(NEXSTAR) – As grocery prices continue to march higher, some U.S. cities are feeling the burden more than others, a new study found.
Personal finance site WalletHub looked at 100 of the largest cities to see what percentage of the average household income is spent on common grocery items.
The analysis found that Detroiters spend a higher percentage of their incomes on groceries than residents of any other U.S. city, with a median cost of nearly 3.8%. While grocery prices were somewhat average – despite having the 10th-most expensive lettuce and the 17th-most expensive tuna, according to WalletHub – the average household income was the second lowest ($39,575).
Cleveland, with the lowest average household income of the cities analyzed ($39,187, according to the U.S. Census Bureau), was second on the list. Because of the lower income levels, the weekly cost of food makes up a larger portion of the paycheck, even with Cleveland enjoying relatively low prices for some items, such as whole milk, frying chicken, coffee and cornflakes, according to the study.
On the flip side, California cities San Francisco (1.22%), San Jose (1.16%) and Fremont (.96%) – where the average income is well over $100,000 – spent the smallest percentage of income, on average, at the grocery store.
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See the 10 cities where people spend the most – and least – below:
Highest percentage of income spent on groceries
| Rank | City | Cost as a Share of Median Monthly Household Income |
| 1. | Detroit, MI | 3.78% |
| 2. | Cleveland, OH | 3.77% |
| 3. | Birmingham, AL | 3.28% |
| 4. | Newark, NJ | 3.16% |
| 5. | Toledo, OH | 3.09% |
| 6. | Hialeah, FL | 3.00% |
| 7. | Buffalo, NY | 2.98% |
| 8. | Cincinnati, OH | 2.90% |
| 9. | Milwaukee, WI | 2.89% |
| 10. | Memphis, TN | 2.87% |
Lowest percentage of income spent on groceries
| Rank | City | Cost as a Share of Median Monthly Household Income |
| 91. | Scottsdale, AZ | 1.40% |
| 92. | Huntington Beach, CA | 1.33% |
| 93. | Santa Clarita, CA | 1.33% |
| 94. | Plano, TX | 1.33% |
| 95. | Seattle, WA | 1.32% |
| 96. | Gilbert, AZ | 1.24% |
| 97. | Irvine, CA | 1.23% |
| 98. | San Francisco, CA | 1.22% |
| 99. | San Jose, CA | 1.16% |
| 100. | Fremont, CA | 0.96% |
The full results are available on the WalletHub website.
Regardless of the city, many Americans don’t need inflation numbers to tell them that food is getting expensive – a recent Harris/Axios Vibes poll found that 47 percent of adults said groceries are harder on their budgets now than a year ago.
The cost of groceries shot up .6 percent from July to August, the greatest one-month increase in roughly three years, according to the Consumer Price Index. Over the past 12 months, grocery store items rose 2.7 percent.
Certain items, however, like coffee and beef, are far outpacing others thanks to a combination of drought, the Trump administration’s tariff’s and limited cattle supply, Nexstar’s NewsNation reports.
By late August, the average price for beef and veal had jumped 13.9% year over year, with coffee prices soaring 20.9%.
