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Here's How Much the Average American Over 65 Spends Dining Out Each Month

A look at what restaurant and takeout meals cost older households each month, and how that stacks up against everyone else.

By Chris Lewis, CEPF , Edited by Laura Hohenstein

Updated Nov. 10, 2026

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Eating out adds up fast, even if it's just a weekly lunch with friends or a quick takeout dinner. For households 65 and up, that line item in the monthly budget is worth a closer look.

So what's the real number, and how does it compare with what younger households and all U.S. households spend on the same thing? Here's what the latest data shows.

Editor's note: Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2024 data. Monthly amounts are calculated by dividing annual totals by 12.

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So how much does the average household over 65 spend dining out each month?

Average monthly spending: $224

Households with someone 65 or older at the head spent an average of $224 a month on food away from home in 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. That works out to $2,689 for the year. It's an average across all households in that age group.

For context, this same group spent an average of $5,119 a month on everything combined in 2024.

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Are dining-out costs rising for households 65 and up?

They actually went down a bit. Households 65 and older spent an average of $228 a month on food away from home in 2023, compared with $224 a month in 2024. On an annual basis, that's $2,741 in 2023 versus $2,689 in 2024.

How dining out differs between the 65 to 74 and 75-and-up crowd

Break the 65-and-up group into two age bands, and the picture shifts. Households ages 65 to 74 spent an average of $237 a month dining out in 2024, or $2,841 for the year. Households 75 and older spent less, at an average of $206 a month, or $2,472 for the year.

In 2023, households ages 65 to 74 spent $3,134 for the year and households 75 and older spent $2,187. So the younger band's annual average fell from 2023 to 2024, while the older band's rose.

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How this stacks up against 55- to 64-year-olds and all households

All U.S. households, regardless of age, averaged $329 a month on food away from home in 2024, or $3,945 for the year. That's more than the $224 a month the 65-and-up group spent.

Households ages 55 to 64 spent an average of $337 a month dining out in 2024, or $4,040 for the year, which is also more than the 65-and-up average. That 55-to-64 group's total spending averaged $7,079 a month in 2024, compared with $5,119 a month for households 65 and up.

Ways to spend less dining out

Set a monthly dining-out budget and track it, even loosely, so you know where you stand before the month ends.
Ask about early-bird or senior discounts at the restaurants you already visit.
Split a restaurant meal or order a smaller portion to cut the cost per visit without skipping the outing.
Swap one or two restaurant meals a week for a simple at-home version of the same dish.
Sign up for loyalty or rewards programs at the places you go most often.

Bottom line

Households 65 and up spent an average of $224 a month dining out in 2024, less than households ages 55 to 64 ($337 a month) and less than the all-household average ($329 a month) that same year.

Within the 65-and-up group, the averages differ by age band, from $237 a month for households ages 65 to 74 down to $206 a month for households 75 and older. Total spending for the 65-and-up group averaged $5,119 a month in 2024.

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