Are prices lower in stores compared to a year ago?

Short answer: No — overall, prices in stores are still higher than a year ago, though some individual items have gotten cheaper.

Here's the breakdown for the U.S. as of the most recent data (August 2026):

Overall grocery prices are up, not down
Grocery prices in the US were 2.2% higher in August 2026 than a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. More broadly, food prices were 3.8% higher in August 2026 compared to the same month last year according to USDA data.

A key nuance: 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. So inflation has slowed, but that's different from prices actually falling.

Some specific items ARE cheaper than a year ago
While the overall basket costs more, individual items vary a lot:

Non-grocery categories are mixed too
Looking at the broader CPI picture for January 2025–2026: utility gas (9.8%) and electricity (6.3%) rose a lot, while gasoline fell (-7.5%).

Bottom line: If you're asking "is my total grocery bill lower than last year?" — generally no, it's still higher, just rising at a slower pace than during the worst inflation years. But a handful of specific staples (notably eggs, and in some markets chicken, bread, and milk) are genuinely cheaper than they were 12 months ago.