Kevin McCallister’s grocery run in “Home Alone” was a cinematic bargain when compared to the prices Americans pay today.
The fictional eight-year-old played by actor Macaulay Culkin famously walked out of a Chicago-area grocery store with milk, orange juice, white bread, frozen dinners, detergent, paper goods and even toy soldiers for just $19.83 — a total that has gone viral in recent years as Americans grapple with soaring food costs.
Repricing that same cart in 2025 tells a very different story.
Using current prices from a grocery store near the McCallister family’s suburban home, Kevin’s haul would now ring up at $53.95 before tax — or $52.95 with his $1-off coupon — a 167% increase over 35 years, according to calculations done by USA Today.
The original haul included a half gallon of milk, a half gallon of orange juice, a loaf of large white bread, a TV dinner, frozen mac and cheese, Tide liquid detergent, Saran wrap, dryer sheets, toilet paper and a bag of toy soldiers.
The sticker shock reflects a broader reality facing US households, as grocery prices, which surged sharply between 2019 and 2024, remain stubbornly high.
According to the Consumer Price Index, food at home climbed 27.5% over that five-year span.
The sharpest increases hit between mid-2021 and mid-2023, when pandemic-era supply chain disruptions collided with rising energy costs, labor shortages and global instability.
While inflation slowed in 2024, prices never retreated.
Eggs delivered one of the most punishing hits.
The average price for a dozen Grade A large eggs jumped from $1.40 in 2019 to $3.17 in 2024 — a 127% surge — after repeated outbreaks of avian influenza wiped out millions of egg-laying hens.
At the peak of the crisis, prices hit an all-time high of roughly $4.82 per dozen in early 2023.
Sugar followed close behind as prices climbed about 68%, rising from roughly 59 cents a pound to nearly $1.
The cost of bread rose about 52%, climbing from $1.30 per pound in 2019 to $1.97 in 2024 as wheat prices, fuel costs and geopolitical tensions strained global grain markets.
Coffee drinkers weren’t spared, either. A pound of coffee jumped more than 45%, from $4.34 to $6.32 due to climate-related disruptions which hit major producers like Brazil and Vietnam.
Meat prices followed the same upward march.
Ground beef rose from $3.81 per pound to $5.39, while beef steaks climbed from $7.68 to $10.70 — roughly a 40% increase — as drought and shrinking cattle herds squeezed supply.
Chicken prices rose about 34%, fueled by avian flu outbreaks, higher feed costs and rising labor expenses across processing plants.
Milk prices climbed more steadily, but still sharply.
The average price per gallon increased about 31%, rising from $3.04 in 2019 to $3.98 in 2024 after peaking at $4.39 in 2023 amid volatile feed markets and strong global demand.
Even baby formula, already under scrutiny after the 2022 shortage, saw prices jump roughly 33% per ounce between 2019 and 2024.
Fresh fruits and vegetables posted the smallest increase, but still climbed about 23%, reflecting higher labor, transportation and fertilizer costs, along with weather-related supply disruptions.
