Grocery Costs in Maryland
How much do groceries cost in Maryland?
A family of four in Maryland spends about $1,142 a month on groceries, $13,707 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts Maryland about 6% above the median state. Here is the full picture for Maryland households, and how to come in under it. Groceries cost more in Maryland 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 Maryland spends about $1,142 a month on groceries, $13,707 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts Maryland about 6% above the median state. Here is the full picture for Maryland households, and how to come in under it.
Monthly grocery costs in Maryland by household
| Household | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Family of four (2 adults, 2 children) | $1,142 | $13,707 |
| Family of two (2 adults) | $716 | $8,586 |
| One adult | $390 | $4,684 |
| Per person, in a family of four | $286 | $3,427 |
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, Maryland included. For Maryland, the figures cover food made and eaten at home.
How Maryland compares
Groceries cost more in Maryland 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 Maryland spends about $820 more on groceries than the same family in the median state, which is real money in a Maryland 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 Maryland state line moves this number so much.
Giant Food, Weis, and the Maryland weekly shop
Between Giant Food, Safeway, Walmart, and Weis Markets, most Maryland families have at least two real choices for the weekly shop, and using both is often how the bill comes down. Maryland exempts groceries from sales tax, so food bought for home does not pick up an extra charge at the register. Support has a local name here. The Food Supplement Program is what Maryland calls SNAP, and it is administered by the Maryland Department of Human Services. The Maryland Department of Health runs WIC for pregnant and postpartum women and children under five. With a $15.00 state minimum wage, earnings at the low end go further toward groceries than they would under a purely federal wage.
Budgeting by family size in Maryland instead? Maryland 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 Maryland, check the maximum SNAP benefits by household size too.
Frequently asked questions
How much do groceries cost per month in Maryland?
The MIT Living Wage Calculator puts food costs in Maryland at $1,142 a month for a family of four (two adults and two children), $13,707 a year. In Maryland, two adults come to $716 a month and one adult to $390 a month. The Maryland figures cover food prepared and eaten at home, not restaurants.
How does Maryland compare with other states?
Maryland ranks 41 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; Maryland comes in at $1,142 a month.
How can I spend less than the Maryland figure?
Treat the Maryland numbers as budget benchmarks, not a floor. For a Maryland family, meal planning around store sales, cooking once and eating twice, and keeping a running pantry list routinely trim 10% or more. On Maryland's family of four figure, 10% is about $114 a month, $1,368 a year. Our grocery budget calculator helps you compare your real Maryland spend with this benchmark.
Keep exploring
Neighboring states in the alphabet: Maine · Massachusetts
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 Maryland, MIT starts from the USDA low cost food plan and adjusts for state price levels. The Maryland figures are planning benchmarks for food at home, not a quote for any one store.