Typical Relative Costs Of Fruits and Vegetables

Prices for fruits and vegetables in U.S. grocery stores and farm markets, in fresh and processed forms, vary widely. While prices vary from season to season; the positions in the charts rarely varies greatly. In other words, per pound, Blackberries, raspberries and cherries are always among the most expensive fruits, while bananas and watermelons are the least expensive.

Below are the most recent comparison charts produced by the government. And while the information is dated, it has remained consistently true in a relative fashion.

For the most current retail costs, see these pages:

• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Snack Substitutions

The Blue and green tables are from 2013 data. The red tables use 1999 data.

Fruit prices ranged from 32 cents per pound for fresh watermelon to $4.00 per pound for prunes. Among vegetables, prices ranged from 31 cents per pound for fresh potatoes to $4.57 per pound for frozen asparagus spears. Purchase Price Versus Serving Price - Fruit Among the 25 different types of fresh fruit, prices ranged from 32 cents per pound for watermelon to $3.94 per pound for blackberries, with a weightedaverage price of 71 cents per pound and a median price of 97 cents (fig. 1a). Only grapefruit, bananas, and the three types of melons cost less than the weighted-average price. However, these five fruits accounted for 56 percent of fresh fruit pounds purchased in 1999.

How much does fresh fruit cost to buy? Figure 1a Dollars per pound Source: ACNielsen Homescan, 1999. The weighted average price for all fresh fruit was $0.71 per pound and the price difference between the most and least expensive item was $3.62 per pound.