Average UK Grocery Spend in 2026: How Does Your Household Compare?

The average UK household spends approximately £35 per person per week on groceries in 2026, according to ONS data. That's £70/week for a couple, £140/week for a family of four, and £175+/week for five or more people. Below, we break down exactly what that means for your household size.

If you've ever finished a weekly shop and thought "is this normal?", you're not alone. We've pulled together the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Family Spending Survey to give you a clear picture of what UK households are actually spending — and how you can work out where you stand.

How much does the average UK household spend on groceries?

The average UK household spends approximately £35 per person per week on groceries. That includes food and non-alcoholic drinks purchased from supermarkets and convenience stores, but excludes eating out, takeaways, and alcohol.

For a household of two, that works out to roughly £70 per week or £303 per month. For a family of four, you're looking at around £140 per week or £607 per month.

Average grocery spend by household size

Of course, a single person living alone has very different costs to a family of five. Here's how weekly grocery spend breaks down by household size:

These figures use the ONS benchmark of £35 per person per week. In practice, larger households often benefit from economies of scale — buying in bulk, sharing staple items, and reducing per-person waste — so the real figure may be slightly lower per head for bigger families.

Why is my grocery bill so high?

If your spend is higher than the averages above, you're in good company. Several factors have pushed grocery costs up significantly over the past few years:

Price creep on everyday items. Many staples have risen 5-15% year on year, but the increases happen gradually — a few pence here and there — making them easy to miss. The milk you bought for £1.15 last year might be £1.30 now without you noticing.

Brand loyalty. Sticking with branded products when own-brand alternatives are often identical in quality. Across a typical weekly shop, switching just five branded items to own-brand can save £8-12.

Impulse buying. Research suggests the average UK shopper spends around £12-15 per week on unplanned purchases. Over a year, that's £600-780 you didn't intend to spend.

Not comparing stores. The same basket of 20 common items can vary by 25-30% in total cost depending on which supermarket you shop at. Yet most people stick with the same store out of habit.

How do I know if I'm overspending on groceries?

The simplest test: divide your weekly grocery spend by the number of people in your household. If the result is significantly above £35, you're spending more than average.

But "average" isn't the same as "right." Where you live matters (London and the South East tend to be 10-15% higher), dietary requirements play a role, and some households prioritise organic or speciality items — which is a perfectly valid choice as long as it's a conscious one.

The real risk is unconscious overspending: not knowing what you're paying, not noticing price rises, and not having a benchmark to measure against.

How can I reduce my grocery spending?

Track what you actually spend. Most people guess — and most guesses are wrong. Scanning your receipts gives you real data instead of rough estimates. Even doing this for a single month reveals patterns you'd never spot otherwise.

Set a weekly target. Even a rough number helps. If you're a couple currently spending £100/week, aim for £85 and see how close you get. Having a number in mind changes your behaviour at the checkout.

Watch for price creep. The items you buy every single week are the ones most likely to quietly increase. Knowing what you paid last time is the only way to catch it.

Compare stores occasionally. You don't have to switch permanently. Just doing one shop at a different supermarket and comparing the total can be eye-opening.

How Supermonster helps

Supermonster is a free iOS app that turns receipt scanning into a habit. Point your camera at any grocery receipt, and it extracts every item and price. Over time, it builds a picture of your spending: which items are getting more expensive, where you could save by switching stores, and whether you're hitting your household budget.

It's built for households, not just individuals — so if you share the grocery run with a partner, you both see the same data and track against the same budget.

If you've read this far and you're curious about where you sit, try the grader or download the app — both are free.