Grocery Costs in Illinois
How much do groceries cost in Illinois?
A family of four in Illinois spends about $1,096 a month on groceries, $13,151 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts Illinois about 2% above the median state. Here is the full picture for Illinois households, and how to come in under it. Groceries cost more in Illinois than in most states: the MIT figure sits about 2% above the median state ($1,074 a month), so the planning habits below matter more here, not less.
A family of four in Illinois spends about $1,096 a month on groceries, $13,151 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts Illinois about 2% above the median state. Here is the full picture for Illinois households, and how to come in under it.
Monthly grocery costs in Illinois by household
| Household | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Family of four (2 adults, 2 children) | $1,096 | $13,151 |
| Family of two (2 adults) | $686 | $8,238 |
| One adult | $374 | $4,494 |
| Per person, in a family of four | $274 | $3,288 |
MIT Living Wage Calculator food estimates. MIT builds its food figures from the USDA low cost food plan and adjusts them for price levels in each state, Illinois included. For Illinois, the figures cover food made and eaten at home.
How Illinois compares
Groceries cost more in Illinois than in most states: the MIT figure sits about 2% above the median state ($1,074 a month), so the planning habits below matter more here, not less. Over a year, a family of four in Illinois spends about $264 more on groceries than the same family in the median state, which is real money in a Illinois family budget: roughly a month of childcare in a cheaper state, or a solid start on an emergency fund. Food is labor, land and transport priced locally, which is why the Illinois state line moves this number so much.
Filling a cart from Jewel-Osco to Aldi in Illinois
Start with the stores Illinois shoppers actually use: Jewel-Osco, Walmart, Kroger, and Aldi anchor most weekly lists, each with a different strength on price. The tax picture recently changed in families favor. The state grocery tax was repealed on January 1, 2026, so only local taxes can apply now, and local governments are allowed a 1 percent grocery tax. For backup when income drops, SNAP is run by the Illinois Department of Human Services. WIC for pregnant and postpartum women and children under five is handled by that department as well. Illinois also sets a $15.00 minimum wage, which does not make groceries cheap, but it does mean a minimum wage food budget starts from a stronger base than in lower wage states.
Budgeting by family size in Illinois instead? Illinois households can also start from the USDA food plan figures for a family of four and the rest of the family size tables, then run your real numbers in the grocery budget calculator. If your income is tight in Illinois, check the maximum SNAP benefits by household size too.
Frequently asked questions
How much do groceries cost per month in Illinois?
The MIT Living Wage Calculator puts food costs in Illinois at $1,096 a month for a family of four (two adults and two children), $13,151 a year. In Illinois, two adults come to $686 a month and one adult to $374 a month. The Illinois figures cover food prepared and eaten at home, not restaurants.
How does Illinois compare with other states?
Illinois ranks 30 of 50 states for a family of four, about 2% above the median state of $1,074 a month. The cheapest state in the MIT data is Texas at $948 a month and the most expensive is Hawaii at $1,319 a month; Illinois comes in at $1,096 a month.
How can I spend less than the Illinois figure?
Treat the Illinois numbers as budget benchmarks, not a floor. For a Illinois family, meal planning around store sales, cooking once and eating twice, and keeping a running pantry list routinely trim 10% or more. On Illinois's family of four figure, 10% is about $110 a month, $1,320 a year. Our grocery budget calculator helps you compare your real Illinois spend with this benchmark.
Keep exploring
Neighboring states in the alphabet: Idaho · Indiana
All states: grocery costs by state and family size · Tools: Grocery budget calculator · Family budget planner
Source: MIT Living Wage Calculator (livingwage.mit.edu), food cost estimates by state and household size, retrieved 2026-10-18. For Illinois, MIT starts from the USDA low cost food plan and adjusts for state price levels. The Illinois figures are planning benchmarks for food at home, not a quote for any one store.