Are prices lower in stores compared to a year ago?

Short answer: No. On average, prices in U.S. stores are higher than a year ago.

•Overall consumer prices were up 3.7% year over year in September 2026 (latest data available as of Nov 1, 2026).[1]

•Grocery-store prices (“food at home”) were up 1.8% versus September 2025. Some categories did fall, such as dairy (-0.7% year over year).[1]

•By contrast, restaurant prices (“food away from home”) rose 3.5% year over year.[1]

If you have a specific category (e.g., meat, produce, cleaning supplies), I can pull the latest figures for that too.

Citations (1)

1bls.govGovernment
Consumer Price Index News Release - 2026 M09 Results
Backs: “Overall consumer prices were up 3.7% year over year in September 2026 (latest data available as of Nov 1, 2026).”