Chicago Grocery Prices Stay 3.2% Higher Since 2025 as Beef and Orange Juice Jump Over 19%
Updated
Updated · Patch · May 26
Chicago Grocery Prices Stay 3.2% Higher Since 2025 as Beef and Orange Juice Jump Over 19%
2 articles · Updated · Patch · May 26
$7.37 ground beef and $4.55 orange juice highlight the squeeze on Chicagoland families, with prices up 19.2% and 20.2% in the 16 months since January 2025.
Eggs were the lone major item to fall, dropping 30.8% to $4.44 as bird-flu pressure eased and chicken supplies recovered, while beef stayed elevated because drought, feed costs and herd cuts tightened cattle supply.
USDA estimates a family of four now spends about $1,013.20 a month on a thrifty grocery plan—roughly $20 more than in January 2025—while a moderate plan has risen $52 to about $1,380.
FRED data show overall grocery prices are up 3.2% since Trump took office, undercutting a campaign pledge to lower food costs as tariffs, fuel, fertilizer and packaging costs keep feeding inflation.
Kitchen-table costs including groceries, gas and health insurance are expected to be a major issue in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
How will the collision of new trade tariffs and the Iran War's oil shock reshape your family's grocery budget?
With the U.S. cattle supply at a 75-year low, are record-high beef prices now here to stay?