By Region

Where the basket costs the most

See where groceries cost the most across the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West using a comparable 11-item regional basket built from official U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average price data.

September 2026 target month · latest available regional BLS observations · Comparable 11-item basket

Regional BLS series update on staggered schedules, so some component observations may predate the target month.

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Northeast
West
U.S. city average
Midwest
South

Why 11 items and not 24?

BLS prices only a subset of staples in each census region, and the subsets differ. To compare regions fairly we use the 11 items priced across all four regions — a like-for-like basket. The national Grocery Basket Price Index uses all 24 items, so its total is higher and the two figures aren't directly comparable.

Regional ranking

1 Northeast highest

$59.08

▲ 0.2% MoM ▲ 0.6% YoY

View Northeast details →

2 West

$57.59

▼ 0.6% MoM ▼ 0.9% YoY

View West details →

3 U.S. Avg national avg

$57.09

▲ 0.2% MoM ▼ 0.2% YoY

4 Midwest

$56.59

▲ 0.9% MoM ▼ 1.9% YoY

View Midwest details →

5 South lowest

$55.82

▲ 1.3% MoM ▲ 0.6% YoY

View South details →

What this compares

Comparable basket price · September 2026

$59.08

Northeast

$57.59

West

$57.09

U.S. Avg

$56.59

Midwest

$55.82

South

Comparable basket

This regional comparison uses 11 items priced across all four census regions.

Bread
Chicken breast
Potatoes
Lemons

Ground beef
Bacon
Bananas
Potato chips

Chicken
Ham
Oranges

See all 36 tracked pricesBrowse the complete Prices A–Z directory. Read explainersClear guides on prices and methodology. Use the calculatorSee how prices affect your grocery bill.