Are prices lower in stores compared to a year ago?

Overall, no — prices in stores are generally still higher than a year ago, though the picture is mixed depending on the specific item and location.

The big picture (national data):

•The average price of food in the United States rose by 2.7% in the 12 months ending August, after posting an annual increase of 3% for July, according to inflation data published September 11, 2026, by the BLS.

•The food-at-home (grocery store or supermarket food purchases) CPI was unchanged from June 2026 to July 2026 and 2.7 percent higher than in July 2025.

Some items are cheaper — especially eggs and dairy:

•Much of the easing comes from plummeting prices for eggs and dairy products, which are actually expected to deflate this year, by 22.2% and 0.9%, respectively, according to the USDA. This matches what local price checks are finding — for example, one Minnesota outlet found eggs down from $5.45 in January 2025 to $2.05 in January 2026, chicken down from $8.85 to $6.91, bread slightly down from $1.87 to $1.57, and milk slightly down from $3.46 to $3.26.

But many items are still notably more expensive:

•Beef has jumped significantly: Beef and veal prices increased by 0.2 percent from June 2026 to July 2026 and were 9.4 percent higher in July 2026 than in July 2025.

•Coffee and produce are up sharply too: the cost of tomatoes is up 12.8% year over year, while apples cost 11% more in July 2026 than they did in July 2025, and instant coffee is up 15.8% year over year, roasted coffee up 12.2%, and coffee overall up 9.4%.

•Sugar and sweets also rose: Prices for sugar and sweets increased by 0.1 percent from June 2026 to July 2026 and were 7.4 percent higher in July 2026 than in July 2025.

Location matters a lot: Grocery inflation varies significantly by region. A ConsumerAffairs analysis of grocery price data in 150,000 stores found grocery prices increased 5.3% year over year, and grocery inflation has varied by as much as 5% from state to state.

Bottom line: For the overall grocery basket, prices are still higher than a year ago — roughly 2.7% higher nationally as of the latest data. However, a handful of staples (notably eggs, and some dairy items) have actually gotten cheaper, while beef, coffee, and several produce items have risen sharply, so your personal experience will depend heavily on what's in your cart and where you shop.

Citations (9)

1usinflationcalculator.comData and tools
Food Inflation in the United States (1968-2026)
Source excerpt: “The average price of food in the United States rose by 2.7% in the 12 months ending August, after posting an annual increase of 3% for July, according...”
statistic, data page, points to no. Claim: Average US food prices rose 2.7% in the 12 months ending August, after a 3% annual increase for July.
2usda.govGovernment
Food Price Outlook - Summary Findings | Economic Research Service
Source excerpt: “The food-at-home (grocery store or supermarket food purchases) CPI was unchanged from June 2026 to July 2026 and 2.7 percent higher than in July 2025....”
statistic, official document, points to no. Claim: Food-at-home CPI was unchanged June to July 2026 and 2.7 percent higher than July 2025.
3money.comCommercial contentquality 0.59
Grocery Prices Are Finally Expected to Cool This Year. Just Not for These Staples
Source excerpt: “Much of the easing comes from plummeting prices for eggs and dairy products, which are actually expected to deflate this year, by 22.2% and 0.9%, resp...”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: Egg and dairy prices are expected to deflate this year, by 22.2% and 0.9% respectively, per USDA.
4cbsnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.88
Costs appear to be down compared to a year ago for food staples in Twin Cities
Source excerpt: “On average, eggs are down from $5.45 in January 2025 to $2.05 in January 2026. Chicken is down from $8.85 to $6.91. Bread is slightly down from $1.87 ...”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: Twin Cities price checks found eggs, chicken, bread and milk cheaper in January 2026 than January 2025.
5usda.govGovernment
Food Price Outlook - Summary Findings | Economic Research Service
Source excerpt: “Beef and veal prices increased by 0.2 percent from June 2026 to July 2026 and were 9.4 percent higher in July 2026 than in July 2025. ”
statistic, official document, points to no. Claim: Beef and veal prices were 9.4 percent higher in July 2026 than July 2025.
6betterreport.comLow provenance
Some Grocery Prices Are Finally Going Down — Here’s What’s Getting Cheaper - Better Report
Source excerpt: “According to the latest BLS data, the cost of tomatoes is up 12.8% year over year, while apples cost 11% more in July 2026 than they did in July 2025....”
statistic, article, points to no. Claim: Tomatoes up 12.8%, apples up 11%, and coffee prices up sharply year over year.
7usda.govGovernment
Food Price Outlook - Summary Findings | Economic Research Service
Source excerpt: “Prices for sugar and sweets increased by 0.1 percent from June 2026 to July 2026 and were 7.4 percent higher in July 2026 than in July 2025. ”
statistic, official document, points to no. Claim: Sugar and sweets prices were 7.4 percent higher in July 2026 than July 2025.
8consumeraffairs.comCommercial content
The Rising Cost of Groceries by State (2026) | ConsumerAffairs®
Source excerpt: “A ConsumerAffairs analysis of grocery price data in 15 categories, collected in real time in 150,000 stores by our partners at Datasembly, finds groce...”
statistic, article, points to no. Claim: ConsumerAffairs analysis of 150,000 stores found grocery prices up 5.3% year over year.
9consumeraffairs.comCommercial content
The Rising Cost of Groceries by State (2026) | ConsumerAffairs®
Source excerpt: “The surprise is that in the past 12 months, grocery inflation has varied by as much as 5% from state to state. ”
evidence, article, neutral. Claim: Grocery inflation has varied by as much as 5% from state to state.