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Grocery Prices · Food Away from Home
Food Away from Home prices are +3.6% compared to a year ago — a moderate rate of inflation. This is roughly in line with overall food inflation. For the average household, this adds roughly $86.0/year to food away from home spending.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U · Latest: April 2026
Annual Change
+3.6%
year-over-year · April 2026
Monthly Change
+0.2%
seasonally adjusted MoM
Overall Food Inflation
+3.2%
all food categories · April 2026
The average U.S. household spends approximately $198.0/month on food away from home. At a 3.6% annual inflation rate, that same amount costs about $205.1/month today — $7.1 more per month than a year ago, or roughly $86.0/year in extra spending.
Typical monthly spending estimate based on BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey 2020 averages. Actual amounts vary by household size and location.
Overall food inflation is running at +3.2% annually. Food Away from Home at +3.6% is roughly in line with the overall food basket.
| Category | Annual Change | Monthly Change |
|---|---|---|
| Food Away from Home ◀ | +3.6% | +0.2% |
| Full-Service Restaurants | +3.8% | +0.1% |
| Limited Service Meals & Snacks | +3.2% | — |
Food prices are shaped by several layers of cost: farm-level input costs (feed, fertilizer, energy), processing and packaging, transportation and logistics, and finally retail markup. When inflation runs through the economy, all of these layers add cost simultaneously.
The BLS measures food away from home prices monthly as part of the Consumer Price Index, collecting data from thousands of stores across the country. The annual figure of +3.6% reflects the average price change from April 2026 one year ago to April 2026 today.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U · Updated monthly · bls.gov · Price Inflation Report