Are prices lower in stores compared to a year ago?

Short answer: No—overall U.S. consumer prices are higher than a year ago.

•As of August 2026, the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) was up 3.4% year over year. Grocery prices (“food at home”) were up 2.2%, and overall goods excluding food and energy were up 0.7%.[1]

•Some categories are cheaper than a year ago (for example, used cars and trucks −2.3%, medical care commodities −2.7%, dairy −0.3%), but many others are higher; notably gasoline is up 27.4% year over year.[1]

If you tell me which items or stores you mean (e.g., groceries, electronics, home goods), I can pull the latest figures for that specific category.

Citations (1)

1bls.govGovernment
Consumer Price Index News Release - 2026 M08 Results
Backs: “Grocery prices (“food at home”) were up 2.2%, and overall goods excluding food and energy were up 0.7%.”