How Grocery Prices in 2025 Compare to 2024, According to Gen Z and Millennials

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President Donald Trump has admitted it will be tough to bring grocery prices down despite making inflation a core campaign promise of the 2024 election, according to NBC News.

Americans have felt the impact of climbing grocery prices for the past five years. Despite the Federal Reserve’s attempt to bring down inflation, prices keep increasing at grocery checkout counters. But how do they compare to last year, especially from the perspective of two generations of Americans? 

GOBankingRates conducted a nationwide survey of 1,000 Americans ages 18 to over 65 in February. When asked five questions about grocery prices compared to the previous year, here’s how Gen Z and millennials responded.

Skyrocketing Grocery Prices

According to Nielsen IQ (NIQ) data taken at checkout registers between Mar. 9, 2024, and Mar. 1, 2025, costs for food staples continue to rise at multiple merchants, including supermarkets, warehouse clubs and mass retailers such as Walmart and other stores.

The price of eggs hit a record high in 2025 due to the bird flu outbreak bringing a dozen eggs up $2.63 a carton from last year. The average price for a dozen eggs in March 2025 was $6.47. 

Chicken breast prices also rose by $0.30 per pound, reaching an average of $5.75 per pound, and the cost of a loaf of bread increased by $0.06, meaning consumers pay an average of $3.06 per loaf.

Orange juice squeezes wallets, increasing $0.42 from last year and averaging $4.94 for a 32-ounce container or jar. Meanwhile, a pound of bacon averages $4.62 a package, costing $0.31 more per pound than last year.

While many boomers and retirees who have stopped working tend to be more frugal and aware of price increases, what about the younger generations? 

Spending Significantly More

According to the study, all age groups said they were spending significantly more on groceries this year compared to 2024. When tallying the data, 41.3% of Gen Z respondents said they are digging deeper into their wallets, while the percentage for millennials was slightly higher at 43%.

Spending Slightly More

Food inflation is overall 2.6 times higher than in February 2024, according to the Consumer Price Index. When surveyed, 33.9% of Gen Z participants and 37.2% of millennials agreed they are spending slightly more than last year.

Spending About the Same Amount

With the price of eggs skyrocketing in 2025, it’s surprising to hear how people are paying the same prices for food. However, according to the survey results. 19% among Gen Z and 15% said they were paying about the same price for groceries this year as in 2024.

Spending Slightly Less

Only 2.3% of millennials and 4.1% of Gen Z study participants said they spent slightly less this year. This makes one wonder if they are the sole shoppers for their home.

Spending Significantly Less

The last question in the survey asked if Gen Z and millennials were spending much less on food than last year. With food inflation rising higher than previous years, it’s no wonder this question produced the lowest percentages. Only 1.6% of Gen Z and 2.3% of millennials said they paid significantly less.

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