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

LIBERTY COUNTY, Ga. — 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. Other things simply had to go. "We don't buy ice cream no more because it's expensive," Reyes says. "It's kind of sad, but we have to do it like that."

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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.

Since 2018, NPR has tracked the prices of dozens of items at this suburban Walmart superstore. Walmart is America's most popular retailer and the world's largest, which gives it the power to negotiate with suppliers for some of the lowest and most stable prices.

Here's what we learned on our latest price-check visit, in December. (Or skip the analysis to see the full details of NPR's shopping cart.)

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.

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