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Shoppers are paying a lot for groceries in these parts of the country.
- A new report published this month by Rent.com identifies the 10 most expensive cities and counties to buy groceries in the US.
- The analysis uses data from the Council for Community and Economic Research's Cost of Living Index to compare price and spend on common grocery items like milk, eggs, coffee, and sugar.
- The most expensive areas to buy groceries are in coastal cities in states like New York and California.
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When it comes to maintaining a monthly budget, food spending can quickly add up, but even more so depending on where you live.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the average American spends 9.9% of their disposable personal income on food - 5.2% of which consists of grocery spend and 4.7% on restaurants and meals away from home. However, the cost of groceries varies widely across the US and skews significantly higher in coastal cities, according to a new report by Rent.com.
Read more: Here's what the average person spends on groceries annually in every state
Specifically, the report examines data from the Council for Community and Economic Research's Cost of Living Index and compares costs on common grocery list items like milk, eggs, coffee, and sugar. It then ranks all 257 cities and counties in the report based on grocery affordability.
Here are the top 10 most costly locations for groceries, ranked from least to most expensive by total percentage above the national average: