Historical comparison · Updated May 2026
What happened to grocery prices since the pandemic began?
The fixed 24-item grocery basket was $111.46 in May 2026, +47.8% versus May 2020; the dollar difference was $36.05 higher.
$75.41 in May 2020 → $111.46 in May 2026
Comparison methodology
Basket Report compares the same fixed quantities in the latest month and the corresponding month of 2020.
Baseline observation: 2020-05. Latest observation: 2026-05. The item table includes 21 weighted items with an observed value in both periods; excluded observations are not estimated.
Grocery basket history
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI Average Price Data. Retrieved 2026-06-26. BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov.
Largest contributors
Coffee contributed $5.04 of increase; Ground beef contributed $4.57 of increase; Orange juice contributed $2.59 of increase; Milk contributed $2.01 of increase; Potato chips contributed $1.59 of increase. Contributions use fixed Basket Report quantities.
Item-level comparison
| Item | 2020-05 | Current | Change | Weighted $ difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee | $4.47 | $9.51 | +113.0% | $5.04 |
| Ground beef | $4.46 | $6.75 | +51.2% | $4.57 |
| Orange juice | $2.38 | $4.97 | +109.3% | $2.59 |
| Milk | $3.21 | $4.22 | +31.4% | $2.01 |
| Potato chips | $4.99 | $6.58 | +32.0% | $1.59 |
| Bacon | $5.35 | $6.71 | +25.5% | $1.36 |
| Tomatoes | $1.85 | $2.49 | +34.5% | $1.28 |
| Eggs | $1.64 | $2.19 | +33.6% | $1.10 |
| Ham | $4.55 | $5.46 | +20.0% | $0.91 |
| Bread | $1.41 | $1.83 | +29.6% | $0.84 |
| Chicken breast | $3.35 | $4.17 | +24.6% | $0.82 |
| Sugar | $0.65 | $1.03 | +59.8% | $0.77 |
| Oranges | $1.21 | $1.54 | +27.5% | $0.67 |
| Rice | $0.75 | $1.07 | +43.2% | $0.65 |
| Pork chops | $4.37 | $4.91 | +12.2% | $0.53 |
| Butter | $3.54 | $3.93 | +11.1% | $0.39 |
| Bananas | $0.59 | $0.65 | +9.7% | $0.17 |
| Flour | $0.46 | $0.54 | +18.0% | $0.17 |
| Cheddar cheese | $5.56 | $5.69 | +2.3% | $0.13 |
| Potatoes | $0.86 | $0.89 | +4.6% | $0.12 |
| Spaghetti & macaroni | $1.26 | $1.37 | +9.0% | $0.11 |
Important limitations
“Since the pandemic” is represented by a transparent 2020 baseline, not a causal claim about why each price changed.
Basket Report uses U.S. city-average BLS observations. Store, region, brand, package-size, and household spending patterns vary. No missing value is filled or forecast.
Frequently asked questions
Does this page attribute every change to the pandemic?
No. It reports the change over the period without assigning unsupported causes.
Are missing item prices estimated?
No. Missing observations remain unavailable and coverage is disclosed.