A pound of ground coffee cost an average of $9.33 in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the Labor Department. The exact figure is $9.332 for 100% ground roast, up from $9.139 in September 2025 and $9.299 in August.
Coffee rose over the month and over the year in the federal price table. A year ago the same pound cost 19 cents less. At two pounds a month, that works out to about $5 more over a year.
The coffee price, month by month
The BLS publishes the number in its monthly table of average retail food and energy prices. The U.S. city average for ground coffee rose 3.3 cents from August to September, or about 0.4%, and 19.3 cents over the year, or about 2.1%.
The agency explains in its average prices guide that the figures are weighted averages of retail prices drawn from the data collected for the consumer price index. Food prices exclude sales tax. The numbers are not seasonally adjusted, so a swing can reflect the calendar as well as the market.
The same guide warns that average prices measure the level in a given month, not the change in price of one product. A shift in brands, sizes or the stores sampled can move the average. The Agriculture Department’s Economic Research Service, tracking the index that follows the same coffee from year to year, put retail coffee up 6.1% in August from a year earlier.
So why is the grocery bill still climbing for coffee drinkers? On those two federal measures, the pound is between 2% and 6% dearer than a year ago. The Economic Research Service forecasts nonalcoholic beverages, which include coffee, to rise 4.2% in 2026, with a range of 3.5% to 5.0%.
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Eggs fell while coffee rose
The same table shows how uneven grocery prices are. A dozen large Grade A eggs averaged $2.272 in September, the same as in August and well below $3.488 a year earlier. That is a drop of about 35% in a year.
Other staples barely moved. Boneless chicken breast averaged $4.203 a pound against $4.172 a year earlier. Sliced bacon was $6.756 a pound, down from $7.290. A gallon of whole milk was $4.106, compared with $4.129 a year ago, and white pan bread was $1.830 a pound, compared with $1.867.
The Economic Research Service’s September outlook has eggs falling 23.0% in August from a year earlier in the consumer price index. The agency expects egg prices to fall 29.4% for the year, with a range from 25.2% to 32.9%.
Scale matters. A household that buys a pound every two weeks spends about $243 a year on coffee at $9.332 a pound. That is roughly $5 more than at last September’s price, so coffee alone does not break a budget, but it is one of dozens of items rising at once.
Utility prices in the same table
The BLS table also tracks household energy. Electricity averaged 19.6 cents per kilowatt-hour in September, up from 18.8 cents a year earlier. Piped natural gas cost $1.700 a therm against $1.613 a year ago, and regular gasoline averaged $4.631 a gallon against $3.481.
Utility and fuel prices in the table include taxes, while food prices do not. That means a family’s grocery receipt and its utility bill are measured differently, yet both are rising together.
What the grocery index says
The government’s broader measure is calmer than the shelf. The Labor Department’s September consumer price index shows food at home down 0.1% in the month and up 1.8% over 12 months. Prices for everything in the index rose 0.6% in the month and 3.7% over the year.
The Agriculture Department’s Food Price Outlook, released September 25, forecasts food-at-home prices up 2.4% in 2026, with a range of 1.8% to 3.0%. Hayden Stewart, Diansheng Dong and Wilson Sinclair are listed as the agency’s contacts for the outlook.
Those are averages across a whole cart. A household that spends a larger share of its food budget on coffee, beef or other items with faster increases feels more than 1.8%.
SNAP rules for households with someone 60 or older
For households trying to stretch a grocery budget, the Food and Nutrition Service explains the rules for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, on its eligibility page. For most households there are two income tests, gross and net. The net limits for October 2026 through September 2027 are $1,330 a month for one person and $2,750 for four in the 48 states and Washington, D.C.
Households with a member 60 or older, or with a disability, have to meet only the net income test. Their resource limit is $4,750 instead of $3,000. Unpaid medical expenses over $35 a month can be deducted, and shelter costs above half of household income are deductible without the usual cap.
People apply through the state agency in the state where they live, in person, online where the state offers it, or by phone. Most decisions come within 30 days, and approved benefits are backdated to the application date.
Why is my grocery bill still climbing?
Because the price of each item moves separately, and the items that matter to one household may not be the ones that fell. Eggs are down about a third, but coffee is up from last year and the broad index is rising 1.8%.
The free source is the BLS table, which is published with each month’s consumer price index. The October table will show whether coffee holds near $9.33 or keeps climbing.
Still paying $9.33 a pound for the morning cup?
Coffee at $9.332 a pound is up from $9.139 a year ago, while the overall grocery index is rising 1.8%. For a household on a fixed income, small increases across coffee, beef and other staples add up faster than a cost-of-living adjustment arrives.
The Benefits Checklist scans eleven benefit programs retirees most often miss, SNAP among them, and gives the 2026 income limits for each. Part 4 covers SNAP, heating help and weatherization, and the printable application tracker is part of the download.
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This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
