They are the billions of people in the grocery store.
While New York is known for its expensive grocery prices, shockingly, it’s not the most expensive state in the country. That honor goes to the idyllic island of Hawaii, where weekly grocery bills top a bankrupt $157, according to a study by the online technology and economics publication Visual Capitalist.
Empire State Supermarket, on the other hand, ranked No. 11, with an average weekly grocery bill of $121 — perhaps not surprising for a place where grocery prices are rising an average of 6.1% annually.
That number is likely to only rise — as New York City Council members muscle through two controversial grocery bills that would force delivery companies to pay drivers more, which critics say could cause supermarket costs to skyrocket.
All in all, New Yorkers may be feeling the sting after stocking up on supplies ahead of last weekend’s snowstorm.
Visual Capitalist fabricated the study to address exorbitant food costs across the country, with the price of groceries such as ground beef rising 15% in 2025 and orange juice rising 21%.
Notably, egg shortages caused by bird flu drove the price of a carton of eggs to a record high of $8.15 in March, prompting enterprising grocers to sell “loosie”-style eggs (several eggs in a plastic bag) to cash-strapped eggheads.
To compile this list, Cart Drawers calculated the average weekly grocery costs for middle-income households in each state, based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2025 Price Index.
Meanwhile, in Hawaii, residents spend $157 per week on groceries, 33% more than the national average of $118.
This is also a 9.6 per cent increase on the previous year, meaning islanders have had to fill their food pantries by emptying their bank accounts.
Alaska follows closely behind at $152, up 8.8% from last year.
On top of that, there are significant price differences between developed areas and rural areas inaccessible by road — a $6.79 bag of potato chips in Anchorage, for example, costs $10.49 in Unalakleet.
Following closely behind is California, where residents’ weekly grocery bills average $127, a 3.4% increase from 2024.
Visual Capitalist points to rising wages (after the Golden State’s minimum wage increase), rent, utilities and distribution costs as factors contributing to rising food pantry prices.
Rounding out the top five are Washington state (average grocery bill $126) and Vermont ($124).
Of course, not every state requires its citizens to hand over an arm and a leg to secure supplies.
