Grocery Costs in Maine
How much do groceries cost in Maine?
A family of four in Maine spends about $1,139 a month on groceries, $13,667 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts Maine about 6% above the median state. Here is the full picture for Maine households, and how to come in under it. Groceries cost more in Maine than in most states: the MIT figure sits about 6% above the median state ($1,074 a month), so the planning habits below matter more here, not less.
A family of four in Maine spends about $1,139 a month on groceries, $13,667 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts Maine about 6% above the median state. Here is the full picture for Maine households, and how to come in under it.
Monthly grocery costs in Maine by household
| Household | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Family of four (2 adults, 2 children) | $1,139 | $13,667 |
| Family of two (2 adults) | $713 | $8,561 |
| One adult | $389 | $4,670 |
| Per person, in a family of four | $285 | $3,417 |
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, Maine included. For Maine, the figures cover food made and eaten at home.
How Maine compares
Groceries cost more in Maine than in most states: the MIT figure sits about 6% 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 Maine spends about $780 more on groceries than the same family in the median state, which is real money in a Maine 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 Maine state line moves this number so much.
Hannaford lists and Shaw's stops in Maine
Maine's grocery map is smaller and more personal: Hannaford is the everyday anchor for many families, Shaw's is the other familiar name, and Walmart covers the larger stock up trip. Groceries are exempt from sales tax here, which removes one surprise from the checkout line and makes week to week comparisons cleaner. If a month turns difficult, SNAP is run by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. WIC, for pregnant and postpartum women and children under five, comes through Maine CDC, part of that same department. Maine sets its minimum wage at $15.10 an hour. That higher floor helps, especially for part time workers piecing together a food budget around unpredictable schedules.
Budgeting by family size in Maine instead? Maine 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 Maine, check the maximum SNAP benefits by household size too.
Frequently asked questions
How much do groceries cost per month in Maine?
The MIT Living Wage Calculator puts food costs in Maine at $1,139 a month for a family of four (two adults and two children), $13,667 a year. In Maine, two adults come to $713 a month and one adult to $389 a month. The Maine figures cover food prepared and eaten at home, not restaurants.
How does Maine compare with other states?
Maine ranks 39 of 50 states for a family of four, about 6% 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; Maine comes in at $1,139 a month.
How can I spend less than the Maine figure?
Treat the Maine numbers as budget benchmarks, not a floor. For a Maine family, meal planning around store sales, cooking once and eating twice, and keeping a running pantry list routinely trim 10% or more. On Maine's family of four figure, 10% is about $114 a month, $1,368 a year. Our grocery budget calculator helps you compare your real Maine spend with this benchmark.
Keep exploring
Neighboring states in the alphabet: Louisiana · Maryland
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 Maine, MIT starts from the USDA low cost food plan and adjusts for state price levels. The Maine figures are planning benchmarks for food at home, not a quote for any one store.