Student Grocery Spending Calculator

Estimate your monthly grocery and eating-out costs in seconds.

This tool helps students estimate food spending based on their habits, location, and diet, then gives personalized tips to save more.

Your Food Spending Profile

Select your state for cost-of-living adjustment
How many meals do you typically eat each day?
10
Enter how many meals you usually cook yourself each week
How many times do you eat out or order delivery each week?
How many cups of coffee do you purchase each week?
Include Alcohol Spending
Use Student Discounts
Bulk Buying
Advanced Options
Monthly spending on pantry staples like rice, pasta, oils, etc.
$742/month
Based on national averages and your answers.

Detailed Breakdown

Groceries $471
Eating Out $213
Coffee $32
Alcohol $42
Meal Kits $0
Total $758

Per-Meal & Yearly Projections

Per-meal average cost $8.42
Annual projection $9,096
Potential monthly savings $65

Top 3 Personalized Tips

Meal Prep Strategy
Try meal-prep jars 3x a week to reduce eating out costs.
Coffee Savings
Brew coffee at home to save about $32/month.
Bulk Buying
Plan bulk staples like oats, beans, and rice for under $40/week.

This calculator uses data from the USDA Food Plan and adjusts for cost of living based on your location selection.

Data sources: USDA Food Plan, Bureau of Labor Statistics

Cost-of-living adjustment: Based on regional price parity data

Average pricing: Coffee ($2.50/cup), Alcohol ($42/month default), Meal kits ($25-100/month)

Note: This is an estimate, not financial advice. Individual spending may vary based on personal habits and local prices.

adj_groceries = $334 × 1.41 (Hawaii) × 1.00 = $471
eating_out = $410 × (1 - 0.48) = $213
coffee = $2.50 × 5 × 4.3 = $53.75
alcohol = $42
meal_kits = $0
student_discount = -$20
Total = $471 + $213 + $54 + $42 + $0 - $20 = $760/month

Smart Ways to Save

Check out these resources to improve your financial health: