How Much Should You Actually Spend on Food Each Month? Real Budgets Reveal the Truth

Your grocery receipts keep climbing, and you’re starting to wonder if you’re overspending or if everyone else is in the same boat. Let’s cut through the confusion by looking at actual household food expenses and proven money-saving tactics.

What Real Households Are Spending on Food

A couple living with their dog recently shared that their weekly grocery expenses hover around $150-$200, translating to roughly $600-$800 monthly. This puts them squarely in the moderate spending bracket. Meanwhile, some households of seven manage to keep their monthly food costs around $1,400—roughly $200 per person when divided equally.

Then there’s the extreme end: one frugal shopper claims to spend just $80 monthly on groceries for a single person, using strategic shopping and meal preparation techniques that others rarely employ.

The gap between these figures raises an obvious question: what separates the budget-conscious from those paying double?

The National Average: What Do Experts Say?

Government data provides a useful benchmark. According to USDA food plan guidelines updated for 2023, here’s what the average person should expect:

Thrifty Plan (SNAP-optimized):

• Women: approximately $242 per month
• Men: approximately $303 per month

Moderate-Cost Plan:

• Women aged 19-50: around $317 monthly
• Men aged 19-50: around $376 monthly

Liberal Plan (least restrictive):

• Women: approximately $405 monthly
• Men: approximately $457 monthly

Most households in developed countries fall somewhere between the moderate and liberal categories, meaning an average food cost per month for two people typically ranges from $700 to $900, depending on dietary preferences and where you shop.

Inside a $200-Per-Week Household Budget

The couple spending roughly $200 weekly appears to follow a moderate approach. Their shopping list includes:

• Protein sources: eggs, chicken, beef, lamb, and fish
• Dairy: yogurt and half-and-half
• Staples: rice, pasta, oatmeal
• Fresh produce: seasonal fruits and vegetables
• Pantry items: various seasonings, coffee, chocolate

They didn’t mention hitting bulk warehouse stores exclusively, which suggests they’re shopping strategically at regular supermarkets, possibly catching sales and planning meals ahead.

How a Large Family Cuts Food Costs in Half

A household of seven demonstrates that bigger families can actually spend less per person than smaller ones. Their secret? Deliberate bulk purchasing and meal planning.

This family’s approach includes:

• Purchasing rice in 25-pound bags (lasts multiple months)
• Monthly Costco runs totaling around $1,000 that cover many weeks
• Planning grocery trips infrequently to reduce impulse purchases
• Growing their own herbs and planning to expand into vegetables, beans, carrots, and potatoes for home preservation

The result: roughly $100 per person monthly, well below the national average.

The $80-Per-Month Strategy: Budget Shopping on Expert Level

Some shoppers achieve the seemingly impossible—spending just $80 monthly—through extreme discipline:

Shopping locations:

• Aldi for competitive prices
• Local produce markets (year-round availability in warmer climates)
• Discounted meat from local butchers

Protein strategy:

• Buy chicken on sale and vacuum-freeze 20-30 pounds at once
• Watch for loss-leader prices (drumsticks at $0.79/lb, breasts at $1/lb)
• Use affordable seafood like ceviche (which stretches across multiple servings)

Meal preparation:

• Batch-cook the same lunch daily during work weeks
• Minimize food waste through planned consumption

Pantry staples:

• Bread, beans, lentils, eggs, oatmeal, peanut butter, pasta, rice
• Homemade salsa with tortilla chips instead of packaged snacks

Practical Steps to Lower Your Food Expenses

If your grocery bills feel unsustainable, implement these strategies in order of impact:

Start with shopping location strategy: Shift toward discount retailers and local markets rather than premium supermarkets. The price difference on identical items can be 20-40%.

Master bulk purchasing: Buy proteins and shelf-stable staples in larger quantities when prices drop. Vacuum sealing and freezing extend storage life considerably.

Optimize your meal plan: Decide what you’re cooking before shopping. This prevents buying items you won’t use and keeps you focused on ingredient-based meals rather than packaged convenience foods.

Embrace repetition: Eating the same lunch repeatedly might sound monotonous, but it eliminates daily decision fatigue and food waste.

Consider home gardening: Even modest herb gardens provide measurable savings over time. As production increases, so do savings—especially with preservation methods like canning.

The Reality Check

Whether your average food cost per month for two works out to $400 (moderate), $600 (moderate-liberal), or $800 (liberal) depends largely on your location, dietary preferences, and time investment in meal planning. The couple at $200 weekly sits comfortably in the moderate range. The family of seven and the ultra-frugal shopper represent outliers using specific strategies most people could partially adopt.

The key insight: your spending isn’t necessarily wrong—it’s a reflection of your priorities and the time you’re willing to invest in strategic shopping and meal preparation. Small adjustments, whether switching stores or batch-cooking, can produce meaningful reductions without requiring complete lifestyle overhaul.