The cost of rent differs from one U.S. city to the next, and so does the price for a decent restaurant meal or pint of beer. But do grocery prices differ as well? To find out the cost of a home-cooked meal across America, we looked at grocery costs in six major U.S. cities: New York City, Miami, Chicago, Minneapolis, Houston, and San Francisco.  1 In 78 percent ofSFAs, the reported cost of a reimbursable lunch was less than the USDA subsidy for a free lunch.Similarly, when the unit of analysis is the NSLP meal, 76 percent of all lunches served in SY 2005-06were produced at a reported cost that was less than the reimbursable rate for a free lunch. For the average SFA the full cost of producing a reimbursable lunchwas 25 percent higher than the reported cost (mean full cost of $2.91 vs. mean reported cost of$2.36). 56 The total Federal subsidy for free lunches in SY 2005-06 ($2.51) was less than the mean full cost ofproducing a lunch ($2.91). Step 2—Calculate all meals and meal equivalents Refer to the meal conversion formulas reviewed on the Meal Equivalency Worksheet and calculate all meals and meal equivalents Breakfast Meal Equivalents 96 x .66 = 63 Snack Meal Equivalents 54/3 = 18 A la Carte Meal Equivalents** $110/$2.4125 = 45. On this particular day, the school food service operation served 200 student lunches, 23 adult lunches, 96 breakfasts, 54 snacks in the afterschool care program, and had $110.00 in a la carte and extra milk sales. There was $619.55 in expenditures for the day. The Thrifty, Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost, and Liberal Food Plans each represent a nutritious diet at a different cost. The Thrifty Food Plan is the basis for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) allotments. (All files are PDFs unless otherwise noted.). 1 CNPP Food Prices Database, 2003-2004 (user's guide [pdf] , database [xls] , database [zip]). 2  CNPP Food Prices Database, 2001-02 (database [zip] , development report [pdf]). 3  The Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost, and Liberal Food Plans: 2007 Administrative Report. 4  Thrifty Food Plan, 2006 Report. 1 Cost Containment in the WIC Program: Vendor Peer Groups and Reimbursement Rates. 2  Prevalence of U.S. Food Insecurity Is Related to Changes in Unemployment, Inflation, and the Price of Food. 3  Methodology for the Quarterly Food-Away-from-Home Prices Data. 1 Methodology for the Quarterly Food-Away-from-Home Prices Data. 2  Deconstructing Wheat Price Spikes: A Model of Supply and Demand, Financial Speculation, and Commodity Price Comovement. 3  How Transportation Costs Affect Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Prices. Reported Costs Reported Cost per Reimbursable Meal Exhibit 9.1 presents the estimates of the mean reported cost of producing reimbursable lunches andbreakfasts. For the average SFA, the SY 1992-93 mean reported cost of producing a reimbursablelunch, in 2006 dollars, was $2.28, compared to $2.36 in SY 2005-06. For the average SFA the full cost of producing a reimbursable lunchwas 25 percent higher than the reported cost (mean full cost of $2.91 vs. mean reported cost of$2.36). 56 The total Federal subsidy for free lunches in SY 2005-06 ($2.51) was less than the mean full cost ofproducing a lunch ($2.91). A couple summers ago, I did a food series where I prepared a wide variety of meals for my family at under $10 per meal. Those meals fed four (at the time) of us quite well and often left food for the following day’s lunch for some of us. Thus, the cost for these meals was well under $2 per person per meal. Let’s say, though, that not all meals at home are going to be that inexpensive and assume you’re averaging $4 per meal per person prepared in the home. Given that there’s 18.2 meals eaten outside the home in an average month by the average American, the average meal outside the home costs a person $12.75. Again, that’s reasonable. You might eat an inexpensive lunch or two that’s below that number, then spend much more than that on a nicer dinner eaten outside the home. Components of the Full Cost of Reimbursable Lunches Exhibit 4.13 presents a summary of the components of the full cost of reimbursable lunches. 60 Forthe average SFA, food costs per reimbursable lunch were $1.09 in SY 2005-06, with mean labor costsof $1.39, and other costs averaging $0.43. For the average SFA the full cost of producing a reimbursable lunchwas 25 percent higher than the reported cost (mean full cost of $2.91 vs. mean reported cost of$2.36). 56 The total Federal subsidy for free lunches in SY 2005-06 ($2.51) was less than the mean full cost ofproducing a lunch ($2.91). At an average cost of $12.75 per meal, you’d save yourself $8.75 for each of those meals. In other words, the average American would save $36.75 per person per week by moving all of their meals from restaurants to home-prepared meals. Let’s look at a more realistic picture. Given that there’s 18.2 meals eaten outside the home in an average month by the average American, the average meal outside the home costs a person $12.75. Again, that’s reasonable. You might eat an inexpensive lunch or two that’s below that number, then spend much more than that on a nicer dinner eaten outside the home. USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food report for JUNE 2015 (46.49 KB). Official USDA Alaska and Hawaii Thrifty Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home (FIRST HALF 2015). 
http://www.thedailymeal.com/cost-meal-across-america http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/MealCostStudy.pdf http://www.nfsmi.org/documentLibraryFiles/PDF/20080208115859.pdf http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/USDAFoodPlansCostofFood http://ers.usda.gov/topics/food-markets-prices/food-prices,-expenditures-costs.aspx http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/MealCostStudy.pdf http://www.thesimpledollar.com/dont-eat-out-as-often-188365/ http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/MealCostStudy.pdf http://www.thesimpledollar.com/dont-eat-out-as-often-188365/ http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/USDAFoodPlansCostofFood/reports
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