Grocery Costs in Vermont
How much do groceries cost in Vermont?
A family of four in Vermont spends about $1,200 a month on groceries, $14,402 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts Vermont about 12% above the median state. Here is the full picture for Vermont households, and how to come in under it. Groceries cost more in Vermont than in most states: the MIT figure sits about 12% above the median state ($1,074 a month), so the planning habits below matter more here, not less.
A family of four in Vermont spends about $1,200 a month on groceries, $14,402 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts Vermont about 12% above the median state. Here is the full picture for Vermont households, and how to come in under it.
Monthly grocery costs in Vermont by household
| Household | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Family of four (2 adults, 2 children) | $1,200 | $14,402 |
| Family of two (2 adults) | $752 | $9,022 |
| One adult | $410 | $4,921 |
| Per person, in a family of four | $300 | $3,600 |
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, Vermont included. For Vermont, the figures cover food made and eaten at home.
How Vermont compares
Groceries cost more in Vermont than in most states: the MIT figure sits about 12% 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 Vermont spends about $1,516 more on groceries than the same family in the median state, which is real money in a Vermont 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 Vermont state line moves this number so much.
Stocking up in Vermont's small towns
Vermont shoppers split their trips among Hannaford, Shaw's and Price Chopper, with Walmart as the big box option when a longer drive makes sense. At the register, groceries themselves are exempt from state sales tax, a small mercy for families who may drive farther between stores. Food help here has its own name: 3SquaresVT, the state's SNAP program, is run by the Vermont Department for Children and Families, and WIC is run by the Vermont Department of Health for parents and little ones. Wages soften the math somewhat. Vermont's minimum wage is $14.42 an hour, well above the federal level, so an hour of work buys noticeably more food than it would in a $7.25 state.
Budgeting by family size in Vermont instead? Vermont 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 Vermont, check the maximum SNAP benefits by household size too.
Frequently asked questions
How much do groceries cost per month in Vermont?
The MIT Living Wage Calculator puts food costs in Vermont at $1,200 a month for a family of four (two adults and two children), $14,402 a year. In Vermont, two adults come to $752 a month and one adult to $410 a month. The Vermont figures cover food prepared and eaten at home, not restaurants.
How does Vermont compare with other states?
Vermont ranks 47 of 50 states for a family of four, about 12% 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; Vermont comes in at $1,200 a month.
How can I spend less than the Vermont figure?
Treat the Vermont numbers as budget benchmarks, not a floor. For a Vermont family, meal planning around store sales, cooking once and eating twice, and keeping a running pantry list routinely trim 10% or more. On Vermont's family of four figure, 10% is about $120 a month, $1,440 a year. Our grocery budget calculator helps you compare your real Vermont spend with this benchmark.
Keep exploring
Neighboring states in the alphabet: Utah · Virginia
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 Vermont, MIT starts from the USDA low cost food plan and adjusts for state price levels. The Vermont figures are planning benchmarks for food at home, not a quote for any one store.