Have you been paying a lot for gas and groceries recently? You are certainly not the only one.
Overall inflation and supply chain issues have affected individual items, such as bird flu reducing egg supply.
WalletHub conducted a study on the prices of 26 common grocery items across 100 of the largest U.S. cities. The cost was then totaled and compared with the median household income to determine which places spend the most on groceries.
The cities where people spend the most money on groceries often coincide with where residents have the lowest incomes, according to WalletHub Writer and Analyst Chip Lupo. He recommends shoppers take advantage of sales, using coupons, buying generic items and buying in bulk if possible to save money. Using a credit card that gives rewards on grocery purchases and paying it off in full is also a good idea, he said.
When creating your budget, groceries are essential, so they should be added first. Expensive treats can also be cut or limited.
Seven Arizona cities are included on WalletHub's study, can you guess where they fall?
These Arizona cities spend the most on groceries
The highest spending city in Arizona was Glendale. Coming in at No. 41 in the country, the city spends 2.20% of the median monthly household income on groceries.
Tempe ranked No. 53 with 2.03% spent on groceries. Phoenix was No. 59 with 1.99%, and Mesa rounded out the sitting at No. 63 with 1.96% spent on groceries.
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These Arizona cities spend the least on groceries
Though Arizona had some cities spending a lot more for groceries, a few rounded out the list of lowest-paying cities.
Gilbert, sitting at No. 96 on the list of 100 cities, spends just 1.32% of its median monthly household income on groceries.
Also at the lower end of the country, Chandler ranked No. 90, with 1.50% of the median monthly household income spent on groceries. Scottsdale follows right after at No. 91 with 1.46%.
The US city that spends the highest amount on groceries
In No. 1, with 4.03% of the median monthly household income spent on groceries, is Detroit.
Which US city spends the least on groceries?
The U.S. city that spends the least on groceries out of the sample size is Fremont, California, at No. 100 with 0.91% of median monthly household income going toward groceries.
How WalletHub calculated grocery costs?
WalletHub analyzed 26 components ranging from meat, dairy, vegetables and fruits to frozen food and cleaning products across some of the 100 largest cities in the country. The individual costs of the components were summed up and adjusted to the median monthly income in each city. These results were then used to rank-order the sample.
For simplicity, WalletHub said they only considered the purchase of one unit/pack of each component in their calculation.
Data was collected from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Council for Community and Economic Research as of Sept. 9, 2026.
Do you have a tip or a question you need answered? Reach the reporter at dina.kaur@arizonarepublic.com. Follow @dina_kaur on X, formerly known as Twitter, and on Instagram @dina_kaur.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Which Arizona cities spend the most on groceries? How your city ranked
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