Grocery budget calculator
Set your household and spending style below to get a realistic monthly and weekly grocery budget. It's a starting point built on USDA food-plan figures, and your own trips will fine-tune it from there.
A balanced mix
How this calculator works
The estimate starts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food-at-home cost figures, which set a per-person cost for four spending levels. We add up the adults and children in your household, apply the spending style you picked, and shave off a little for larger households, since buying and cooking for more people is slightly cheaper per head.
The three styles map to the USDA plans: Thrifty assumes mostly home cooking and store brands, Moderate is a balanced mix, and Generous leaves room for convenience foods, organics, and extras.
Typical grocery budgets by household size
If you'd rather scan a table than use the calculator, here are the same USDA-based ranges from the thrifty (low) to the liberal (high) plans:
| Household | Per month | Per week |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $250–$470 | $58–$108 |
| 2 adults | $550–$950 | $127–$219 |
| family of 3 | $780–$1,350 | $180–$312 |
| family of 4 | $1,000–$1,700 | $231–$392 |
Make your budget more accurate over time
Any calculator can only give you a starting number. The budget that actually fits your household comes from watching a few real trips: where you live, how often you eat out, and what you like to eat all move the figure. Read our full guide on how much to spend on groceries for the two methods behind these numbers.
Once you've picked a number, the hard part is hitting it trip after trip. CleverCart makes that automatic: set the trip budget, scan each price tag with your camera, and watch your remaining balance count down live as you shop.