Grocery Costs in North Dakota
How much do groceries cost in North Dakota?
A family of four in North Dakota spends about $1,040 a month on groceries, $12,484 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts North Dakota about 3% below the median state. Here is the full picture for North Dakota households, and how to come in under it. North Dakota is one of the kinder states for a grocery budget: the MIT figure sits about 3% under the median state ($1,074 a month).
A family of four in North Dakota spends about $1,040 a month on groceries, $12,484 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts North Dakota about 3% below the median state. Here is the full picture for North Dakota households, and how to come in under it.
Monthly grocery costs in North Dakota by household
| Household | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Family of four (2 adults, 2 children) | $1,040 | $12,484 |
| Family of two (2 adults) | $652 | $7,821 |
| One adult | $356 | $4,266 |
| Per person, in a family of four | $260 | $3,121 |
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, North Dakota included. For North Dakota, the figures cover food made and eaten at home.
How North Dakota compares
North Dakota is one of the kinder states for a grocery budget: the MIT figure sits about 3% under the median state ($1,074 a month). Over a year, a family of four in North Dakota spends about $402 less on groceries than the same family in the median state, which is real money in a North Dakota 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 North Dakota state line moves this number so much.
Long drives between Hornbacher's, Hugo's and Walmart
North Dakota shopping is shaped by distance, and many families build one big trip around Walmart, Hornbacher's in the Fargo area, Hugo's in the east, or Cash Wise in the central towns. Groceries are exempt from sales tax in this state, which helps when a single run has to fill a freezer for weeks. For months when income dips, SNAP provides the nutrition help, and it is run by the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services. WIC lives in that same department, serving women who are pregnant or recently postpartum and young children up to their fifth birthday. The minimum wage remains $7.25 an hour here, so for a parent working that rate, the gap between earnings and a full cart is not abstract, it shows up every single week.
Budgeting by family size in North Dakota instead? North Dakota 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 North Dakota, check the maximum SNAP benefits by household size too.
Frequently asked questions
How much do groceries cost per month in North Dakota?
The MIT Living Wage Calculator puts food costs in North Dakota at $1,040 a month for a family of four (two adults and two children), $12,484 a year. In North Dakota, two adults come to $652 a month and one adult to $356 a month. The North Dakota figures cover food prepared and eaten at home, not restaurants.
How does North Dakota compare with other states?
North Dakota ranks 15 of 50 states for a family of four, about 3% 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; North Dakota comes in at $1,040 a month.
How can I spend less than the North Dakota figure?
Treat the North Dakota numbers as budget benchmarks, not a floor. For a North Dakota family, meal planning around store sales, cooking once and eating twice, and keeping a running pantry list routinely trim 10% or more. On North Dakota's family of four figure, 10% is about $104 a month, $1,248 a year. Our grocery budget calculator helps you compare your real North Dakota spend with this benchmark.
Keep exploring
Neighboring states in the alphabet: North Carolina · Ohio
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 North Dakota, MIT starts from the USDA low cost food plan and adjusts for state price levels. The North Dakota figures are planning benchmarks for food at home, not a quote for any one store.