More Than 4 in 10 Adults Over 50 Say Grocery Prices Now Cost More Than They Can Afford

A new AARP survey finds that inflation is squeezing many older adults’ wallets

Donna Freydkin,

AARP

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Published March 31, 2026

a grocery store produce aisle with dollar signs in front of it

AARP (Getty Images)

Key takeaways:

Nearly 8 in 10 adults 50-plus (78 percent) say they are concerned about grocery prices, a worry shared by 74 percent of adults under 50.
Adults 50-plus are more likely to dip into pantry staples and cut back on dining out and takeout.
Older consumers lean on coupons, store brands and fewer impulse buys.

You stuck to the list. You skipped the extras. There’s no fancy French cheese or Ibérico ham or Oishii berries in your cart. Yet your total at the supermarket checkout keeps going up.

You are hardly alone. In a December 2025 AARP survey, more than 4 in 10 adults ages 50-plus said grocery prices now cost more than they can afford, compared with one-third of adults under 50. That gap is the clearest finding in the research, and it helps explain why rising grocery costs feel especially punishing for older Americans, particularly those on fixed or limited incomes.

Grocery prices rank among Americans’ top worries right now, along with government corruption, toxic chemicals, poor air quality and housing costs, the poll found.

Concern is widespread across age groups. Among adults 50-plus, 78 percent said they are concerned about grocery prices, 64 percent said the cost of feeding themselves or their families is increasing “very much,” and 48 percent said rising costs have significantly changed how they feed their households. Among adults under 50, the comparable figures are 74 percent, 61 percent and 51 percent, respectively.

How are people coping? Roughly one-third of all consumers say they are comparing prices across supermarkets, cutting back on premium or specialty foods and shopping at cheaper grocery stores “much more often” than before. Paring back on meat or switching to cheaper meats, reducing desserts and treats, and buying fewer organic or natural foods are also common cost-cutting measures across all ages.

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The organic aisle, the specialty cheese section, the good cuts of beef — these are where grocery shoppers are making concessions, no matter their age. However, adults 50-plus are more likely to cut impulse purchases, hunt for discounts and coupons, and buy store brands instead of name brands.

Adults under 50 are taking a different approach. They are more likely to buy in bulk, swap fresh foods for processed ones and switch from plant-based alternatives to cheaper meat and dairy products.

The adjustments don’t stop at the grocery store. At home, adults 50-plus are more likely to use pantry or freezer items before buying new groceries, with 43 percent doing so “much more often,” compared with 38 percent of adults under 50. Younger adults are more likely to serve smaller portions, substitute ingredients to avoid buying additional items and plan meals with fewer components.

Moreover, adults 50-plus are more likely to cut back on eating out altogether, with 44 percent saying they do so “much more often,” compared with 37 percent of adults under 50. They’re also pulling back on takeout: 41 percent versus 36 percent of younger adults. Translation: For many people over 50, dining out has quietly moved into the discretionary column.

Younger adults are more likely to keep eating out by changing how they do it, switching from sit-down restaurants to fast food, ordering enough for leftovers and splitting checks.

Bottom line: Both groups are responding to the same pressure, just with different tools.

The AARP research cited in this article is drawn from the Humantel Food & Economy Survey, conducted in December 2025 among 4,216 U.S. adults ages 16 to 74, weighted to U.S. Census benchmarks. The full report is available at aarp.org/research.

The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.

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Donna Freydkin has spent 10-plus years interviewing celebrities for major publications, and has written for a variety of outlets such as USA Today, Allure, Yahoo! and CNN covering topics such as films, family and favorite meals.