Grocery prices for some key staples remained high as New Yorkers increasingly faced tough choices about paying for food, housing, utilities and other essentials, the latest data show.
While some supermarket items had prices stabilize or dip in late 2025, the household budgetary strain of grocery shopping was underscored by the ongoing rise in the price of ground beef, which was up 58% on average in the Northeast compared to 2020, the December statistics show.
At the same time, other grocery items such as bread, bacon and butter had prices dip from recent peaks but remained up from pre-pandemic levels, according to a USA TODAY Network-New York analysis of federal data.
What grocery items are costing consumers more?
Grocery shoppers in New York are not alone as prices for beef, bread and other staples have seen repeated spikes and valleys over the past five years in the Northeast and much of the U.S., federal data show.
But not all grocery items are shifting at the same pace, though most staples such as milk, bacon, beef, bread and butter all remained elevated from their respective levels in 2020
Further signs of ongoing grocery price adjustments are reflected in the monthly changes from November to December 2025, which showed everything from a nearly 5% drop in prices for eggs to a more than 3% bump in beef prices.
More: Why are NY electric bills so high? Here’s everything you need to know
When looking at prices changes compared to the same time last year, December 2025 saw the biggest spike for beef (up nearly 18%). By contrast, prices for eggs dropped nearly 35% during the same span.
See how much your groceries cost each week
Whether you’re trying to plan your weekly shopping list or want to find out if your grocery bill would be lower on the other side of the country, USA TODAY has launched an interactive tool to help readers track prices across the country.
The shopping cart, powered by Bright Data, collects real-time prices from Walmart’s online marketplace for at least one location in each state weekly. Check it out here.
Includes data analysis by Erik Gliedman of USA TODAY Network-New Yok
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Grocery prices remain high in NY as affordability crisis persists
Reporting by David Robinson, New York State Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
