Cost Comparison

Below is a table that you will find informational with a cost comparison between eating in and eating out for the average American.

You can also download a Low-Cost food planning guide here.


Table 3—Food away from home: Total expenditures1
Year Eating and drinking places2 Hotels and motels2 Retail stores, direct selling3 Recreational places4 Schools and colleges5 All other6 Total7
  Million dollars
1929 2,101 362 -- -- 175 1,483 4,121
1933 1,235 250 -- -- 105 869 2,459
1935 1,257 271 -- -- 161 1,145 2,834
1936 1,430 320 -- -- 175 1,236 3,161
1937 1,696 351 -- -- 194 1,375 3,616
1938 1,626 312 -- -- 191 1,260 3,389
1939 1,782 321 -- -- 203 1,307 3,613
1940 1,938 353 -- -- 219 1,385 3,895
1941 2,369 386 -- -- 263 1,781 4,799
1942 2,992 453 -- -- 310 2,539 6,294
1943 3,837 604 -- -- 332 3,572 8,345
1944 4,471 681 -- -- 326 4,415 9,893
1945 5,218 736 -- -- 373 4,908 11,235
1946 5,859 846 -- -- 525 3,802 11,032
1947 6,243 854 -- -- 842 3,864 11,803
1948 6,338 846 -- -- 983 4,069 12,236
1949 6,294 786 -- -- 979 3,943 12,002
1950 6,472 774 -- -- 1,051 4,172 12,469
1951 7,172 783 -- -- 1,124 5,167 14,246
1952 7,549 805 -- -- 1,138 5,435 14,927
1953 7,834 790 -- -- 1,215 5,392 15,231
1954 8,008 752 1,416 274 1,311 3,676 15,437
1955 8,490 809 1,468 313 1,390 3,539 16,009
1956 8,992 875 1,534 354 1,530 3,506 16,791
1957 9,409 932 1,592 342 1,661 3,609 17,545
1958 9,447 922 1,599 356 1,809 3,756 17,889
1959 10,102 982 1,677 385 1,949 3,739 18,834
1960 10,505 1,028 1,716 421 2,082 3,855 19,607
1961 10,907 1,061 1,740 452 2,264 3,961 20,385
1962 11,624 1,134 1,812 472 2,463 4,090 21,595
1963 12,247 1,200 1,854 484 2,624 4,148 22,557
1964 13,156 1,289 1,988 496 2,814 4,279 24,022
1965 14,444 1,409 2,162 522 3,062 4,598 26,197
1966 15,768 1,541 2,346 544 3,329 5,173 28,701
1967 16,595 1,623 2,436 563 3,632 5,570 30,419
1968 18,695 1,703 2,713 616 3,903 5,830 33,460
1969 20,207 1,716 2,984 661 4,256 6,291 36,115
1970 22,617 1,894 3,325 721 4,475 6,551 39,583
1971 24,166 2,086 3,626 762 4,990 6,621 42,251
1972 27,167 2,390 3,811 832 5,370 7,017 46,587
1973 31,265 2,639 4,218 963 5,605 7,960 52,650
1974 34,029 2,864 4,520 1,167 6,287 9,178 58,045
1975 41,384 3,199 4,952 1,369 7,060 10,145 68,109
1976 47,536 3,769 5,341 1,511 7,854 10,822 76,833
1977 52,491 4,115 5,663 2,606 8,413 11,547 84,835
1978 60,042 4,863 6,323 2,810 9,034 13,012 96,084
1979 68,872 5,551 7,157 2,921 9,914 14,756 109,171
1980 75,883 5,906 8,158 3,040 11,115 16,194 120,296
1981 83,358 6,639 8,830 2,979 11,357 17,751 130,914
1982 90,390 6,888 9,256 2,887 11,692 18,663 139,776
1983 98,710 7,660 9,827 3,271 12,338 19,077 150,883
1984 105,836 8,409 10,315 3,489 12,950 20,047 161,046
1985 111,760 9,168 10,499 3,737 13,534 20,133 168,831
1986 121,699 9,665 11,116 4,059 14,401 20,755 181,695
1987 137,190 11,117 11,860 4,396 13,470 21,122 199,155
1988 150,724 11,905 12,972 5,082 13,889 22,471 217,044
1989 160,226 12,179 14,153 6,089 14,609 24,005 231,261
1990 171,616 12,508 15,764 7,206 15,299 25,744 248,137
1991 180,062 12,460 16,514 7,936 16,186 26,379 259,536
1992 184,860 13,204 13,596 8,513 17,666 27,128 264,968
1993 197,987 13,362 13,705 9,365 18,330 27,216 279,965
1994 207,545 13,880 14,008 10,107 19,271 27,655 292,467
1995 216,091 14,211 14,040 11,081 20,064 28,110 303,596
1996 223,546 14,553 14,057 11,515 20,867 28,597 313,135
1997 237,475 15,381 13,765 12,283 21,901 31,006 331,810
1998 250,495 16,069 14,872 13,048 23,053 32,053 349,590
1999 261,527 16,710 16,493 13,839 23,920 33,461 365,951
2000 282,235 18,003 16,932 14,662 24,468 35,157 391,457
2001 289,331 20,813 18,056 15,316 25,394 35,794 404,705
2002 300,753 21,812 19,753 16,235 26,735 36,158 421,445
2003 317,522 22,049 19,701 16,811 28,077 37,748 441,907
2004 338,147 22,543 20,010 17,498 29,287 39,377 466,862
2005 359,904 22,923 20,508 18,297 30,271 41,582 493,485
2006 389,629 23,093 23,604 19,087 30,897 42,769 529,080
2007 411,043 23,178 24,533 20,174 31,854 44,954 555,735
-- = Not available.
1See Developing an Integrated Information System for the Food Sector, AER-575, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, August 1987, for a description of USDA total food expenditures.
2Includes tips.
3Includes vending machine operators but not vending machines operated by organization.
4Motion picture theaters, bowling alleys, pool parlors, sports arenas, camps, amusement parks, golf and country clubs (includes concessions beginning in 1977).
5Includes school food subsidies.
6Military exchanges and clubs; railroad dining cars; airlines; food service in manufacturing plants, institutions, hospitals, boarding houses, fraternities and sororities, and civic and social organizations; and food supplied to military forces, civilian employees and child day care.
7Computed from unrounded data.