The market basket costs in the Thrifty Food Plan, 2021 apply to the contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia. By law, the USDA must make cost adjustments to the Thrifty Food Plan to reflect the cost of food in Hawaii. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) regulations currently call for a cost adjustment to the Thrifty Food Plan for Hawaii to reflect the cost of food in Honolulu.
In December 2024, FNS issued a proposed rule that would revise this requirement such that cost of the Thrifty Food Plan in Hawaii would instead be based on an adjustment for the price of food in the state of Hawaii, ensuring that SNAP benefit allotments better reflect food prices faced by participants throughout the state.
The Statewide Thrifty Food Plan Cost Estimate for Hawaii report describes the process used to calculate a new Thrifty Food Plan cost estimate for Hawaii that is based on the best currently available food price data from throughout the state of Hawaii in alignment with the proposed rule. This report uses the same peer-reviewed methodology as the Thrifty Food Plan Cost Estimates for Alaska and Hawaii report, published by FNS in 2023. The report is also accompanied by an online supplement, which contains detailed information on the food prices used to calculate the updated Thrifty Food Plan cost estimate for Hawaii and enables users to reproduce the results of the analysis. The Thrifty Food Plan cost estimate described in this report is scientific information that describes the cost of a healthy, practical, cost-effective diet in the state of Hawaii; its publication does not imply implementation by USDA programs, such as SNAP.