Are prices lower in stores compared to a year ago?

Short answer: Mostly no — overall prices are still higher than a year ago, though a few specific items have gotten cheaper.

Overall picture: The annual inflation rate in the United States was 3.4% for the 12 months ending August, the same as in July, meaning prices in general are running higher than a year ago, not lower.

Groceries specifically: Grocery prices are rising more slowly, but groceries are not getting cheaper overall — the U.S. food-at-home price index was unchanged in August 2026 and stood 2.2% above its August 2025 level, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So the overall grocery basket is still more expensive than it was a year ago, just not increasing as fast as before.

But some individual items ARE cheaper than a year ago:

•Butter (-8.1%), salad dressing (-4.3%), cheese and related products (-4.2%), fresh whole chicken (-3.2%), bacon and related products (-2.8%), frozen bakery products (-1.8%), margarine (-1.7%), and ice cream (-1.1%) have all dropped year-over-year.

•Eggs have seen a dramatic swing — one price tracker found egg prices averaging $1.72 across stores, nearly 40% cheaper than last year's price at this same time.

•Gasoline has also pulled back from its highs — gas prices are technically 9.5% cheaper than they were a year ago (per mid-2025 data).

And some items are still pricier:

•Not every grocery item is getting cheaper — tomatoes are up 12.8% year over year, while apples cost 11% more than they did a year ago.

•Ground beef has also been a major driver of higher bills — one regional tracker noted "we're still paying more than we were a year ago" for beef, even though prices have eased somewhat from their spring peak.

Bottom line: If you're asking about prices in general (the overall CPI basket), the answer is no — they're higher than a year ago by roughly 3.4%. But if you're asking about specific grocery items, it's a mixed bag: things like butter, cheese, chicken, bacon, and eggs have gotten notably cheaper, while produce like tomatoes and apples, along with beef, remain pricier than last year.

Citations (7)

1usinflationcalculator.comData and tools
Current U.S. Inflation Rates: 2000-2026
Source excerpt: “The annual inflation rate in the United States was 3.4% for the 12 months ending August, the same as in July, according to U.S. Labor Department data ...”
2foodtradenews.comNews and media
Are Groceries Getting Cheaper? Why Your Bill May Say Otherwise - Food Trade News & Food World
Source excerpt: “Grocery prices are rising more slowly, but groceries are not getting cheaper overall. The U.S. food-at-home price index was unchanged in August 2026 a...”
3betterreport.comLow provenance
Some Grocery Prices Are Finally Going Down — Here’s What’s Getting Cheaper - Better Report
Source excerpt: “## What’s Getting Cheaper ### Reader Favorites • Butter (-8.1%) • Salad dressing (-4.3%) • Cheese and related products (-4.2%) • Fresh whole chicken (...”
4wreg.comNews and mediaquality 0.63
Price Tracker September 2026: Grocery basket totals drop slightly from last month
Source excerpt: “Our average across Kroger, Walmart, and Target was $1.72, but that price is still nearly 40% cheaper than last year’s price at this same time. ”
5bankrate.comCommercial contentquality 0.59
Latest Inflation Statistics: The Prices Rising And Falling Most
Source excerpt: “Technically, prices are 9.5 percent cheaper than they were a year ago — after soaring as high as 59.8 percent in June 2022. ”
6betterreport.comLow provenance
Some Grocery Prices Are Finally Going Down — Here’s What’s Getting Cheaper - Better Report
Source excerpt: “## What’s Still Going Up Unfortunately for U.S. shoppers, not every grocery item is getting cheaper. According to the latest BLS data, the cost of tom...”
7wreg.comNews and mediaquality 0.63
Price Tracker September 2026: Grocery basket totals drop slightly from last month
Source excerpt: “While we’re still paying more than we were a year ago, we are getting some relief compared to just three months ago when a “pack of 80/20” was more th...”