Grocery Costs in Tennessee
How much do groceries cost in Tennessee?
A family of four in Tennessee spends about $1,087 a month on groceries, $13,046 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts Tennessee about 1% above the median state. Here is the full picture for Tennessee households, and how to come in under it. Groceries cost more in Tennessee than in most states: the MIT figure sits about 1% above the median state ($1,074 a month), so the planning habits below matter more here, not less.
A family of four in Tennessee spends about $1,087 a month on groceries, $13,046 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts Tennessee about 1% above the median state. Here is the full picture for Tennessee households, and how to come in under it.
Monthly grocery costs in Tennessee by household
| Household | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Family of four (2 adults, 2 children) | $1,087 | $13,046 |
| Family of two (2 adults) | $681 | $8,173 |
| One adult | $372 | $4,458 |
| Per person, in a family of four | $272 | $3,262 |
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, Tennessee included. For Tennessee, the figures cover food made and eaten at home.
How Tennessee compares
Groceries cost more in Tennessee than in most states: the MIT figure sits about 1% 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 Tennessee spends about $160 more on groceries than the same family in the median state, which is real money in a Tennessee 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 Tennessee state line moves this number so much.
Where Tennessee families load the cart
Most Tennessee carts roll out of Kroger, Walmart or Publix, with Food City holding its own ground in the east. Keep the receipt in mind before you shop: Tennessee taxes groceries at a reduced rate of 4 percent, lower than the general sales tax but still an extra line on top of shelf prices. Families who qualify can turn to SNAP, run by the Tennessee Department of Human Services, for help buying food, and to WIC through the Tennessee Department of Health during pregnancy and the early childhood years. Pay is part of the squeeze here. Tennessee has no state minimum wage law, so the federal $7.25 an hour applies, and a household budgeting on that pay feels every price increase at checkout.
Budgeting by family size in Tennessee instead? Tennessee 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 Tennessee, check the maximum SNAP benefits by household size too.
Frequently asked questions
How much do groceries cost per month in Tennessee?
The MIT Living Wage Calculator puts food costs in Tennessee at $1,087 a month for a family of four (two adults and two children), $13,046 a year. In Tennessee, two adults come to $681 a month and one adult to $372 a month. The Tennessee figures cover food prepared and eaten at home, not restaurants.
How does Tennessee compare with other states?
Tennessee ranks 29 of 50 states for a family of four, about 1% 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; Tennessee comes in at $1,087 a month.
How can I spend less than the Tennessee figure?
Treat the Tennessee numbers as budget benchmarks, not a floor. For a Tennessee family, meal planning around store sales, cooking once and eating twice, and keeping a running pantry list routinely trim 10% or more. On Tennessee's family of four figure, 10% is about $109 a month, $1,308 a year. Our grocery budget calculator helps you compare your real Tennessee spend with this benchmark.
Keep exploring
Neighboring states in the alphabet: South Dakota · Texas
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 Tennessee, MIT starts from the USDA low cost food plan and adjusts for state price levels. The Tennessee figures are planning benchmarks for food at home, not a quote for any one store.