Lettuce, lemons, and other groceries that dropped in price in August

Published 5:25 pm Monday, September 18, 2023

Lettuce, lemons, and other groceries that dropped in price in August

Grocery shoppers felt a slight reprieve this spring as grocery prices fell after a run of increases dating to September 2020.

So far this summer, grocery prices have remained relatively steady, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. In August, prices inflated by 0.2% compared to July, and were up 3% from August 2022. Urban prices have fallen in many grocery categories, including eggs, meats, vegetables, grains, and dairy products. Overall inflation is cooling as well after a series of interest rate hikes by the Fed to temper the record inflation plaguing Americans over the past two years.

While costs remain high overall, the decreases mean dollars can stretch a bit further at the grocery store. Stacker used monthly Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the grocery items that experienced the largest price decreases in August, using year-over-year changes as a tiebreaker where needed. Stacker excluded some hyper-specific meat categories in order to better understand grocery price fluctuations more broadly.

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A full aisle of various chips at the grocery store.

Angie Yeoh // Shutterstock

#17. Potato chips (per 16 oz.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -0.2%
– Annual change in cost: +8.8%
– August 2023 cost: $6.46

Grocery shelves stocked with various cheeses.

Stefan Malloch // Shutterstock

#16. Cheddar cheese, natural (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -0.2%
– Annual change in cost: -1.6%
– August 2023 cost: $5.90

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A loaf of sliced white bread on a cutting board.

Canva

#15. White bread (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -0.5%
– Annual change in cost: +12.2%
– August 2023 cost: $1.97

A plastic clear container of chocolate chip cookies.

pkajak201 // Shutterstock

#14. Chocolate chip cookies (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -0.7%
– Annual change in cost: +8.1%
– August 2023 cost: $5.06

A spoonful of ground coffee.

Canva

#13. Ground coffee (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -0.8%
– Annual change in cost: -2.3%
– August 2023 cost: $6.09

Uncooked white rice spilling out of a burlap sack on a wooden table.

Jiri Hera // Shutterstock

#12. Long-grain white rice (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -0.9%
– Annual change in cost: +7.8%
– August 2023 cost: $1.00

Bright red tomatoes with green tops.

Canva

#11. Tomatoes (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -1%
– Annual change in cost: -0.7%
– August 2023 cost: $1.88

Orange and pink grapefruit.

Kvitka Fabian // Shutterstock

#10. Grapefruit (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -1.1%
– Annual change in cost: Not available
– August 2023 cost: $1.57

The cheese section of the grocery store.

The Toidi // Shutterstock

#9. American processed cheese (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -1.1%
– Annual change in cost: +2.8%
– August 2023 cost: $4.73

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Dried macaroni noodles.

Canva

#8. Spaghetti and macaroni (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -1.1%
– Annual change in cost: +2.6%
– August 2023 cost: $1.40

Various dried beans in burlap sacks.

Peangdao // Shutterstock

#7. Dried beans (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -1.1%
– Annual change in cost: +1.5%
– August 2023 cost: $1.70

A grocery shelf filled with gallons of whole milk.

The Toidi // Shutterstock

#6. Whole milk (per gal.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -1.1%
– Annual change in cost: -6.4%
– August 2023 cost: $3.93

A grocery store shelf filled with various brands of bread.

Sheila Fitzgerald // Shutterstock

#5. Whole wheat bread (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -1.7%
– Annual change in cost: +10.3%
– August 2023 cost: $2.54

Closeup of white eggs in a carton.

Canva

#4. Eggs (per doz.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -2.4%
– Annual change in cost: -34.4%
– August 2023 cost: $2.04

A display of lemons at a grocery store.

Canva

#3. Lemons (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -3.9%
– Annual change in cost: +2.2%
– August 2023 cost: $2.08

Baskets of iceberg lettuce wrapped in plastic at the grocery store.

Canva

#2. Iceberg lettuce (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -4.2%
– Annual change in cost: Not available
– August 2023 cost: $1.60

Romaine lettuce leaves.

Canva

#1. Romaine lettuce (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -4.4%
– Annual change in cost: -10.2%
– August 2023 cost: $2.55