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Private chef vs. groceries and takeout: what households actually spend

Official BLS and USDA figures on what households in New York, Miami and the U.S. spend on groceries and eating out, to compare against a weekly private chef.

How to use this page

A weekly chef replaces some grocery shopping, cooking time, and often some takeout or delivery. To compare fairly, start with what your own household spends on groceries and on food away from home each week, then compare that against a chef’s weekly price, checking whether the chef’s price includes groceries.

The figures below are official averages. Your own spending may be very different, and prices have changed since some of these surveys were taken.

What households spend on food (BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey)

Average annual food spending per household (“consumer unit”). Weekly figures are the annual figure divided by 52.
Area	Food at home / year	Food away from home / year	Food at home / week	All food / week
United States (2024)	$6,224	$3,945	$119.69	$195.56
New York metro (2023–24 avg.)	$7,033	$4,679	$135.25	$225.23
Miami metro (2023–24 avg.)	$5,331	$2,064	$102.52	$142.21

Source: bls.gov, bls.gov, bls.gov, checked Oct 24, 2026

Nationally in 2024, the average household spent $6,224 on food at home and $3,945 on food away from home.Source: bls.gov, checked Oct 24, 2026

New York-area households spent $7,033 on food at home and $4,679 on food away from home per year in 2023–24; the average New York-area household had 2.5 people.Source: bls.gov, checked Oct 24, 2026

Miami-area households spent $5,331 on food at home and $2,064 on food away from home per year in 2023–24; the average Miami-area household had 2.4 people.Source: bls.gov, checked Oct 24, 2026

BLS cautions that metro-area samples are much smaller than the national sample, and that prices for many goods have changed since the survey was conducted.Source: bls.gov, checked Oct 24, 2026

What a home-cooked diet costs (USDA Food Plans)

Weekly grocery cost, U.S. average, September 2026 (issued October 2026). Our arithmetic using USDA’s published per-person costs and USDA’s own method. Two adults = female + male age 19–50 (20–50 for the Thrifty plan) plus USDA’s 10% two-person adjustment. Family of four = USDA reference family (two adults, children 6–8 and 9–11).
USDA plan	Two adults / week	Family of four / week
Thrifty plan	$145.42	$236.30
Low-cost plan	$150.81	$260.10
Moderate-cost plan	$186.45	$320.50
Liberal plan	$232.54	$388.00

Source: fns.usda.gov, fns.usda.gov, fns.usda.gov, checked Oct 24, 2026

USDA’s food plans assume all meals and snacks are prepared at home, and are U.S. averages rather than city-specific costs.Source: fns.usda.gov, checked Oct 24, 2026

USDA says to calculate a household’s cost by summing the costs for each person and then applying a size adjustment: add 10 percent for a two-person household, and no adjustment for four people.Source: fns.usda.gov, checked Oct 24, 2026

USDA’s figures cover groceries only. They do not include the time spent shopping and cooking, or any delivery or takeout.

Putting it side by side

When you compare a weekly chef against these figures, line up like with like: a chef price that includes groceries should be compared against your groceries plus the takeout and delivery it would replace, not against groceries alone.

NetChefs (our own service)NetChefs Daily lists three weekly plans that include chef time, grocery sourcing and delivery: Small at $400 a week for two adults, Medium at $500 a week for two adults and one or two kids, and Large at $600 a week for two adults and three or more kids.Source: netchefs.net, checked Oct 24, 2026

NetChefs (our own service)NetChefs does not publish per-guest pricing for private chef events on its website; you request a quote through netchefs.net.Source: netchefs.net, checked Oct 24, 2026