Grocery Costs in Missouri
How much do groceries cost in Missouri?
A family of four in Missouri spends about $1,058 a month on groceries, $12,701 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts Missouri about 1% below the median state. Here is the full picture for Missouri households, and how to come in under it. Missouri is one of the kinder states for a grocery budget: the MIT figure sits about 1% under the median state ($1,074 a month).
A family of four in Missouri spends about $1,058 a month on groceries, $12,701 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts Missouri about 1% below the median state. Here is the full picture for Missouri households, and how to come in under it.
Monthly grocery costs in Missouri by household
| Household | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Family of four (2 adults, 2 children) | $1,058 | $12,701 |
| Family of two (2 adults) | $663 | $7,956 |
| One adult | $362 | $4,340 |
| Per person, in a family of four | $265 | $3,175 |
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, Missouri included. For Missouri, the figures cover food made and eaten at home.
How Missouri compares
Missouri is one of the kinder states for a grocery budget: the MIT figure sits about 1% under the median state ($1,074 a month). Over a year, a family of four in Missouri spends about $186 less on groceries than the same family in the median state, which is real money in a Missouri 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 Missouri state line moves this number so much.
Where Missouri shops, and what tax adds
Missouri families tend to divide their trips among Walmart for price, Schnucks in the St. Louis area, Hy-Vee in the north and west, and Aldi for lean weekly shops. Groceries here are taxed at a reduced rate of 1.225 percent, lower than the general sales tax but still a line to remember when you total a cart in your head. SNAP is administered by the Missouri Department of Social Services, and WIC is through the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services for pregnant and postpartum women and children under five. Missouri's $15.00 minimum wage gives hourly workers more room for food than the federal floor, though family size still decides how far it goes.
Budgeting by family size in Missouri instead? Missouri 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 Missouri, check the maximum SNAP benefits by household size too.
Frequently asked questions
How much do groceries cost per month in Missouri?
The MIT Living Wage Calculator puts food costs in Missouri at $1,058 a month for a family of four (two adults and two children), $12,701 a year. In Missouri, two adults come to $663 a month and one adult to $362 a month. The Missouri figures cover food prepared and eaten at home, not restaurants.
How does Missouri compare with other states?
Missouri ranks 20 of 50 states for a family of four, about 1% 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; Missouri comes in at $1,058 a month.
How can I spend less than the Missouri figure?
Treat the Missouri numbers as budget benchmarks, not a floor. For a Missouri family, meal planning around store sales, cooking once and eating twice, and keeping a running pantry list routinely trim 10% or more. On Missouri's family of four figure, 10% is about $106 a month, $1,272 a year. Our grocery budget calculator helps you compare your real Missouri spend with this benchmark.
Keep exploring
Neighboring states in the alphabet: Mississippi · Montana
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 Missouri, MIT starts from the USDA low cost food plan and adjusts for state price levels. The Missouri figures are planning benchmarks for food at home, not a quote for any one store.