Egg Prices Are Soaring. Here Are 6 Ways to Save

Shopping around, buying in bulk and other strategies can help cut costs

Donna Fuscaldo and Daniel Bortz,

Updated February 27, 2025

AARP

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En español

Published October 10, 2024

/ Updated February 27, 2025

a basket of eggs and eggs arranged in rows on a blue field

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Feb. 26 a $1 billion plan to combat egg shortages and rising consumer prices. The investment, which includes funding to upgrade biosecurity measures at poultry farms and provide financial relief to farmers whose flocks have been decimated by the avian flu outbreak, comes at a time when egg costs jumped an eye-popping 53 percent year-over-year in January, according to the Consumer Price Index, while the overall inflation rate was just 3 percent over that period. The average price for a dozen large eggs climbed to $4.95 in January, up from $2.52 a year prior.

More than 166 million egg-laying hens have died or been culled since 2022 in an attempt to mitigate the bird flu outbreak that has ravaged the nation's egg industry, according to USDA data, driving up egg prices to record highs. “The price of eggs is affected by many factors, including consumer demand thanks to diets like KETO, inflation and, most notably, the bird flu, which has been making the rounds since early 2022,” says shopping expert Trae Bodge.

Some grocers are limiting the number of egg cartons customers can purchase, while others are sold out. Trader Joe's is capping egg purchases to one dozen per customer, per day, at all of its 600-plus locations nationwide. Meanwhile, Costco shoppers are now limited to three packages of eggs at a time, which are typically sold in two-dozen or four-dozen cartons at the warehouse retailer.

Egg prices at restaurants are also going up. On Feb. 4 Waffle House, which has more than 1,900 locations in 25 states, implemented a temporary 50-cent per-egg surcharge because of the widespread bird flu outbreak.

The good news is there are ways to save.

1. Shop around

Finding big sales on eggs, especially when there is more demand than supply, is tough, but shopping around could lead to savings. You can check out egg prices at a few local grocery stores and purchase accordingly. There are also apps like Flashfood, which partners with grocery stores around the country to help them sell items at a discount that are in surplus or are nearing their “sell by” date. Similar apps include Imperfect Foods and Misfits Market.

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2. Buy in bulk

This strategy could make sense if you cook eggs for your family regularly, since Bodge says the per-egg price is often cheaper when you purchase them in bulk at a warehouse club. To make them last longer, keep your store-bought eggs in the fridge in their original carton on the coolest shelf. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the shelf life for eggs is three to five weeks if properly stored.

3. Tap government programs

Food insecurity is a big problem for many older adults. According to an AARP Public Policy Institute report, about 10 percent of Americans ages 50 and older faced the threat of hunger in 2022. To combat that, the federal government operates the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Formerly known as food stamps, the program provides eligible individuals with monthly benefits to purchase groceries at participating supermarkets and farmers’ markets. To be eligible for SNAP, your monthly income must be less than 130 percent of the poverty line in the U.S.

The Senior Box Program is another federally funded assistance program for adults 60-plus with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level. With this program, you can get a box of food, which includes eggs, for free once a month. The food is purchased by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which works with local nonprofits to distribute the boxes.

4. Stick to store brands

Many supermarket chains have store brands that tend to be cheaper than household names, and that’s true of eggs. At Walmart, for example, a 12-count package of Eggland’s Best eggs recently sold for $6.40, while Walmart’s Great Value brand eggs were priced at $5.97 for the same count.

5. Change your breakfast order

Waffle House — which serves around 272 million eggs per year, according to its website — is passing the costs of higher egg prices onto customers, at least temporarily, and other restaurant chains could follow suit. One simple step diners can take to avoid higher prices is to stop ordering egg dishes.

6. Consider using egg substitutes when baking and cooking

While you wrestle with higher egg prices at the grocery store, now is a good time to consider less-expensive egg substitutes for baking and cooking. Depending on the dish you're preparing, you may be able to replace eggs with alternatives like vinegar and baking soda, flaxseeds, chai seeds or even mayonnaise. “If you bake, eggs can easily be replaced by a mixture of flaxseed meal and water,” says Bodge, “especially in many cookies and sweet breads, like banana bread.”

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Donna Fuscaldo is a contributing writer and editor focusing on personal finance and health. She has spent over two decades writing and covering news for several national publications including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Investopedia and HerMoney.

Daniel Bortz is a personal finance editor at AARP, where he writes and edits money content for the website, from saving and budgeting to building wealth and money management skills. His work has been published by the New York Times, the Washington Post, Consumer Reports, Entrepreneur, Kiplinger, Newsweek, Money and other national publications.

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