Hawaiʻi ranks third in nation for highest grocery bills, according to LendingTree report

Maui residents who’ve been finding their wallets lighter after paying for groceries now have a report from LendingTree.com to help check out their pain, and the good news is that island residents don’t live in Utah.

A new analysis by LendingTree shows that Hawaiʻi residents are among those paying the most for groceries nationwide. Locals spend, on average, $10,783 annually per household, 32% more than the national average.

Averaged over every day of the year, 365 days, an average island resident’s grocery cost is $29.54, every day.

LendingTree examined grocery spending in all 50 states and found that Hawaiʻi households allocate about 8.4% of their income to grocery costs (food only). That figure slightly outpaces the national average of 7.4%.

Nationwide, American households spend an average of $8,167 per year on groceries. In comparison, Utah tops the list for the highest grocery bills, with households spending an average of $11,884 annually — 45.5% above the national average. Alaska ranks second with $11,180 per household, and Hawaiʻi, third. The report did not provide the impact of grocery bills on Neighbor Island residents.

The report also looked at the widening price gap between organic and conventional produce. Analysts found that, on average, organic fruits and vegetables cost 52.6% more than their conventional counterparts.

The price disparity is more striking for certain items: of the 68 organic products reviewed, one in four cost at least 75% more, and half cost at least 50% more than the non-organic versions.

With many residents already feeling the pinch at the checkout counter, the report highlights the continued challenge of balancing healthy food choices with affordability — especially in a state where cost of living remains one of the highest in the country.

One of the major contributing factors to costs for groceries is overseas and inter-island shipping. Inter-island barge company Young Brothers is asking the Public Utilities Commission for a “temporary” rate increase and tariff changes.

In February, the carrier company sought an order granting it a temporary rate increase to be implemented in two steps -– a first-step increase of 20% by April and a second-step increase of 5% by July.

These temporary rate increases would be applied evenly across all regulated cargo rates. For more efficient service lines requiring less cargo handling, rates would increase by 20% to 35%. Services requiring additional or special handling will increase by 35% to 45%.

• An in-person meeting is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. April 30 at Pu‘u Kukui Elementary School cafeteria in Wailuku. 
• On Lānaʻi, an in-person meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. May 1 at the Lānaʻi Senior Center on 7th Street.

To read the full LendingTree report, click here.