11 Products Getting More Expensive in 2026

Expect to pay more for groceries, smartphones and other items

Cameron Huddleston,

AARP

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Published January 16, 2026

shipping boxes, a stethoscope and a bag of groceries surround a red arrow that zigs and zags upward on a light green and white background

AARP (Getty Images, 3)

First, the good news: price increases are cooling overall. The inflation rate notched 2.7 percent for the 12 months ending December 2025, down from 3 percent year-over-year in September 2025, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Now, the bad news: Some products are predicted to get more expensive this year — much more expensive, in some instances.

“A lot of big budget items, like housing and transportation, are down, but there are definitely some things in the up category,” says Marbue Brown, a consumer trends and retail analyst and author of Blueprint for Customer Obsession.

Retirees on fixed incomes and lower-income adults will certainly feel the sting of rising prices. “They will face disproportionate pressure,” says Daniel Burrus, a San Diego-based business and technology trends consultant and founder of Burrus Research. “They’re going to be the ones hurt the worst.”

Here are 11 things that will cost more in 2026 — and steps you can take to save money.

Health insurance

Many people will have to pay substantially more to get the medical care they need in 2026. The overall cost of health care in America is expected to rise by 6 percent to 7 percent in 2026, says Virgil Bretz, co-founder and CEO of health care technology and analytics company MacroHealth in Seattle. “This is basically double the general inflation rate,” he says.

In response to rising costs, health insurance providers are hiking premiums. Bretz says costs for large employers with self-funded plans are expected to rise 8 percent to 10 percent in 2026, which could translate to higher premiums for their employees. The median premium increase among small group plans is 11 percent, according to health policy nonprofit KFF. And premiums for health insurance coverage sold through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace are up an average of 26 percent this year, according to KFF.

To make matters worse, the enhanced premium tax credits that lowered the cost of Marketplace plans for low- and middle-income adults expired at the end of 2025 when lawmakers failed to extend them. As a result, more than 90 percent of adults ages 50 to 64 who enroll in Marketplace coverage will see higher premiums in 2026 if the credits are not extended, according to a report by AARP Public Policy Institute.

“You’re going to have millions of people who say, ‘I can’t afford that,’” Bretz says.

How to save: Federal law requires insurance companies to post the prices they pay hospitals and doctors for services. Bretz recommends using your health insurer’s website or app to compare prices before receiving care to make sure you don’t get overcharged. Using a comparison tool, he found that the estimated cost of getting a knee MRI at a freestanding imaging center in Pensacola, Florida, is about $200 compared with more than $2,000 at a hospital imaging center.

Utilities

Get ready to shell out more for your electric bill in 2026. Households can expect to pay $1,223, on average, this winter, up 12 percent from 2025, according to a report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA), which represents state governments in securing funding. For all of 2026, residential electricity prices will be 4.2 percent more, on average, than in 2025, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Growing demand for electricity from new data centers is contributing to higher prices in some areas of the country, including Texas and several mid-Atlantic states.

If you heat your home with natural gas, you also could see your utility bills rise. The average U.S. home is expected to spend $704 for natural gas this winter, up 8.4 percent from last winter, according to NEADA .

How to save: Simple changes like dialing your thermostat down a few degrees while you’re sleeping or out of the house can slash your home’s heating and cooling costs by 10 percent annually, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. During the cold-weather months, consider opening curtains to let sunlight help heat your home, covering drafty windows with clear plastic sheets or a clear film, and adding caulk or weatherstripping to seal air leaks. Also, check with your utility company to see if it will provide or subsidize a home energy audit to identify ways you can make your home more energy efficient.

Groceries

Attention, shoppers: Don’t expect to spend less at the supermarket this year. “It is very likely we’re going to see food prices continue to increase,” says David Ortega, a food economist and professor at Michigan State University.

The Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts grocery prices will rise 2.3 percent in 2026. That might not seem like a big increase, but it comes on the heels of several years of food inflation, including an 11.4 percent spike in 2022.

Some items that saw especially big price hikes in 2025 will continue to cost more this year. Beef prices are already up double digits from a year ago because the U.S. cattle herd is at a historic low, Ortega says. “When you add that to strong consumer demand for beef, you have supply constraints,” he says. “Prices have nowhere to go but up.”

Prices for canned fruits and vegetables also rose last year as a result of tariffs on steel and aluminum, which increased the cost of cans, and they’re expected to remain high in 2026, he says.

How to save: Be sure you’re not making mistakes at the supermarket that are costing you money, such as missing out on senior discounts or staying loyal to pricier brands rather than buying lower-cost store brands. You can also beat rising grocery prices by using all the food you have in your pantry or freezer before buying more, planning meals around what’s on sale and using your grocery store’s mobile app for coupons and other savings. If you’re struggling to afford groceries, look into help from food pantries and programs that offer free or reduced-cost meals.

Auto and home insurance

Car and home insurance policies have been hit with aggressive rate hikes in recent years. Although insurance price increases are expected to slow this year, premiums are still rising in many parts of the country.

“If you are in an area that has had a lot of flooding or an area that has had a lot of fires, insurance is going up a lot,” Burrus says. “In some places, insurers are leaving.”

Parts of California and disaster-prone Gulf Coast states could see home insurance premiums rise by more than 20 percent, according to California-based insurance agency Inszone Insurance Services. California, Nevada, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C., will see the biggest jumps in auto insurance rates this year, according to ValuePenguin’s State of Auto Insurance in 2026 report.

How to save: You might save hundreds to thousands of dollars on your auto and home insurance premiums by switching insurers. Consider using an independent insurance broker or an online marketplace, such as Insure.com, NerdWallet or Policygenius, to obtain quotes from multiple insurers and find the best rate. Also, make sure you’re taking advantage of discounts that can lower your premiums, such as bundling auto and home insurance with the same insurer.

Clothes and footwear

Tariffs hit the apparel industry particularly hard in 2025, because almost all clothing sold in America is imported. “It appears that U.S. retailers have done nearly everything in their power to keep from passing new tariffs onto their customers,” says Ben Johnston, chief operating officer of small business lender Kapitus. “However, in the coming months, we expect to reach the limits of these strategies and expect prices to rise to reflect the true cost the tariffs have imposed.”

The Budget Lab at Yale University estimates that tariffs could lead to a 21 percent increase in the price of clothing over the next couple of years. Prices on shoes and other leather products could increase by nearly 22 percent.

How to save: Taking advantage of end-of-season sales or buying secondhand apparel at consignment stores or online resellers can help lower costs. Or, upgrade your wardrobe without spending a dime by hosting a clothing swap with friends.

Smartphones and computers

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence has created a shortage of memory chips, which are used in a variety of electronics such as smartphones and computers. “When there are [chip] shortages, prices go up,” Burrus says.

A December 2025 report from market research firm Counterpoint Research predicts that smartphone prices will increase nearly 7 percent in 2026 as a result of chip shortages. Prices for lower-cost smartphones in particular could rise even higher, according to a December 2025 study from market intelligence firm International Data Corporation (IDC).

Computers will also be more expensive as a result of the chip shortage. According to IDC, computer manufacturers Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo have confirmed they’re raising computer prices by 15 to 20 percent in 2026.

How to save: If you need to replace a computer or smartphone this year, consider buying a refurbished model. Major tech brands and retailers sell pre-owned electronics, often at deep discounts and with warranties.

Jewelry

Gold, silver and platinum prices hit all-time highs in 2025, and they’re expected to rise this year as well, says Josh Glawson, content manager for precious metals dealer MoneyMetals.com. That meant higher prices for jewelry last year, with gold jewelry prices rising 12 percent in the first half of 2025, while silver jewelry prices jumped 42 percent on average in 2025.

Jewelry prices could rise at even faster rates this year, Glawson says, depending on the uptick in prices for precious metals in 2026.

How to save: Rather than heading to your favorite jewelry store, consider buying used at a consignment shop, estate sale or antique store. Resale websites like Poshmark, The RealReal and Store 5a also offer deals on used jewelry.

Shipping

Sending care packages to your kids or grandkids will cost more in 2026 — the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has already announced price increases for its shipping services.

On Jan. 18, prices will increase by 6.6 percent on average for Priority Mail shipping, 5.1 percent for Priority Mail Express and 7.8 percent for USPS Ground Advantage. In addition, the Postal Service said in a September 2025 statement that it plans to raise the price of the Forever stamp, which is currently 78 cents and covers the cost to mail a 1-ounce letter, in mid-2026, though it didn’t specify the size of the increase.

How to save money: Use price calculator tools on the USPS, UPS and FedEx websites to compare rates. Reuse boxes you’ve received from online orders to avoid paying extra for packages from the Postal Service or other shipping services. And, if you’re still paying utilities and other monthly bills via paper checks in the mail, save money on postage by signing up for paperless billing and automatic bill payments, if you haven’t already.

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Cameron Huddleston is an award-winning personal finance journalist and author of Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk: How to Have Essential Conversations With Your Parents About Their Finances. Her work has appeared in Kiplinger.com, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Forbes Advisor, Chicago Tribune, Business Insider and many more online and print publications.