Are prices lower in stores compared to a year ago?

Short answer: generally no. Overall U.S. consumer prices are higher than a year ago.

•Latest data: For the 12 months ending September 2026, the Consumer Price Index rose 3.7% (release published October 14, 2026).[1]

•Grocery stores: “Food at home” prices are up 1.8% year over year, though they dipped 0.1% from August to September. Some items like dairy are down versus a year ago (-0.7%).[1]

•Notable exceptions: A few store-bought categories are cheaper than a year ago—used cars and trucks are down about 1.5% year over year.[1]

•Big driver of higher totals: Energy, especially gasoline, is up sharply year over year (+34.2%), which feeds into transportation and many goods’ costs.[1]

If you have a specific type of store or product in mind (e.g., groceries, electronics, home goods), I can pull the latest category-level numbers.

Citations (1)

1bls.govGovernment
Consumer Price Index News Release - 2026 M09 Results
Backs: “For the 12 months ending September 2026, the Consumer Price Index rose 3.7% (release published October 14, 2026).”