Monthly data
What a three-month food plan costs for a 2-, 4-, or 6-person household, using the USDA Thrifty Food Plan. June 2021 is the base month at 100.
Latest data: September 2026. Source: USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. This is a national planning estimate, not a store price. Checked 2026-11-05.
In September 2026, the four-person reference family basket cost $3,071.90 for 13 weeks, index 122.5. Two people cost $1,890.46 (index 122.9); six people cost $4,297.80 (index 122.4). The index is June 2021 = 100.
The index is a monthly cost series, not a live price feed. It shows whether the same USDA food plan is getting more or less expensive; it does not tell you what your local store charges today.
The household compositions are fixed so the index compares like with like. The four-person household is the USDA reference family; the six-person household adds two older children.
| Household | Composition | 3-month cost | Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 people | 2 adults, 20–50; 10% economy-of-scale adjustment | $1,890.46 | 122.9 |
| 4 people | USDA reference family: man/woman 20–50, children 6–8 and 9–11 | $3,071.90 | 122.5 |
| 6 people | 2 adults 20–50; children 6–8, 9–11, female 12–13, female 14–18; 5% adjustment | $4,297.80 | 122.4 |
The Thrifty plan is the lowest-cost of the four USDA food plans and the basis for SNAP benefit levels. USDA publishes weekly costs by age and sex, then adjusts them monthly with the CPI-U.
Add the weekly cost for each person in the fixed composition. Apply the USDA economy-of-scale adjustment: +10% for two people, none for four, −5% for six. The adjustment reflects shared shopping and cooking, not a different diet.
A three-month reserve is 13 weeks, the same convention as the 3-month guide. The result is the dollar cost of the basket, not a promise about a specific shopping trip.
The index is the current 3-month cost divided by the June 2021 cost, times 100. A value of 122 means the same basket costs about 22% more than in the base month.
3-month cost = sum(weekly age-sex costs) × household adjustment × 13index = (current 3-month cost ÷ base 3-month cost) × 100Base month: 2021-06. Costs are rounded by USDA.
The 3-month guide shows the dry-staple shopping plan; this page shows the full USDA basket cost behind it.
The table is generated from the same data as the chart. Download the full series as CSV; the 2025-10 row is blank because the source file does not contain it.
| Month | 2 people | 4 people | 6 people | 4-person index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | $1,851.85 | $3,006.90 | $4,203.94 | 119.9 |
| October 2025 | — | — | — | — |
| November 2025 | $1,827.54 | $2,965.30 | $4,149.60 | 118.2 |
| December 2025 | $1,834.69 | $2,977.00 | $4,163.19 | 118.7 |
| January 2026 | $1,848.99 | $3,001.70 | $4,199.00 | 119.7 |
| February 2026 | $1,854.71 | $3,009.50 | $4,210.12 | 120 |
| March 2026 | $1,853.28 | $3,008.20 | $4,208.88 | 120 |
| April 2026 | $1,871.87 | $3,040.70 | $4,254.58 | 121.3 |
| May 2026 | $1,879.02 | $3,053.70 | $4,274.34 | 121.8 |
| June 2026 | $1,887.60 | $3,069.30 | $4,295.33 | 122.4 |
| July 2026 | $1,891.89 | $3,075.80 | $4,303.98 | 122.7 |
| August 2026 | $1,889.03 | $3,070.60 | $4,296.56 | 122.4 |
| September 2026 | $1,890.46 | $3,071.90 | $4,297.80 | 122.5 |
Download the full series: CSV or JSONL. Base: June 2021 = 100, history from June 2021.
If you use the series in an article, a report, or an answer, cite the page and the USDA source so readers can check both the method and the monthly value.
Household Reserve. “Household Reserve Cost Index.” Accessed 2026-11-05. https://householdreserve.com/cost-index.
The CSV and JSONL downloads carry the same monthly values. The page explains the household compositions, the economy-of-scale adjustments, the base month, and the months that are missing from the USDA source.
It is a monthly index of what a three-month food plan costs for a two-, four-, or six-person household, using the USDA Thrifty Food Plan. June 2021, the first month in the series, is the base month at 100. A higher number means the same basket costs more.
USDA updates the food plan costs monthly, and the public historical file has a reporting lag. September 2026 is the latest month in the file used for this release; the index is not a live or daily price feed.
No. It is a national planning estimate from USDA food plan costs. It does not include your local store, sales, tax, delivery, or the exact package sizes you buy. Use it as context, not a quote.
They are different baskets. The USDA Thrifty Food Plan is a full at-home diet, including perishable food; the calculator's $3 per adult-equivalent person-day is a dry-staple planning baseline. The index also uses a different household composition, so compare the methods, not the headline numbers.
Once a month, when USDA publishes a new cost file. The page and the CSV are dated; there is no daily pull because the official source is monthly. The next update will use the next published month.
The index is derived from USDA public data; the household compositions and the base month are ours. The page updates when the monthly cron writes a new month to R2. This release uses September 2026 data, checked 2026-11-05.
| Source | What it establishes | How this page uses it | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA Food Plans: Monthly Cost of Food Reports | Monthly Thrifty, Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost, and Liberal Food Plan costs by age-sex group, updated with CPI-U. | The latest monthly cost table and the method note. | |
| USDA Thrifty Food Plan historical costs (current release) | A machine-readable monthly series of weekly and monthly Thrifty Food Plan costs by age-sex group. | The index history, household sums, and the CSV. | |
| USDA Food Plans | The market-basket and cost-level method behind the four food plans, including the 2021 Thrifty update. | The method summary and the CPI-U adjustment context. |
Last updated: