How Much Money You’ll Spend on Food in Your Lifetime, By State

Americans spend a lot on food. On average, U.S. households shell out $7,923 a year for food eaten at home and away from home. It’s the third-biggest expense after housing and transportation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2018 Consumer Expenditure Survey.

You have to eat, so spending on food consumes a significant percentage of your budget (forgive the pun). But maybe you’re spending more than you have to. After all, about 43% of household spending on food goes toward eating out. You probably don’t need to be told that dining out tends to cost more than preparing food at home.

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And when you consider how much you spend on food over a lifetime, the amount can be mind-blowing. GOBankingRates did the math to find out how much the average person in each state spends on groceries and dining out from age 18 to the average life expectancy of age 79.

GOBankingRates first used the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2018 Consumer Expenditure Survey data to find how much the average American in each age bracket spends annually on food at home and food away from home. The spending average for food at home was adjusted for each state by using the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center’s grocery index, which reflects how much more, or less, groceries in each state cost compared with the national average. The center’s miscellaneous spending index was used to adjust spending averages for food away from home for each state.

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GOBankingRates then estimated how much the average person in every state can be expected to spend on food in a lifetime by multiplying each age group’s average expenditure on food by the number of years contained in it and adding the totals. The results might surprise you. Find out whether you’re spending more than the average American when it comes to food.

Last updated: May 21, 2021

Michigan

Grocery index: 88.7
Average spent per year: $7,169.58
Lifetime total: $437,344.46

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Texas

Grocery index: 89.0
Average spent per year: $7,182.85
Lifetime total: $438,153.89

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Mississippi

Grocery index: 93.8
Average spent per year: $7,275.68
Lifetime total: $443,816.77

A shot of Pizza thats for supper on a table thats sliced on a plate thats ready to eat.

Kansas

Grocery index: 92.6
Average spent per year: $7,290.88
Lifetime total: $444,743.61

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Arkansas

Grocery index: 91.2
Average spent per year: $7,297.23
Lifetime total: $445,130.82

Oklahoma

Grocery index: 94.1
Average spent per year: $7,302.61
Lifetime total: $445,459.11

african american woman holding fast food style crispy fried chicken sandwich shot wit selective focus.

Tennessee

Grocery index: 94.0
Average spent per year: $7,373.28
Lifetime total: $449,770.29

Idaho

Grocery index: 92.0
Average spent per year: $7,383.81
Lifetime total: $450,412.70

Mooresville, IN / USA - 08 10 2018:Zydecoâs Restaurant Mooresville, IN New Orleans style food on a plate. — Mooresville, IN / USA – 08 10 2018:Zydecoâ€™s Restaurant Mooresville, IN New Orleans style food on a plate.

Indiana

Grocery index: 92.6
Average spent per year: $7,389.87
Lifetime total: $450,782.19

West Virginia

Grocery index: 91.7
Average spent per year: $7,459.30
Lifetime total: $455,017.17

New Mexico

Grocery index: 100.9
Average spent per year: $7,490.73
Lifetime total: $456,934.63

Kentucky

Grocery index: 90.6
Average spent per year: $7,492.57
Lifetime total: $457,046.72

Missouri

Grocery index: 97.2
Average spent per year: $7,514.82
Lifetime total: $458,404.18

Nebraska

Grocery index: 96.5
Average spent per year: $7,528.24
Lifetime total: $459,222.47

Close up on a woman holding roasted yellow Mexican corn, shaking seasoning with a canister filled with garlic chili salt on the end of the cob.

Iowa

Grocery index: 96.3
Average spent per year: $7,546.70
Lifetime total: $460,348.67

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Illinois

Grocery index: 96.3
Average spent per year: $7,567.18
Lifetime total: $461,598.03

Alabama

Grocery index: 95.5
Average spent per year: $7,597.01
Lifetime total: $463,417.64

Georgia

Grocery index: 98.1
Average spent per year: $7,602.42
Lifetime total: $463,747.64

New Orleans, LA, January 25, 2018: Beignets covered with powdered sugar, served with cafe au lait at the famous Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter.

Louisiana

Grocery index: 98.5
Average spent per year: $7,654.25
Lifetime total: $466,909.15

Arizona

Grocery index: 98.4
Average spent per year: $7,660.07
Lifetime total: $467,264.02

Wisconsin

Grocery index: 97.5
Average spent per year: $7,664.63
Lifetime total: $467,542.69

Virginia

Grocery index: 96.8
Average spent per year: $7,681.46
Lifetime total: $468,569.20

Ohio

Grocery index: 98.0
Average spent per year: $7,772.09
Lifetime total: $474,097.41

ASHEVILLE, NC, USA-13 MAY 18: Diners relaxing on Page Ave.

North Carolina

Grocery index: 97.9
Average spent per year: $7,798.39
Lifetime total: $475,701.64

South Dakota

Grocery index: 103.9
Average spent per year: $7,824.82
Lifetime total: $477,314.29

Utah

Grocery index: 99.7
Average spent per year: $7,864.35
Lifetime total: $479,725.30

Colorado

Grocery index: 99.7
Average spent per year: $7,878.00
Lifetime total: $480,558.21

Cuban sandwich closeup woman holding local food at typical cafe outside.

Florida

Grocery index: 103.4
Average spent per year: $7,908.53
Lifetime total: $482,420.29

cooked blue crabs boil in a giant pot at a Carolina crab boil.

South Carolina

Grocery index: 101.7
Average spent per year: $7,959.64
Lifetime total: $485,537.93

North Dakota

Grocery index: 105.9
Average spent per year: $7,988.38
Lifetime total: $487,291.47

Pennsylvania

Grocery index: 106.5
Average spent per year: $8,090.02
Lifetime total: $493,491.32

Las Vagas, USA - August 2018: Scenes in Las Vegas, Vegas sign, hotels and buffets. — Las Vagas, USA – August 2018: Scenes in Las Vegas, Vegas sign, hotels and buffets.

Nevada

Grocery index: 107.0
Average spent per year: $8,173.58
Lifetime total: $498,588.45

New Hampshire

Grocery index: 102.0
Average spent per year: $8,225.51
Lifetime total: $501,756.16

Montana

Grocery index: 104.1
Average spent per year: $8,236.47
Lifetime total: $502,424.70

Wyoming

Grocery index: 102.6
Average spent per year: $8,258.88
Lifetime total: $503,791.46

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SEATTLE, USA, - JULY, 12, 2012: Inside Pike Place Market in Seattle, USA. — SEATTLE, USA, – JULY, 12, 2012: Inside Pike Place Market in Seattle, USA.

Washington

Grocery index: 107.4
Average spent per year: $8,437.05
Lifetime total: $514,660.03

Vermont

Grocery index: 110.8
Average spent per year: $8,440.65
Lifetime total: $514,879.77

Minnesota

Grocery index: 106.3
Average spent per year: $8,449.84
Lifetime total: $515,440.21

Rhode Island

Grocery index: 106.4
Average spent per year: $8,614.70
Lifetime total: $525,496.69

Maryland

Grocery index: 112.3
Average spent per year: $8,629.89
Lifetime total: $526,423.08

New Jersey

Grocery index: 109.5
Average spent per year: $8,642.58
Lifetime total: $527,197.51

Maine

Grocery index: 108.3
Average spent per year: $8,722.63
Lifetime total: $532,080.65

New York

Grocery index: 114.4
Average spent per year: $8,900.28
Lifetime total: $542,916.87

PORTLAND, OR - FEBRUARY 2, 2016: Food trucks and carts in downtown PDX offer lunch and other meails for inexpensive prices near major office buildings. — PORTLAND, OR – FEBRUARY 2, 2016: Food trucks and carts in downtown PDX offer lunch and other meails for inexpensive prices near major office buildings.

Oregon

Grocery index: 112.1
Average spent per year: $9,030.67
Lifetime total: $550,870.70

Los Angeles, CA/USA 07/28/2019 In-n-out double cheeseburgers in plastic tray.

California

Grocery index: 119.3
Average spent per year: $9,052.15
Lifetime total: $552,181.20

Massachusetts

Grocery index: 113.8
Average spent per year: $9,071.72
Lifetime total: $553,375.18

Connecticut

Grocery index: 110.1
Average spent per year: $9,078.75
Lifetime total: $553,803.60

Delaware

Grocery index: 117.2
Average spent per year: $9,201.63
Lifetime total: $561,299.33

Unloading Fish: Fresh caught halibut drop from the bottom of a transport basket after being hoisted by crane from a fishing boat at a dock in Alaska.

Alaska

Grocery index: 134.0
Average spent per year: $9,774.03
Lifetime total: $596,215.89

Hawaii

Grocery index: 164.6
Average spent per year: $11,516.64
Lifetime total: $702,515.32

More From GOBankingRates

Methodology: GOBankingRates used the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2018 Consumer Expenditure Survey data on average expenditures by age to find how much the average American in each age bracket spends annually on “food at home,” or groceries, and “food away from home,” or dining out. GOBankingRates adjusted these numbers for each state by multiplying the national average spending on “food at home” in each age bracket by the “grocery” index and the “food away from home” average by the “miscellaneous” index from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center’s 2019 composite cost-of-living indices. GOBankingRates then was able to estimate how much the average person in every state can be expected to spend on food in a lifetime by multiplying each age group’s average expenditure on food by the number of years contained in it and adding the totals to create a cumulative expense report that spans a lifetime. For this study, GOBankingRates calculated expenses assuming a subject begins paying for food at 18 and lives to 79 (U.S. life expectancy as of 2017, according to The World Bank). All data was compiled on and up to date as of Feb. 24, 2020.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Much Money You’ll Spend on Food in Your Lifetime, By State