A recent study highlights significant disparities in grocery spending across various U.S. cities as food prices climb. An analysis done by a personal finance website examined 100 major cities to understand what portion of the average household income goes toward common grocery items.
According to the findings, residents in Detroit allocate a larger share of their income to groceries than those in most other cities, spending almost 3.8% of their earnings. While food prices in Detroit are somewhat average, they do face high costs for items like lettuce and tuna, compounded by a notably low average household income of around $39,575, which is among the lowest in the country.
Cleveland, with an even lower median household income of $39,187 (as per U.S. Census Bureau data), came in second place on the list. The study points out that although some groceries such as whole milk and fried chicken are relatively affordable, the low income levels mean that food expenses take up a large chunk of families’ budgets.
In contrast, cities in California, including San Francisco, San Jose, and Fremont, have much higher median incomes—averaging above $100,000—and residents there spend a smaller fraction of their income on groceries, at about 1.22% for San Francisco.
The cities with the highest grocery expenses
| Rank | City | Percentage of median household monthly income |
| 1. | Detroit | 3.78% |
| 2. | Cleveland | 3.77% |
| 3. | Birmingham, Alabama | 3.28% |
| 4. | Newark, New Jersey | 3.16% |
| 5. | Toledo, Ohio | 3.09% |
| 6. | Hialeah, Florida | 3.00% |
| 7. | Buffalo, New York | 2.98% |
| 8. | Cincinnati | 2.90% |
| 9. | Milwaukee | 2.89% |
| 10. | Memphis, Tennessee | 2.87% |
The cities with the lowest grocery expenses
| Rank | City | Percentage of median household monthly income |
| 91. | Scottsdale, Arizona | 1.40% |
| 92. | Huntington Beach, California | 1.33% |
| 93. | Santa Clarita, California | 1.33% |
| 94. | Plano, Texas | 1.33% |
| 95. | Seattle | 1.32% |
| 96. | Gilbert, Arizona | 1.24% |
| 97. | Irvine, California | 1.23% |
| 98. | San Francisco | 1.22% |
| 99. | San Jose, California | 1.16% |
| 100. | Fremont, California | 0.96% |
Overall, many Americans don’t need statistics to recognize the rising costs of food. A recent Harris/Axios poll found that around 47% of adults feel grocery shopping is more challenging on their budgets compared to last year.
The Consumer Price Index reported a 0.6% increase in food prices from July to August—the largest spike seen in nearly three years. Over the last year, grocery prices have gone up by 2.7%.
Certain products, notably coffee and beef, have seen even larger price hikes, driven by factors such as drought conditions and previous tariffs, as noted by a sister network of The Hill. By the end of August, beef prices had surged 13.9% and coffee prices had risen by 20.9% compared to the previous year.
