How have prices changed in a year? NPR checked 114 items at Walmart

"What brings Greg Reyes to this Walmart south of Savannah are the low prices. He and his wife keep a close eye on their limited budget; she's retired and he's disabled. Their grocery list is always the same. But the prices have been changing. "I used to pay like $40 a year ago, and now we're paying like $60," Reyes says. In his bags today are some chicken, turkey and beef."

"The cost of living in the U.S. rose 2.7% in December compared with a year before, according to Tuesday's federal data. That's a steady slowdown after a yearslong stretch of intense inflation, but still painful. The past year also brought a global trade war, as President Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on nearly all imports. And the world continued to grapple with extreme weather, from droughts to downpours. All of this is showing up in our shopping carts."

"Prices in NPR's basket rose 5% on average last year. Almost half the items on NPR's shopping list got more expensive in 2025, including shrimp, Oreo cookies, Coca-Cola and Dove soap. Some price increases, notably on items made in China and Vietnam, appear to be tariff related. Other price hikes had to do with weather events affecting harvests of crops such as cacao and coffee beans."

Price checks at a suburban Walmart since 2018 show the U.S. cost of living rose 2.7% in December year-over-year, a slowdown from earlier intense inflation but still painful for shoppers. A tracked grocery basket rose about 5% on average last year. Nearly half of tracked items became more expensive, including shrimp, Oreo cookies, Coca-Cola and Dove soap, while just under a quarter declined, such as eggs, milk and Cheerios. Some price increases are linked to tariffs on imports from China and Vietnam; others stem from weather-related damage to crops like cacao and coffee. Many packaged foods remained unchanged.

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