Grocery Costs in Louisiana
How much do groceries cost in Louisiana?
A family of four in Louisiana spends about $1,026 a month on groceries, $12,314 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts Louisiana about 4% below the median state. Here is the full picture for Louisiana households, and how to come in under it. Louisiana is one of the kinder states for a grocery budget: the MIT figure sits about 4% under the median state ($1,074 a month).
A family of four in Louisiana spends about $1,026 a month on groceries, $12,314 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts Louisiana about 4% below the median state. Here is the full picture for Louisiana households, and how to come in under it.
Monthly grocery costs in Louisiana by household
| Household | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Family of four (2 adults, 2 children) | $1,026 | $12,314 |
| Family of two (2 adults) | $643 | $7,714 |
| One adult | $351 | $4,208 |
| Per person, in a family of four | $257 | $3,078 |
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, Louisiana included. For Louisiana, the figures cover food made and eaten at home.
How Louisiana compares
Louisiana is one of the kinder states for a grocery budget: the MIT figure sits about 4% under the median state ($1,074 a month). Over a year, a family of four in Louisiana spends about $572 less on groceries than the same family in the median state, which is real money in a Louisiana 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 Louisiana state line moves this number so much.
Rouses, Winn-Dixie, and Louisiana family shopping
Louisiana grocery lists get filled at Walmart, Winn-Dixie, Rouses, and Kroger, with loyalty often split by which store is closest and which one has the better week. At the state level, groceries are exempt from sales tax, although local taxes may apply, so it is worth checking the bottom of your receipt to see what your parish adds. SNAP in Louisiana is administered by the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services. For WIC, covering pregnant and postpartum women and children under five, families turn to the Louisiana Department of Health. Louisiana has no state minimum wage law of its own, so the federal $7.25 rate applies, and that low floor shapes what many households can spend on food.
Budgeting by family size in Louisiana instead? Louisiana 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 Louisiana, check the maximum SNAP benefits by household size too.
Frequently asked questions
How much do groceries cost per month in Louisiana?
The MIT Living Wage Calculator puts food costs in Louisiana at $1,026 a month for a family of four (two adults and two children), $12,314 a year. In Louisiana, two adults come to $643 a month and one adult to $351 a month. The Louisiana figures cover food prepared and eaten at home, not restaurants.
How does Louisiana compare with other states?
Louisiana ranks 10 of 50 states for a family of four, about 4% below 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; Louisiana comes in at $1,026 a month.
How can I spend less than the Louisiana figure?
Treat the Louisiana numbers as budget benchmarks, not a floor. For a Louisiana family, meal planning around store sales, cooking once and eating twice, and keeping a running pantry list routinely trim 10% or more. On Louisiana's family of four figure, 10% is about $103 a month, $1,236 a year. Our grocery budget calculator helps you compare your real Louisiana spend with this benchmark.
Keep exploring
Neighboring states in the alphabet: Kentucky · Maine
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 Louisiana, MIT starts from the USDA low cost food plan and adjusts for state price levels. The Louisiana figures are planning benchmarks for food at home, not a quote for any one store.