Are prices lower in stores compared to a year ago?

Short answer: It's mixed — mostly no, overall prices are still higher, but some specific items are cheaper.

Overall grocery prices are still higher than a year ago, just rising more slowly than before. Overall, grocery prices dropped 0.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis last month, leaving them 1.8% higher than a year earlier, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released in October 2026. Similarly, food prices overall were unchanged for the month and are up 2.5% since last September, according to CPI data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

What's gotten cheaper:

•Eggs have seen the biggest relief — egg prices plummeted more than 20% over the year ending in September, indicating continued recovery from a shortage caused by an outbreak of bird flu.

•Egg prices at a three-store average (Kroger, Walmart, Target) were nearly 40% cheaper than the prior year's price at the same time, as of September 2026.

•Other items trending down: costs dropped for meat, ice cream and bread, among other foods, while prices climbed for coffee, candy and fresh fruit. Specifically, bacon costs 3.3% less than a year ago, and butter prices plunged 10.3% compared to a year earlier, while ice cream, milk and cheese each fell more than 2% over that period.

What's still more expensive:

•Beef/ground beef remains a major driver of higher costs — one tracker found shoppers are still paying more than a year ago, though getting some relief compared to just a few months earlier when ground beef topped $8 a pound.

•Coffee, tomatoes, and fruit continue rising — tomatoes were up 12.8% year over year, apples cost 11% more, and coffee overall was up 9.4% year-over-year as of mid-2026.

The bigger picture:

Even where year-over-year inflation looks modest, prices never retreated to pre-2020 levels — the Food at Home index is roughly 25 to 30% higher today than it was in January 2020, meaning today's prices are being compared to an already elevated baseline, not a truly "cheap" one.

So the honest answer: a handful of specific items (eggs especially, plus butter, bacon, and some dairy) are genuinely cheaper than last year, but groceries overall are still running roughly 1.8–2.5% higher than a year ago, and prices remain well above pre-pandemic norms.

Citations (10)

1abcnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.67
Which grocery prices are rising the fastest and which are falling? - ABC News
Source excerpt: “Overall, grocery prices dropped 0.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis last month, leaving them 1.8% higher than a year earlier, U.S. Bureau of Labor Sta...”
2nerdwallet.comCommercial content
Why Is Food So Expensive? - NerdWallet
Source excerpt: “Food prices overall were unchanged for the month and are up 2.5% since last September, according to the latest consumer price index (CPI), released Oc...”
3abcnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.67
Which grocery prices are rising the fastest and which are falling? - ABC News
Source excerpt: “Egg prices plummeted more than 20% over the year ending in September, indicating continued recovery from a shortage caused by an outbreak of bird flu....”
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. ”
5abcnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.67
Which grocery prices are rising the fastest and which are falling? - ABC News
Source excerpt: “October 15, 2026, 2:39 PM ET • 5 min read Costs dropped last month for meat, ice cream and bread, among other foods. However, prices climbed for the...”
6abcnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.67
Which grocery prices are rising the fastest and which are falling? - ABC News
Source excerpt: “The cooldown in meat prices hit a range of products, including bacon, which costs 3.3% less than it did a year ago. ”
7abcnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.67
Which grocery prices are rising the fastest and which are falling? - ABC News
Source excerpt: “Butter prices plunged 10.3% last month compared to a year earlier, while prices for ice cream, milk and cheese each fell more than 2% over that period...”
8wreg.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...”
9betterreport.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....”
10whatsthegrocerybill.comNot yet classified
Grocery Prices Rising in 2026 Even as Overall Inflation Holds Steady
Source excerpt: “But context matters: prices never retreated to pre-2020 levels. The BLS index level for Food at Home is roughly 25 to 30% higher today than it was i...”