.64% of their monthly household incomes on groceries. West Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky and Louisiana finished out the top five.
The cheapest place to buy groceries is New Jersey, as its eaters only spent around 1.50% of their earnings. In order from cheapest to most expensive, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut finished out the bottom five.
Most of the ranking’s top 10 highest spenders can be found in the Southeast alone, and only one Southern states ranked cheaper than Georgia. Virginia took home the South’s top spot at 43, with Georgia ranking 30th.
How much are groceries in Georgia?
According to a HelpAdvisor report, U.S. households averaged $270.21 a week on groceries alone in 2023. Georgia shoppers spent even more, averaging $278.32 a week. Food costs increased an average 1.2% in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With that in mind, Georgia locals likely spent around $281.66 a week last year.
WalletHub placed Georgia at 30th in its rankings, reporting that Peach State shoppers spend around 1.98% of their incomes on food.
Are high grocery costs bad for your health?
Pricey groceries are bad on the wallet, but the effects on your health could be even worse. According to a study published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, poor access to healthy food due to unaffordability is associated with higher rates of obesity and cardiovascular disease.
“In many households, fresh fruits and vegetables are often perceived as being so expensive that they are considered luxury items (3),” University of Kentucky College of Nursing study authors Frances Hardin-Fanning and Amanda T Wiggins wrote.
“There is evidence that access to larger grocery stores or supermarkets is associated with greater consumption of foods that have cardiovascular disease risk-reducing properties (4). However, low-income individuals are often unable to afford these healthier foods irrespective of proximity to larger grocery stores (5).”
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