Grocery Costs in New Hampshire
How much do groceries cost in New Hampshire?
A family of four in New Hampshire spends about $1,124 a month on groceries, $13,489 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts New Hampshire about 5% above the median state. Here is the full picture for New Hampshire households, and how to come in under it. Groceries cost more in New Hampshire than in most states: the MIT figure sits about 5% above the median state ($1,074 a month), so the planning habits below matter more here, not less.
A family of four in New Hampshire spends about $1,124 a month on groceries, $13,489 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts New Hampshire about 5% above the median state. Here is the full picture for New Hampshire households, and how to come in under it.
Monthly grocery costs in New Hampshire by household
| Household | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Family of four (2 adults, 2 children) | $1,124 | $13,489 |
| Family of two (2 adults) | $704 | $8,450 |
| One adult | $384 | $4,609 |
| Per person, in a family of four | $281 | $3,372 |
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, New Hampshire included. For New Hampshire, the figures cover food made and eaten at home.
How New Hampshire compares
Groceries cost more in New Hampshire than in most states: the MIT figure sits about 5% 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 New Hampshire spends about $602 more on groceries than the same family in the median state, which is real money in a New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire state line moves this number so much.
Market Basket loyalty and New Hampshire food costs
Market Basket has devoted shoppers in New Hampshire who plan their week around its prices, while Hannaford, Shaw's, and Walmart give families other options depending on town and travel. New Hampshire has no statewide sales tax, and groceries are exempt in that structure, so the food total does not grow at the register the way it does in taxed states. SNAP is run by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, which also runs WIC for pregnant and postpartum women and children under five. The state minimum wage is $7.25, tied to the federal level, so many households feel grocery prices keenly even without a tax added on top.
Budgeting by family size in New Hampshire instead? New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire, check the maximum SNAP benefits by household size too.
Frequently asked questions
How much do groceries cost per month in New Hampshire?
The MIT Living Wage Calculator puts food costs in New Hampshire at $1,124 a month for a family of four (two adults and two children), $13,489 a year. In New Hampshire, two adults come to $704 a month and one adult to $384 a month. The New Hampshire figures cover food prepared and eaten at home, not restaurants.
How does New Hampshire compare with other states?
New Hampshire ranks 34 of 50 states for a family of four, about 5% 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; New Hampshire comes in at $1,124 a month.
How can I spend less than the New Hampshire figure?
Treat the New Hampshire numbers as budget benchmarks, not a floor. For a New Hampshire family, meal planning around store sales, cooking once and eating twice, and keeping a running pantry list routinely trim 10% or more. On New Hampshire's family of four figure, 10% is about $112 a month, $1,344 a year. Our grocery budget calculator helps you compare your real New Hampshire spend with this benchmark.
Keep exploring
Neighboring states in the alphabet: Nevada · New Jersey
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 New Hampshire, MIT starts from the USDA low cost food plan and adjusts for state price levels. The New Hampshire figures are planning benchmarks for food at home, not a quote for any one store.