Are prices lower in stores compared to a year ago?

Based on the latest data, overall prices in U.S. stores are still higher than a year ago — not lower. However, the pace of price increases has been slowing (disinflation), and a few specific items have actually gotten cheaper.

The Big Picture: Prices Are Still Rising, Just More Slowly

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.4 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in August after rising 0.1 percent in July, and over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 3.4 percent before seasonal adjustment.

Core inflation (excluding food and energy) is cooling: the all items less food and energy index rose 2.4 percent over the year, following a 2.5-percent increase over the 12 months ending July.

What's Driving Costs Up

Energy/Gas: Gasoline prices rose 27.4% year-over-year, slightly more than 24.6% in July, and fuel oil prices increased 52%, compared with 39.1% previously.

Food: The food index increased 2.7 percent over the last year, though inflation eased for shelter, to 3% from 3.2%, and for food to 2.7% from 3%.

Where You're Actually Seeing Lower Prices

Not everything is more expensive. Eggs are a notable exception: retail egg prices decreased 0.4 percent from June 2026 to July 2026 and were 25.7 percent lower in July 2026 than in July 2025. This is because USDA is projecting an increase in egg production in 2026 over 2025, with fewer new detections of bird flu during the first quarter of 2026 than in 2025.

Poultry has also dipped slightly: poultry prices fell 0.5 percent from June 2026 to July 2026 and were 0.5 percent lower in July 2026 than in July 2025.

Data from Numerator, which tracks everyday household purchases, shows a similar mixed picture — a slight monthly dip but still a yearly increase: prices for everyday household purchases decreased 0.1% in August following a 0.4% decrease in July and a 0.6% increase in June. In August, prices for everyday goods are up 2.2% versus a year ago, down from 2.6% in July.

Bottom Line

So while consumers may notice deals on certain grocery items like eggs, the broad trend is that stores are still charging more than they were a year ago — just at a slower rate of increase than in previous periods.