USDA’s official food plans put a family of four’s grocery bill at $1,023.70 a month on the Thrifty plan and $1,388.20 on the Moderate-Cost plan for August 2026, for two adults aged 19–50 (20–50 in the Thrifty plan) and two children aged 6–8 and 9–11. One adult on the Moderate-Cost plan costs $403.32 to $477.72 a month, depending on sex. The figures come from the USDA Cost of Food monthly reports, which are updated each month with the Consumer Price Index.
The four plans
| Plan | Spending level | Market basket |
|---|---|---|
| Thrifty | Lowest; basis for maximum SNAP benefits | Reevaluated in 2021 (2013–16 consumption data) |
| Low-Cost | Below average | 2007 revision, 2001–02 data, updated by CPI |
| Moderate-Cost | Middle | Same 2007 basis |
| Liberal | Highest | Same 2007 basis |
All four price food prepared at home. Monthly costs equal weekly costs × 4.333. Because the Thrifty basket was rebuilt in 2021 and the other three were not, the plans do not always line up: in August 2026, Thrifty costs more than Low-Cost for a child aged 4–5 ($188.30 vs $178.80 a month).
Monthly cost for common households (August 2026)
| Household | Thrifty | Low-Cost | Moderate-Cost | Liberal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family of four: adults 19–50, children 6–8 and 9–11 | $1,023.70 | $1,125.80 | $1,388.20 | $1,678.70 |
| Couple, both 19–50 | $629.86 | $652.19 | $807.62 | $1,006.50 |
| One man, 19–50 | $382.68 | $380.64 | $477.72 | $583.44 |
| One woman, 19–50 | $304.44 | $330.84 | $403.32 | $514.56 |
Source: USDA Cost of Food at Home, August 2026. The family row is USDA’s four-person reference family (for the Thrifty plan, the family defined in the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008). Couple and single rows apply USDA’s suggested household-size adjustments of +10% for two people and +20% for one person to the per-person costs, which USDA publishes for individuals in four-person families.
Per-person costs, Moderate-Cost plan
| Age group | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Child, 1 year | $185.80 |
| Child, 2–3 years | $207.10 |
| Child, 4–5 years | $221.40 |
| Child, 6–8 years | $304.50 |
| Child, 9–11 years | $349.50 |
| Male, 19–50 | $398.10 |
| Female, 19–50 | $336.10 |
USDA suggests adjustments for other household sizes: subtract 5% for five or six people and 10% for seven or more.
How MoveMath uses the plans
MoveMath’s budgets use the Moderate-Cost plan by default, with the average of the male and female 19–50 rows for each adult ($367.10) and DOL’s childcare age bands mapped to USDA’s child groups: infant to the 1-year row, toddler to 2–3, preschool to 4–5 and school-age to the average of 6–8 and 9–11. A single adult comes to $440.52 a month and the standard family of four (a preschooler and a school-age child) to $1,282.60, before local prices.
Local prices come from BEA’s 2024 Regional Price Parities. The engine multiplies the USDA cost by the metro’s goods price level ÷ 100:
| Metro | BEA goods price level | Single adult / month | Family of four / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY-NJ | 110.3 | $486 | $1,414 |
| San Francisco, CA | 108.5 | $478 | $1,391 |
| Austin, TX | 93.8 | $413 | $1,203 |
| Monroe, LA | 93.7 | $413 | $1,202 |
Groceries are also subject to sales tax in some states. MoveMath applies each state’s grocery rate — for example 4% in Tennessee, 5% in Mississippi, 2% in Alabama and 6% in Idaho — and leaves local add-ons out. Choose a different plan in the relocation budget planner to see the effect.
The Thrifty plan and SNAP
The Thrifty Food Plan sets maximum SNAP benefits. In 2021, as directed by the 2018 Farm Bill, USDA reevaluated the plan for the first time since 2006, raising its cost 21% — the first change in its purchasing power since the plan was introduced in 1975 (USDA). USDA now uses the plan’s cost each June as the basis for the next fiscal year’s SNAP allotments (FNS, Thrifty Food Plan 2021). Current benefit amounts are published by FNS each year.
Alaska and Hawaii have separate Thrifty costs because food there costs more: in August 2026 the reference family cost $1,294.70 a month in Anchorage and $1,556.00 in Hawaii. USDA does not publish Alaska or Hawaii versions of the other three plans.
Putting food in a full budget
Food is usually a smaller line than rent, taxes or childcare. For the standard family of four on $120,000, Moderate-Cost groceries range from $14,430 a year in Austin to $16,970 in New York, while childcare in large metros ranges from $14,155 to more than $58,000 (see cost of living for a family of four). Full budgets, with food as one line, are on metro pages such as Austin and New York.