Groceries for 2: Average Monthly Costs Explained

A household of two sits in an awkward middle. You buy more than a single shopper but still too little to use every bulk deal, and your tastes and schedules may differ. Couples, roommates and parent-and-adult-child households all fall into this group, and their grocery bills depend as much on habits as on headcount.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Plans give a benchmark. They price four spending levels, called thrifty, low-cost, moderate-cost and liberal, and the USDA updates the costs monthly. Its own reports could not be read automatically here, so the figures on this page are quoted from Ramsey Solutions, MoneyLion and Yahoo Finance, which cite them.

The figures below are for two adults, listed by plan level. Moving from the thrifty to the low-cost plan adds little, while the moderate-cost plan is a clear step up and the liberal plan another.

The thrifty plan assumes you cook most meals from basic ingredients and waste little. The moderate-cost plan allows more variety, and the liberal plan assumes more premium or convenience foods. Many couples drift between levels from month to month.

Estimates differ because they are built from different months of USDA data, different regional prices or different assumptions about the household. Yahoo Finance gives a wide range for two adults, while MoneyLion quotes a single figure for the moderate-cost plan.

Yahoo Finance says the upper end of its range is "nearly" a particular figure rather than a precise one, so treat that end as approximate. Two sources describing the same plan can also differ when one uses the USDA's household-size adjustment and the other does not.

Seeing two people next to other household sizes shows how the bill scales. The table repeats the moderate-cost plan for one adult and for a family of four.

A fair comparison needs the same plan level and the same makeup of household. One adult's range already covers both men and women, so doubling it gives only a rough guide to what two adults spend.

• Plan a few dinners per week and share leftovers for lunch
• Shop together from one list to avoid duplicate buys
• Use the freezer for meat, bread and cooked grains
• Buy staples like rice, beans and oats in larger packages, since two people can use them
• Compare unit prices before choosing a size
• Pick one or two stores rather than chasing every sale

Warehouse clubs can work for two if you freeze what you buy. Without freezer space, a bulk pack may spoil before you finish it.

Where you live is the largest factor, since grocery prices differ across states and cities. Age and sex affect USDA plan costs, because the plans price men and women differently. Diet changes the bill too: specialty foods and lots of fresh meat or seafood raise it, and more cooking from staples lowers it. Eating out is outside the USDA plans, so couples who dine out often should budget that separately.