Grocery costs in metro Phoenix still rising

Phoenix metro grocery shoppers saw an increase of 25% in January’s annual prices since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.

As of Monday, the average monthly cost for food at home was $184.20 per shopper for the bureau’s measurement of the Phoenix, Mesa and Scottsdale areas.

The bureau’s Consumer Price Index for Phoenix released on Jan. 11 reflected an overall 3.3% price increase for food throughout 2023 and an even sharper 6.4% increase for eating out.

How much did grocery costs increase since the pandemic?

Government data showed the average cost for comparable groceries when the coronavirus pandemic started in 2020 was $150.75, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In 2021, the average cost increased to $156.10, then $174.22 in 2022 before an increase to $182.22 in 2023.

The current average cost in January 2024, which is $184.20, was 31% higher than the oldest data for January that the bureau had in 2018 when the average grocery bill was $140.44.

What were the average costs of common food items in Phoenix?

According to the open-source database livingcost.org, bread in Phoenix costs an average of $3.45, alongside milk at $3.35 a gallon, cheese for $10.80 per pound and eggs for $4.48 per dozen.

How do Arizona’s grocery costs compare with the U.S.?

According to census data that tracked the past three years, Arizona found itself on the list of some of the highest price states in the nation for groceries

The United States Census Bureau’s Pulse Survey showed that in 2022, the average Arizonan spent $272 on groceries each week, $2 more than the national average.

Data from the survey spans October 18-30, 2023. The pulse survey asked respondents 18 and older for the average amount of money they spent on groceries per week.

Number one in the data’s ranking is California, where the average household spends roughly $298 per week on groceries. The state that spends the least on groceries per week is Wisconsin, where the average household spends $221 on groceries a week. Alaska and Hawaii were not included in the survey data.

The data from the pulse survey was only available until October 2023.