Monthly food budget for 2 people.

Four USDA food-at-home benchmarks.
One clearly stated household.

August 2026 report

Example: a female and male adult, both age 30, with the 10% two-person adjustment.

Thrifty

$629.86

per month

Weekly: $145.31
Per day, weekly ÷ 7: $20.76

Low cost

$652.19

per month

Weekly: $150.48
Per day, weekly ÷ 7: $21.50

Moderate

$807.62

per month

Weekly: $186.45
Per day, weekly ÷ 7: $26.64

Liberal

$1,006.50

per month

Weekly: $232.32
Per day, weekly ÷ 7: $33.19

Amounts sum the published individual rows, then apply the household adjustment. The Thrifty family-of-four figure uses USDA’s published family total, which can differ slightly from summing rounded weekly rows.

What the benchmark covers.

Mainland United States; Alaska and Hawaii have separate reports.
All meals and snacks prepared at home; restaurants and nonfood household supplies excluded.
Sum each person’s published figures, then apply the household-size factor.
Published weekly and monthly figures are separately rounded; their ratio may differ slightly from 4.333.
These benchmarks do not certify that an individual recipe selection meets USDA’s complete dietary pattern.

The adjustment, shown.

Household of 2: sum the named people’s costs, then multiply by 1.1.

For the Thrifty plan, this example is $145.31 per week and $629.86 per month.

USDA publishes separately rounded weekly and monthly values. Our daily figure uses weekly ÷ 7; a month is not treated as four weeks.

A sample week below the ingredient cap.

$126.72 estimated ingredients for 2 people over 7 days, compared with the $145.31 Thrifty weekly benchmark. These are August 2026 dollar estimates from a broad price-index model, not a guaranteed shopping bill.

This is a cost illustration using equal 1800 kcal and 80 g protein targets per person, with vegan recipes. Those targets are examples, not recommendations or child-specific portions. This selection is not the USDA market basket and is not certified for full dietary adequacy.

Sample plan snapshot
Meal	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
Breakfast	Tofu peanut oat pots386 kcal28.9 g protein	Tofu peanut oat pots515 kcal38.5 g protein	Tofu peanut oat pots512 kcal38.1 g protein	Tofu peanut oat pots384 kcal28.6 g protein	Tofu peanut oat pots387 kcal29.0 g protein	Tofu peanut oat pots384 kcal28.8 g protein	Tofu peanut oat pots384 kcal28.8 g protein
Lunch	Tofu peanut whole-wheat noodles614 kcal44.6 g protein	Tofu peanut whole-wheat noodles459 kcal33.3 g protein	Tofu peanut whole-wheat noodles460 kcal33.4 g protein	Tofu peanut whole-wheat noodles612 kcal44.4 g protein	Tofu peanut whole-wheat noodles614 kcal44.6 g protein	Tofu peanut whole-wheat noodles612 kcal44.4 g protein	Tofu peanut whole-wheat noodles612 kcal44.4 g protein
Dinner	Tofu lentil tomato pots516 kcal45.4 g protein	Air-fryer chickpea tofu bites575 kcal44.7 g protein	Air-fryer chickpea tofu bites575 kcal44.7 g protein	Tofu cauliflower edamame skillet542 kcal52.9 g protein	Tofu lentil tomato pots516 kcal45.4 g protein	Tofu cauliflower edamame skillet542 kcal52.9 g protein	Tofu cauliflower edamame skillet542 kcal52.9 g protein
Snack	Tofu cocoa oat bites274 kcal21.1 g protein	Chickpea tofu snack boxes264 kcal20.2 g protein	Chickpea tofu snack boxes264 kcal20.2 g protein	Chickpea tofu snack boxes266 kcal20.4 g protein	Tofu cocoa oat bites274 kcal21.1 g protein	Chickpea tofu snack boxes265 kcal20.3 g protein	Chickpea tofu snack boxes264 kcal20.2 g protein
Daily total	1,789 kcal140.1 g protein	1,813 kcal136.8 g protein	1,811 kcal136.5 g protein	1,803 kcal146.2 g protein	1,790 kcal140.2 g protein	1,803 kcal146.4 g protein	1,803 kcal146.3 g protein

See the groceries and storage plan

Common questions

Is this the average amount everyone spends?

No. USDA food plans are defined market-basket benchmarks at four cost levels. They are not an average receipt or a personal spending requirement.

Does the budget include restaurants and household supplies?

No. It covers food and beverages prepared at home. Restaurant meals, cleaning products and other nonfood supplies are separate.

Why is a one-person figure 20% higher?

USDA’s individual rows assume a four-person household. Its footnote instructs adding 20% for a one-person household and 10% for two people.

Is the sample week guaranteed to cost this much?

No. Ingredient costs use a documented USDA/BLS inflation model and edible quantities. Local prices and buying full packages can increase the checkout total.

Can the family sample set my children’s portions?

No. Equal tool targets are a cost illustration, not age-specific nutrition guidance. Use appropriate advice for each child’s needs.

Check the sources

Retrieved September 30, 2026. Read the calculation method and source dates.