Tennessee Grocery Budget Calculator
$1,337/mo for 4 in Tennessee on the USDA Moderate-Cost plan ($3.66 per person per meal). Groceries taxed at a reduced 4%.
At Tennessee grocery prices, USDA's Moderate-Cost food plan for a family of four costs about $1,337 a month — about $309 a week, or $3.66 per person per meal. Tenn. Code Ann. 67-6-228 (Department of Revenue Notice 17-20) sets Tennessee's grocery rate at 4%: about $642 a year on that basket. $16,042 a year is 22.28% of Tennessee's $71,997 median household income. Official vs modeled: USDA does not publish a state-specific food-plan cost for Tennessee, so the Tennessee figure is StateCalc's model of USDA's national August 2026 figure at Tennessee's grocery prices.
Estimate only — these are not official figures
USDA's August 2026 national plan figures × Tennessee's C2ER grocery price index of 96.3; USDA publishes no Tennessee figure, so the result is modeled
Do not rely on these amounts for budgeting or payment. For exact amounts, check the USDA Cost of Food at Home reports for the national plan figures.
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Pre-filled: C2ER Cost of Living Index, Grocery component (via MERIC)
Monthly Grocery Budget
Estimated • Based on your inputs
Total Monthly Food Cost
$1,280.87
Food as % of Tennessee's Median Income
21.35%
Detailed Breakdown
Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates for informational purposes only. Results should not be considered financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult a qualified professional for your specific situation.
How This Calculator Works
Calculation methodology and assumptions
Tennessee inputs: grocery price index 96.3 (C2ER Grocery component, Q2 2026, via MERIC), so USDA's August 2026 national plan figures are multiplied by 0.963 rather than by the overall cost-of-living index of 89.7. A family of 4 in Tennessee: Thrifty ~$986, Low-Cost ~$1,084, Moderate ~$1,337, Liberal ~$1,617 a month. Tennessee taxes groceries at a reduced state rate of 4% (versus the general 7% rate). Local sales taxes may still apply on top of this reduced state rate. Grocery tax used here: 4% (general sales tax 7%). Food as a share of income divides by Tennessee's $71,997 median household income, and restaurant meals default to $16. Those are modeled figures; the USDA method every state shares is explained on the grocery budget hub.
Key State Information
Tennessee food cost context: grocery price index 96.3 (below the U.S. 100) | cost of living index 89.7 | Effective grocery tax rate: 4% | median household income $71,997.
Example Calculation
Let's build a realistic grocery budget for a family in Tennessee.
Tennessee's grocery price index is 96.3 (C2ER Grocery component, Q2 2026, via MERIC; 100 = national average), which scales USDA's national Moderate-cost figure for a family of four to roughly $1,337/month here.
Result: Recommended monthly grocery budget in Tennessee: approximately $1,337. The Thrifty plan (about $986/month) is achievable with meal planning and cooking from scratch. Switching from the Liberal plan (~$1,617/month) down to Moderate saves roughly $3,360/year per family — mostly by cutting convenience foods and eating out less.
Worked example: groceries for a family of four in Tennessee
$1,388.20 (USDA Moderate-Cost, reference family of four, August 2026) × 0.9630 (Tennessee's C2ER grocery index, 96.3 in Q2 2026) = $1,336.84 a month, $16,042.08 a year.
Food and food ingredients have carried a 4% state rate since July 1, 2017, plus the local rate; candy, prepared food, dietary supplements, alcohol and tobacco stay at 7%. $16,042.08 × 4% = $641.68 a year.
| Household | Thrifty | Moderate-Cost | Liberal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $331 | $424 | $529 |
| 2 people | $607 | $778 | $969 |
| 3 people | $807 | $1,073 | $1,311 |
| 4 people | $986 | $1,337 | $1,617 |
| 5 people | $1,171 | $1,587 | $1,920 |
Tenn. Code Ann. 67-6-228 (Department of Revenue Notice 17-20), read 2026-10-13 at www.tn.gov.
StateCalc Team
Editorial Team
The StateCalc team builds free financial calculators using data from official government sources including the IRS, U.S. Census Bureau, BLS, and state revenue departments. All formulas are validated by an automated test suite and cross-referenced against published data.
Our editorial standardsFrequently Asked Questions
How much should I spend on groceries in Tennessee?
On USDA's Moderate-Cost plan at Tennessee prices: about $1,337 a month for a family of 4, $778 for two adults and $424 for one adult. The Thrifty to Liberal range for 4 is Thrifty ~$986, Low-Cost ~$1,084, Moderate ~$1,337 to Liberal ~$1,617.
What is the average meal cost in Tennessee?
About $3.66 per person for a home-cooked meal: $1,337 a month ÷ 4 people ÷ 30.44 days ÷ 3 meals. Restaurant meals are separate; this page defaults them to $16.
What is the average weekly grocery bill in Tennessee?
About $309 a week for a family of four and $98 for one person (the monthly figures × 12 ÷ 52).
Are groceries taxed in Tennessee?
Tennessee taxes groceries at a reduced state rate of 4% (versus the general 7% rate). Local sales taxes may still apply on top of this reduced state rate. On the $1,337 family-of-4 basket that is about $642 a year in state grocery tax, at an effective grocery tax rate of 4%.
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