How Much Should a Two-Person Household Spend on Groceries Per Month?
Are you spending too much on groceries? That's a tough question to answer. Some people value high-quality produce, meats, and other fresh foods and are willing to pay a premium for quality. Others may have special dietary needs and have little choice but to shell out for gluten-free, dairy-free, or low-carb versions of their favorite foods.
While spending on groceries varies widely from person to person, it's a good idea to get a general sense of what an appropriate level of monthly grocery spending is for your household. That way, you can determine if you're wasting money and find ways to reduce spending. We're all guilty of letting perishables go bad, letting things get lost in the back of the pantry, or forgetting about leftovers. If your grocery spending feels too high, there are likely some common sense steps you can take to rein it in.
The USDA publishes monthly estimates for the cost of food at home, including three plans that encompass low, moderate, and liberal spending on groceries. We can adjust these figures to arrive at values for a typical two-person household:
- Low-cost plan: For two adults, the average cost of groceries under the low-cost plan ranges from $559.35 to $672.54, depending on the age and gender of the household constituents. For one adult and one child, the range would be from $451.33 to $618.42, again depending on age and gender.
- Moderate-cost plan: For two adults, the average cost of groceries under the moderate-cost plan ranges from $668.80 to $837.98, depending on the age and gender of the household constituents. For one adult and one child, the range would be from $528.77 to $782.21, again depending on age and gender.
- Liberal plan: For two adults, the average cost of groceries under the liberal plan ranges from $819.94 to $1,010.46, depending on the age and gender of the household constituents. For one adult and one child, the range would be from $645.37 to $928.84, again depending on age and gender.
These ranges should be viewed as rough approximations. It's certainly possible to spend less, particularly in low cost of living areas. It's also possible to spend much more. But at the very least, these USDA guidelines can give you an idea of how your grocery spending stacks up.
Do you know where your money goes?
Most people don't even realize they're overspending on thier grocery bill because they have no idea where they're money is going. It's not thier fault — the cost of everything is going up, and it's easy to lose track of subscriptions and recurring expenses.
If you've struggled with keeping tabs on your spending in the past, Latwy might be the perfect solution. Real-time alerts, delivered seconds after swiping your card via email, Telegram, Discord, or Slack, can help you get a handle on where your money goes each month.
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