Monthly data for restaurant owners, bookkeepers and writers
Plate Cost Index
In October 2026 the main ingredients of the 12 index plates cost $37.60 in total at average U.S. store prices, down 1.7% from September 2025 (BLS published no prices for October 2025) and down 0.1% from the month before. Index: 110.9 (May 2023 = 100).
Latest complete month October 2026. Built 2026-11-12 from BLS data; a month counts once BLS has published a price for every ingredient.
What 12 plates cost in October 2026
| Plate | Cost | vs month before | vs September 2025 | Last 24 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheeseburger with fries | $4.02 | +0.5% | +4.8% | |
| Bacon and eggs breakfast | $2.37 | 0.0% | -12.6% | |
| Grilled chicken sandwich | $2.53 | -0.2% | +0.3% | |
| Sirloin steak with baked potato | $9.52 | -1.6% | -2.5% | |
| Spaghetti with meat sauce | $3.01 | +0.9% | +7.9% | |
| Chicken legs with rice and beans | $1.51 | +0.2% | -1.1% | |
| Pork chop with potatoes | $2.71 | -0.7% | -4.4% | |
| Three-egg cheese omelette with toast | $1.54 | +1.0% | -16.8% | |
| Beef stew bowl | $3.90 | +1.7% | +0.2% | |
| Ham and cheese sandwich | $2.56 | -0.5% | -0.7% | |
| BLT sandwich | $2.18 | +1.9% | -2.7% | |
| Macaroni and cheese | $1.76 | +0.1% | +1.9% | |
| All 12 plates | $37.60 | -0.1% | -1.7% |
Against September 2025 the plate that rose most is spaghetti with meat sauce (+7.9%); the one at the other end is three-egg cheese omelette with toast (-16.8%).
Months since May 2023 with no index because BLS published no price for at least one ingredient: October 2025, November 2025, December 2025, February 2026. They are left empty, not estimated.
The prices behind it
| BLS item | Price per unit | vs September 2025 | BLS series |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pork chops, per lb | $4.18 | -4.0% | APU0000FD3101 |
| Bacon, sliced, per lb | $6.69 | -8.3% | APU0000704111 |
| Beans, dried, any type, per lb | $1.68 | +3.1% | APU0000714233 |
| Beef for stew, boneless, per lb | $8.67 | -0.1% | APU0000703432 |
| Bread, white, pan, per lb (also buns, tortillas, pita) | $1.86 | -0.3% | APU0000702111 |
| Butter, stick, per lb | $3.98 | -16.9% | APU0000FS1101 |
| Cheddar cheese, natural, per lb | $6.13 | +1.3% | APU0000710212 |
| Chicken breast, boneless, per lb | $4.10 | -1.7% | APU0000FF1101 |
| Chicken legs, bone-in, per lb | $1.75 | -2.7% | APU0000706212 |
| Eggs, grade A, large, per doz (per egg) | $0.19 | -33.5% | APU0000708111 |
| Flour, white, all purpose, per lb | $0.54 | -4.8% | APU0000701111 |
| Ground beef, 100% beef, per lb | $6.75 | +6.8% | APU0000703112 |
| Ham, boneless, excluding canned, per lb | $5.26 | -4.0% | APU0000704312 |
| Lettuce, iceberg, per lb | $1.96 | +13.3% | APU0000712211 |
| Milk, fresh, whole, fortified, per gal (per fl oz) | $0.03 | -0.7% | APU0000709112 |
| Potatoes, white, per lb | $0.99 | -2.4% | APU0000712112 |
| Rice, white, long grain, uncooked, per lb | $1.10 | +3.9% | APU0000701312 |
| Spaghetti and macaroni, per lb | $1.38 | +14.9% | APU0000701322 |
| Steak, sirloin, USDA Choice, boneless, per lb | $13.85 | -2.0% | APU0000703613 |
| Tomatoes, field grown, per lb | $2.08 | +9.1% | APU0000712311 |
How the index is made
Each plate is a fixed basket of main ingredients, written once and kept the same every month, so a change in the number is a change in prices and nothing else. The weights are as-purchased amounts for one plate:
- Cheeseburger with fries: 6 oz ground beef, 2.5 oz bread, 1 oz cheddar cheese, 1 oz lettuce, 1.5 oz tomatoes, 8 oz potatoes
- Bacon and eggs breakfast: 2 eggs, 3 oz bacon, 2 oz bread, 6 oz potatoes, 0.5 oz butter
- Grilled chicken sandwich: 6 oz chicken breast, 2.5 oz bread, 1 oz cheddar cheese, 1 oz lettuce, 1.5 oz tomatoes
- Sirloin steak with baked potato: 10 oz steak, 10 oz potatoes, 1 oz butter
- Spaghetti with meat sauce: 4 oz spaghetti and macaroni, 4 oz ground beef, 6 oz tomatoes, 0.5 oz cheddar cheese
- Chicken legs with rice and beans: 10 oz chicken legs, 3 oz rice, 2 oz beans
- Pork chop with potatoes: 8 oz all pork chops, 8 oz potatoes, 0.5 oz butter
- Three-egg cheese omelette with toast: 3 eggs, 1.5 oz cheddar cheese, 0.5 oz butter, 2 oz bread, 1 fl oz milk
- Beef stew bowl: 6 oz beef for stew, 6 oz potatoes, 2 oz tomatoes, 0.5 oz flour
- Ham and cheese sandwich: 4 oz ham, 1.5 oz cheddar cheese, 3 oz bread, 1 oz lettuce, 1.5 oz tomatoes
- BLT sandwich: 3 oz bacon, 1.5 oz lettuce, 3 oz tomatoes, 3 oz bread
- Macaroni and cheese: 4 oz spaghetti and macaroni, 3 oz cheddar cheese, 4 fl oz milk, 0.5 oz butter, 0.25 oz flour
For every month, each ingredient amount is multiplied by that month's U.S. city average price from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Average Price Data, and the lines are added up. The index is the cost of all 12 plates together, divided by its value in May 2023 and multiplied by 100. The page is rebuilt by a script from the BLS series linked in the table above; no number is typed by hand.
What it does not tell you
These are average retail store prices. A restaurant buys from distributors at different prices, in different pack sizes, so the dollar amounts are not your plate cost. What the index shows is the direction of retail ingredient prices; your invoices can move differently, and only they tell you your own cost.
The baskets hold main ingredients only. Oil, seasoning, sauces, garnish, packaging, labor and rent are not in them, and the recipes are ours, written to stay fixed, not taken from any restaurant. The index covers only the 20 BLS items listed above; fish, most vegetables and dairy other than milk, butter and cheddar are not in it.
Your own number needs your own invoices. The free food cost and menu price calculator works it out for one dish from what a batch costs you.
Use and citation
The figures may be quoted, charted and republished free of charge with a link to this page as the source. Suggested credit: Plate Cost Index, Bardach Technologies LLC, from BLS Average Price Data. The underlying prices are public data of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; BLS does not endorse this index.
Made by Bardach Technologies LLC. We also run Larderly Monthly, a separate paid service that costs a restaurant's whole menu from its own supplier invoices and updates it every month (USD 29 a month). This page is free and needs no sign-up; nothing is charged on this page. See Larderly Monthly