Where the basket costs the most
By U.S. census regionBLS publishes grocery average prices for the four census regions but not individual metros. To compare regions fairly, this uses a 11-item comparable basket of staples priced across all four regions — each at its latest available price. (The headline national Basket Index uses the full 24 items.)
| # | Region | Comparable basket · 11 items | vs. U.S. avg | MoM | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Northeast | $58.60 | +4.6% | ▲ 2.1% | ▲ 6.8% |
| 02 | West | $56.12 | +0.2% | ▼ 3.1% | ▼ 2.0% |
| — | U.S. city average | $56.03 | — | ▼ 0.6% | ▲ 1.9% |
| 04 | Midwest | $55.81 | -0.4% | ▲ 0.2% | ▲ 2.6% |
| 05 | South | $54.98 | -1.9% | ▲ 0.1% | ▲ 1.6% |
Comparable basket items: Bread, Ground beef, Chicken, Chicken breast, Bacon, Ham, Potatoes, Bananas, Oranges, Lemons, Potato chips. Data through May 2026. Download CSV.