Americans are facing a tale of two grocery lists.
While some prices are cooling, the items families rely on most for energy and nutrition — meat and coffee — are seeing sharp increases that wipe out any savings in the bread aisle.
Fourteen of the 25 most common grocery store staples rose in price from February 2024 to February 2026, with the top five largest increases coming from coffee (+55%), lettuce (+39%), ground beef (+31%), sirloin steak (+21%) and orange juice (+15%), according to a new report from CouponFollow that analyzed Consumer Price Index (CPI) data from the past two years.
Coffee was the fastest-rising staple in the study, with a pound of ground roast costing $6.09 in 2024 compared to $9.46 in 2026. Going back to 2020, coffee prices have reportedly increased 123%.
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Ground beef has hit $6.74 per pound, a 31% increase from 2024 and 74% above pre-pandemic levels.
With ground beef prices in mind, CouponFollow ran a “taco night test,” tracking specific meal scenarios to show how inflation affects consumers. A family of four is paying nearly $25 just for basic taco ingredients, compared to just $17.50 six years ago.
If you can live on eggs and toast, your bill might be lower than it was two years ago, with egg prices decreasing the most (-17%), followed by white bread (-8%), spaghetti (-8%) and butter (-7%).
Still, the report warns that “the items still climbing are rising fast enough to offset those declines.”
“Grocery inflation isn’t going away overnight, but small changes to how and where you shop can add up fast. Paying attention to which categories are rising and which are cooling, stocking up on pantry staples when prices dip, and being flexible with pricier proteins are all easy ways to stretch your grocery budget a little further,” CouponFollow notes. “Stacking those habits with coupons and deals can make an even bigger dent in your weekly bill.”
Economic experts have also recently cautioned that high oil prices due to the Iran war are pushing gasoline prices higher, and that could lead to grocery bills rising for American consumers.
The increase in oil, gas and diesel prices raises transportation costs for businesses, including grocery stores, which may face pressure to raise food prices and other items if the situation continues.
“Every time something moves in the economy, it will cost more,” said Derek Reisfield, co-founder of MarketWatch and a former McKinsey consultant. “Someone, usually the end consumer, will have to pay for that.”
Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, previously told FOX Business: “For U.S. consumers, what this means is that while there is currently a price shock at the pump being felt directly by consumers, there’s still uncertainty as to how long this shock will last.”
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FOX Business’ Eric Revell contributed to this report.
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