How Much Do Australians Actually Spend on Groceries? 2026 Data

Real data on Australian grocery spending by household size, what's driving costs up, and practical ways to keep your food bill under control.

The average Australian household spends about $178 a week on groceries, according to Canstar Blue's July 2025 survey of 2,879 supermarket shoppers — up from $168 a year earlier. That's more than $9,200 a year, and for many families it's one of the largest household expenses after rent or mortgage payments.

For a lot of households, it doesn't feel like that much is ending up in the trolley.

Grocery Spending by Household Size

Spending varies considerably depending on how many people you're feeding. Canstar Blue's 2025 survey found:

These figures represent averages. Location and diet preferences (organic produce, premium meat, specialty items) can push spending considerably higher.

What's Driving Grocery Costs Up in 2026

Food and non-alcoholic beverage prices rose 3.0% in the 12 months to August 2026, according to the ABS Consumer Price Index, adding to several years of cumulative increases. The categories under the most pressure:

• Fresh produce — affected by weather events, higher freight costs, and energy costs for cold storage
• Meat and poultry — feed, labour and processing costs all feed into the shelf price
• Dairy and eggs — feed and energy costs have pushed up production expenses, and bird flu outbreaks in 2024–25 cut egg supply
• Packaged goods — input costs, packaging materials, and transport all contribute

This isn't unique to Australia — similar patterns have played out in the UK, US, and across Europe. But Australia's supermarket market is unusually concentrated: the ACCC's 2025 Supermarkets Inquiry estimated Woolworths holds 38% of supermarket grocery sales and Coles 29% — around 67% between them.

The ACCC's final report described the market as an oligopoly, found that Coles and Woolworths have little incentive to compete hard with each other on price, and noted they are among the most profitable supermarket businesses in the world.

How Spending Has Changed

Canstar Blue's figures show the average weekly grocery bill rising from $168 in 2024 to $178 in 2025, a 6% jump in a single year. Food prices have kept climbing since: at 3% annual food inflation, a $178 weekly shop becomes roughly $183 a year later — around $280 more over the year for the same trolley.

Household confidence is split. In YouGov's March 2026 financial outlook survey, 28% of Australians said they expect their finances to get worse this year. And in YouGov's April 2026 debt, savings and investment report, more than half said they're either "just about keeping up" (37%) or "falling behind" (19%). For those households, the grocery bill is one of the hardest costs to cut meaningfully without a clear strategy.

The Gap Between What People Think They Spend and What They Actually Spend

Grocery spending is easy to underestimate. It's incremental and irregular — a top-up shop here, a few extra items there, a premium product on impulse — rather than a single visible payment like rent.

Tracking your actual grocery spending for four weeks (keep your receipts or check your bank statement) is often the most motivating thing you can do before trying to cut the bill. Most people are surprised.

What You Can Realistically Save

The savings don't require extreme frugality. The main levers are:

Price comparison: Aldi is consistently the cheapest of the big three on everyday prices. CHOICE's June 2026 survey priced the same 17-item basket at $68.89 at Aldi, $74.47 at Woolworths and $76.79 at Coles. Between Coles and Woolworths, the cheaper store changes item by item and week by week — Grocero will compare Coles and Woolworths prices on the products you actually buy, so you can see which store is cheaper for your list — join the waitlist for early access.

Buying on special: Both Coles and Woolworths run weekly half-price specials on rotating branded products. Households that time their purchases — stocking up on non-perishables when they're 50% off — save substantially without changing what they buy.

Reducing food waste: End Food Waste Australia estimates the average household throws out more than $2,500 of food a year — about $50 a week. Meal planning, proper storage, and cooking from what's in the fridge before buying more are the practical fixes.

Generic brands: Switching name brands for store-brand equivalents on staples (pasta, rice, tinned goods, cleaning products) usually costs noticeably less, and on basics the quality difference is often small. Check the unit price to confirm the saving.

Putting It in Context

Australia's grocery costs are high by global standards, but the country's income levels and geographic challenges (vast distances for logistics, higher labour costs) go some way toward explaining the premium. The structural issue — limited competition at the supermarket level — is a longer-term policy problem.

In the meantime, individual households have more control over their grocery spending than most realise. Comparing prices, planning meals around what's on special, and reducing waste are achievable changes that produce real results within a few weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much should I be spending on groceries per week in Australia?

Canstar Blue's 2025 survey is a useful benchmark: about $111 a week for a single person, $161 for a couple, and $240 for a family of four. If you're well above the figure for your household size, there's usually room to reduce through price comparison and planning.

What percentage of income do Australians spend on groceries?

There's no current official figure — the ABS hasn't run its full Household Expenditure Survey since 2015–16. The share is higher for lower-income households, for whom grocery costs represent a more significant financial pressure. A more practical check is comparing your weekly spend to the household-size averages above.

Has grocery inflation slowed down in 2026?

Food inflation has moderated from the peak years of 2022–2023, but prices have not come down — they've just been rising more slowly. The ABS recorded 3.0% annual food inflation in the 12 months to August 2026, so prices are still climbing.

Is buying in bulk actually cheaper?

Sometimes. You need to check the unit price (cost per 100g or per unit) rather than the total price, as larger pack sizes aren't always cheaper per unit. Buying in bulk only saves money if you use the whole product before it expires, and if the bulk price is genuinely lower per unit than the regular size.

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