Millions face grocery bill financial stress, data finds

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Millions of Australians are struggling to afford their weekly groceries, new data has found.

Research from Finder found that 40 per cent of Australians – equivalent to 3.7 million households – said their grocery bill was a major financial stressor.

That figure has more than doubled over the past four years.

Unions, farmers and the consumer watchdog spoke about the prize squeeze being felt across the country as whistleblower Abdel Badura blamed the grocery giants.

The research comes as Woolworths and Coles over their rising profits at a Senate inquiry in Canberra today.

Finder’s Graham Cooke said rising costs had put pressure on household budgets, which were already stretched thin.

“We’ve seen grocery stress more than double over the last two years, driven by these large price hikes,” he said.

According to the data, the average household spent $191 per week on groceries in April, that’s $9932 per year.

Finder analysed a basket of 23 everyday goods, with average prices from 2022 and 2024, using data from Woolworths and Coles.

They found Australians are paying around $406 more compared to $361 in 2022, an average increase of over 12 per cent.

Cooke said it was best to take advantage of supermarket reward programs and sticking to a shopping list were some ways people could save.

“The best thing you can do is shop around at various supermarkets – or even cast your net a bit wider, he said.

“Online stores like Amazon often offer pantry goods at lower prices than the big two.”