Food prices
Ice cream prices
Ice cream (prepackaged, bulk, regular) cost $5.85 a half gallon on average in U.S. cities in August 2026, 10% less than a year earlier (BLS series APU0000710411). The peak in this series since 2019 was $6.50 in August 2025.
Ice cream cost 10% less than a year ago
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, average price data, series APU0000710411 (Ice cream, prepackaged, bulk, regular, per 1/2 gal. (1.9 lit)), through August 2026.
Year by year
| Year | Average | Highest month | Lowest month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (January to August) | $6.08 | $6.26 | $5.84 |
| 2025 (BLS published no October figure) | $6.37 | $6.50 | $6.14 |
| 2024 | $6.13 | $6.45 | $5.73 |
| 2023 | $5.90 | $6.04 | $5.72 |
| 2022 | $5.43 | $5.75 | $4.99 |
| 2021 | $4.89 | $5.01 | $4.68 |
| 2020 | $4.92 | $5.09 | $4.82 |
| 2019 | $4.81 | $4.98 | $4.63 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A year in progress is marked with its months; a month BLS did not publish is named.
What a dollar buys
At $5.85 a half gallon, ice cream cost $0.27 for 100 calories, by USDA's record for the food as sold (FDC 167575, Ice creams, vanilla; 16 half cups of 66 g).
| Item | Price | USDA record | 100 g of protein | 100 calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eggs | $2.27 a dozen | FDC 171287 (12 large eggs of 50 g) | $3.01 | $0.26 |
| Chicken breast | $4.17 a pound | FDC 171077 (1 lb) | $4.09 | $0.77 |
| Cheddar cheese | $5.98 a pound | FDC 173414 (1 lb) | $5.77 | $0.33 |
| Ground beef | $6.92 a pound | FDC 174036 (1 lb, 80% lean record) | $8.89 | $0.60 |
| Bacon | $6.61 a pound | FDC 168277 (1 lb, raw) | $10.66 | $0.37 |
| Sugar | $1.02 a pound | FDC 169655 (1 lb) | not a protein food | $0.06 |
| Rice | $1.11 a pound | FDC 168877 (1 lb, uncooked) | not a protein food | $0.07 |
| Butter | $4.02 a pound | FDC 173410 (1 lb) | not a protein food | $0.12 |
| Bread | $1.82 a pound | FDC 174924 (1 lb) | not a protein food | $0.15 |
| Milk | $4.23 a gallon | FDC 171265 (4 quarts of 976 g) | not a protein food | $0.18 |
| Ice cream | $5.85 a half gallon | FDC 167575 (16 half cups of 66 g) | not a protein food | $0.27 |
| Potatoes | $0.98 a pound | FDC 170026 (1 lb) | not a protein food | $0.28 |
| Lettuce | $1.47 a pound | FDC 169248 (1 lb) | not a protein food | $2.32 |
| Tomatoes | $1.98 a pound | FDC 170457 (1 lb) | not a protein food | $2.42 |
Source: BLS average prices, August 2026; USDA FoodData Central, per 100 g as sold.
The price index for dairy & related products
The consumer price index for dairy & related products (CPI-U, seasonally adjusted, BLS series CUSR0000SEFJ) stood at 272.1 in August 2026, 0.3% lower than a year earlier: the category as a whole, where the average price above is one item.