How Much Should a Family of Four Spend on Groceries? (USDA Food Plans, 2026)
Last reviewed: October 7, 2026.
Key takeaways
- USDA publishes four food plans at rising cost levels: Thrifty, Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost and Liberal. Each is designed as a nutritious diet; they differ in cost and in the specific foods and quantities they include (USDA).
- August 2026, family of four (two adults aged 20 to 50, children aged 6 to 8 and 9 to 11): $1,023.70 Thrifty, $1,125.80 Low-Cost, $1,388.20 Moderate-Cost, $1,678.70 Liberal, per month.
- Kids’ ages move the number a lot. With children aged 2 to 3 and 4 to 5, the Moderate-Cost plan is about $1,163; with teenagers aged 14 to 19, it’s about $1,461.
- The plans assume everything is cooked at home. Restaurant meals, takeout and school lunches aren’t included.
- Smaller or larger households adjust the per-person figures, from adding 20% for one person to subtracting 10% for seven or more.
What the USDA Food Plans are
The U.S. Department of Agriculture prices four “market baskets” of food every month. Each one is a nutritious diet that could be bought and cooked at home; they differ in cost level, and in the specific foods and quantities they include. USDA updates the costs monthly using the Consumer Price Index (USDA, Cost of Food Monthly Reports).
- Thrifty Food Plan. The lowest-cost plan, reevaluated in 2021. It’s the basis for the maximum SNAP benefit, using a reference family of four.
- Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost and Liberal plans. Based on 2001–02 data and updated to current dollars using the CPI. USDA notes the Thrifty Food Plan reevaluation begins the process of updating these three as well.
Two things to keep in mind. First, the costs are national averages. USDA publishes separate Thrifty plan figures for Alaska and Hawaii, which run higher. Second, the plans assume all meals and snacks are prepared at home. If your family eats out or buys lunches, that spending sits outside these numbers.
August 2026: what a family of four spends on each plan
These are the most recent figures USDA has published, for August 2026 (the page was last updated September 24, 2026). The family is USDA’s reference family: a man and a woman aged 20 to 50 and two children aged 6 to 8 and 9 to 11.
| Plan | Monthly cost | Weekly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Thrifty | $1,023.70 | $236.30 |
| Low-Cost | $1,125.80 | $259.80 |
| Moderate-Cost | $1,388.20 | $320.50 |
| Liberal | $1,678.70 | $387.40 |
Source: USDA Food Plans, Cost of Food Monthly Reports, August 2026. The Thrifty figures are USDA’s published reference-family totals. The other three are the sum of USDA’s figures for the four family members, which is how USDA says to calculate a household’s cost.
How the ages of your kids change it
Children’s costs rise steeply with age, so the same “family of four” can land in very different places. Using the same August 2026 USDA figures:
| Family of four | Thrifty | Low-Cost | Moderate-Cost | Liberal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults 20–50, kids 2–3 and 4–5 | $933.50 | $945.20 | $1,162.70 | $1,434.90 |
| Adults 20–50, kids 6–8 and 9–11 | $1,023.70 | $1,125.80 | $1,388.20 | $1,678.70 |
| Adults 20–50, boy and girl 14–19 | $1,158.80 | $1,185.80 | $1,460.60 | $1,788.00 |
Monthly totals, calculated by adding USDA’s August 2026 per-person figures for each family member.
If your household is a different mix, add up the per-person monthly figures for each member from USDA’s tables. They list costs by age and sex, from 1-year-olds to adults over 71.
Adjusting for households that aren’t four people
USDA’s per-person figures assume a four-person household. For other sizes, USDA suggests adding up each person’s cost and then adjusting the total:
| Household size | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| 1 person | add 20% |
| 2 people | add 10% |
| 3 people | add 5% |
| 4 people | none |
| 5 or 6 people | subtract 5% |
| 7 or more | subtract 10% |
Which plan is right for your family?
Treat the four plans as a range, not a grade.
- If you’re already spending under the Thrifty figure and eating well, you’re doing something right. Make sure it isn’t coming at the cost of skipped produce or protein.
- If you’re between Thrifty and Moderate-Cost, you’re in the range most budget-minded families aim for.
- If you’re above Liberal and not eating out much, that’s the signal to look at where it’s going. Common culprits are convenience foods, snacks and drinks, food that’s thrown away, and shopping at one higher-priced store out of habit.
Add up a typical month of grocery receipts (only food, not household goods), then compare it with the row in the tables above that matches your family.
How to set your own grocery budget
- Find your benchmark. Use the table row closest to your family’s ages, or add up USDA’s per-person figures.
- Total your actual spending. Four to six weeks of receipts gives a more honest number than one week.
- Separate food from everything else. Paper towels, cleaning supplies and toiletries ride in the same cart but aren’t in the USDA numbers.
- Pick a target plan. If you’re spending at the Liberal level, a realistic first goal might be Moderate-Cost, not Thrifty.
- Plan meals around the budget. A weekly plan is the single most effective way to hit a number, because it stops the extra trips and the “nothing for dinner” takeout. Our meal planning on a budget guide walks through it.
- Shop with a list and compare stores. Find which grocery store is cheapest for your list, and compare unit prices rather than sticker prices.
- Cut waste. Food you throw away is money spent for nothing. A simple pantry inventory stops duplicate buys.
- Recheck every few months. USDA updates its figures monthly, and food prices move. Your budget should move with them.
Where the money usually goes
Knowing what your meals cost helps you see where a budget leaks. Working out the cost per serving of the recipes you make most often shows that two or three dinners drive a big share of the bill, and those are the ones worth tweaking: a cheaper cut, a bean-heavy version, a bigger batch for leftovers.
MyFoodManager’s meal planner gives a weekly cost estimate for your plan from the prices in your own price book, so you can see whether a week fits your target before you shop.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a family of four spend on groceries per month?
Using USDA’s August 2026 food plans, a family of four with two adults and two school-age children would spend about $1,024 a month on the Thrifty plan, $1,126 on Low-Cost, $1,388 on Moderate-Cost and $1,679 on Liberal, assuming all meals are cooked at home.
What is the USDA Thrifty Food Plan?
It’s the lowest-cost of USDA’s four food plans: a nutritious diet that can be prepared at home at minimal cost. It was reevaluated in 2021, and its cost for a reference family of four is used to set the maximum SNAP benefit.
How much should a family of four spend on groceries per week?
On USDA’s August 2026 figures, about $236 a week on the Thrifty plan, $260 on Low-Cost, $321 on Moderate-Cost and $387 on Liberal, for two adults and children aged 6 to 11.
Do the USDA food plans include eating out?
No. All four plans assume every meal and snack is prepared at home. Restaurant meals, takeout and school lunches are separate spending.
Why is my grocery bill higher than the USDA numbers?
Common reasons are teenagers in the house, living in a high-cost area, buying household goods with groceries, convenience foods and food waste. Compare your food-only spending with the USDA row that matches your family’s ages before deciding you’re over.
Plan to a number, not a guess
MyFoodManager helps you plan the week, see a cost estimate for it from your own store prices, and turn it into a grocery list sorted by aisle. It’s free to start. Start free.
