The Mainland US State With The Priciest Groceries Isn't New York

The struggle to find budget-friendly groceries is very real, whether you live in an expensive city or a town known for better prices. No matter whether you avoid some of the country's priciest grocery stores to keep prices low or memorize and successfully dodge grocery store displays that trick you into buying more, sometimes food shopping is an expensive affair despite your best efforts. The grocery stores in New York might seem sky-high price wise, but they don't stand up against one particular state's average shopping price. California isn't just a sun-soaked place to live: It has also been noted as the most expensive continental state for groceries.

According to data collected from the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey (HPS), California is a costly place to buy your foodie essentials. An average weekly shop in The Golden State totals $297.72 per week, which is higher than the national average of $270.21. The other continental state with the highest shopping rate in the country is Nevada with an average of $294.76 per week. In comparison, New Yorkers spend an average of $266.40 on groceries. 

California does have a history of making the list of expensive places to stock up on groceries thanks to the higher cost of living. Californian households in general experience high supermarket bills but cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco have some of the highest costs of living in the country, which results in steeper shopping prices. If we zoom out past just the continental states, the overall most expensive state for buying groceries in the United States is Hawaii. Its island environment makes food imports pricy, and it regularly sits at the top of grocery price rankings, surpassing both California and New York. 

While grocery prices vary according to stores and areas, certain items simply cost more dollars in California. For example, the average price of eggs in the state is currently $6.05, which is above the January 2025 national average of $4.95. Prices reached an average of over $10 during a 2025 bird flu outbreak and impacted California in a major way. 

Where you shop in Cali also influence your grocery bill. Whole Foods and Erewhon are popular grocery stores that have a reputation for being expensive and a little over-hyped, and each have quite a hold on California. While Erewhon isn't quite the most expensive grocery store in the world, it is known as the most expensive in the United States. Both Erewhon and California locations of Whole Foods turn heads across the internet for higher weekly grocery hauls. This is especially true of the specialized or gourmet items which are commonly found on Erewhon's shelves like viral $20 smoothies made popular by Hailey Bieber, natural cornflake cereals, raw milk, or fancy confectionery treats.

A huge consideration for the sky-high prices is the lifestyle in California. Clean eating and healthy living are common cultural priorities in parts of the West Coast, and the cost of certain groceries represents this. Often, groceries that are sought out are organic, non-GMO, non-toxic, sustainably farmed, or have other dietary considerations. Organic produce tends to be more expensive due to the farming procedures, the lower yields, and the operational costs, to name a few reasons. Other contributing reasons for heftier grocery bills include the import prices of certain goods and the state's frequent droughts, which affects the availability of locally grown foods.