South
Comparable 11-item basket · as of May 2026+ $54.98 -1.9% vs U.S.
Comparable basket, South. Monthly values use items priced that month; some staples report bi-monthly.
Groceries in the South are 1.9% cheaper than the national average. The comparable 11-item basket costs $54.98 here versus $56.03 for the U.S. city average, using each item's latest BLS price. Over the past year the regional basket is up 1.6%.
Relative to the rest of the country, the South pays the most above average for potatoes (+7%) and potato chips (+3%). It comes in below the national average on bacon (-8%) and bananas (-7%). Each figure is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average price, not an estimate.
Item by item vs. the national average
| Item | South | U.S. avg | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potatoes /lb | $0.95 | $0.89 | +6.5% |
| Potato chips /16oz | $6.80 | $6.58 | +3.3% |
| Ham /lb | $5.57 | $5.46 | +2% |
| Lemons /lb | $2.13 | $2.09 | +1.9% |
| Oranges /lb | $1.56 | $1.54 | +0.9% |
| Ground beef /lb | $6.56 | $6.75 | -2.8% |
| Bread /lb | $1.77 | $1.83 | -3.5% |
| Chicken breast /lb | $3.97 | $4.17 | -4.8% |
| Chicken /lb | $1.90 | $2.04 | -6.7% |
| Bananas /lb | $0.60 | $0.65 | -7.1% |
| Bacon /lb | $6.16 | $6.71 | -8.2% |