Five years after the inflation shock sent prices soaring, Americans are still feeling the squeeze, with some everyday essentials climbing far faster than the headline inflation rate.
The latest Consumer Price Index figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the overall CPI was 22.9 percent higher in June 2026 than it was in June 2021.
In other words, a basket of goods and services that cost $100 five years ago would cost roughly $123 today.
Prices across the grocery store have skyrocketed, leaving customers coughing up more for everyday essentials like coffee, beef and even a pack of sugar-free chewing gum.
Here are the everyday essentials being hit the hardest by inflation.
Coffee
Starbucks is one of the world's largest coffee chains by store count, with over 40,000 locations globally
If your daily cup of coffee feels like it's getting more expensive, you're not alone. Coffee price are increasing nationwide, including coffee from chain locations and on grocery store shelves.
The average price of a pound of roasted ground coffee at US grocery stores reached $9.72 in April 2026. That's the highest level its ever been since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the figure in 1980.
In July 2026, coffee prices were 10.3 percent higher than they were a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roasted coffee was up 9.4 percent, while instant coffee jumped a staggering 15.8 percent.
But this is not just a one-year pattern. Coffee prices were already climbing during the inflation surge that began in 2021, and prices continued to rise, fall and rise again over the following years.
That means the price shoppers see today reflects several years of inflation piling on top of one another, rather than just the latest increase.
Kristen Markel at Warehouse Wanderer, who runs a data-driven Costco pricing newsletter, told the Daily Mail that most grocery store items have 'big price swings' that are temporary - when a sale ends, the price snaps back.
'Coffee is different,' she said. 'What we're seeing at Costco isn't a swing, it's a slope. Every new sale price is starting from a higher floor than the last one did. That's a structural change, not a fluctuation.'
That price hike was particularly steep earlier this year. In April 2026, coffee was 18.5 percent more expensive than a year earlier.
Today, a standard hot coffee at Starbucks is around $3, sometimes costing even more in big cities
Roasted coffee was up 17.3 percent, while instant coffee was up a staggering 22.8 percent. By June, those increases cooled off, but coffee was still 12.9 percent more expensive than it had been just a year before.
'For years, the standard frugal advice has been wait for a great sale,' Markel said. With coffee right now, that advice is starting to backfire because the great sale often isn't coming back at the old price.'
'When a genuine sale hits, buy in bulk,' she added. Today's sale price is very likely cheaper than next year's regular price."
Even coffee chains were adjusting their menu prices to keep up with inflation - starting June 2025, Starbucks began charging customers for syrups and inclusions. That includes a $1 added fee to add matcha powder to non-matcha drinks and an 80 cent increase for simple 'classic' syrup.
Candy and chewing gum
While a $10 bag of candy at the movie theater sets the precedent for overpriced sweets, treats like gum and candy are now about 45 percent higher in July 2026 than they were in July 2021, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
In other words, something that cost $1 in July 2021 would cost roughly $1.45 today, assuming it followed the category's overall price increase.
Candy and chewing gum prices were relatively stable around the beginning of the inflation surge, but climbed substantially over the following years. By July 2026, however, prices for candy and chewing gum rose 9.6 percent higher than a year earlier.
Candy and chewing gum prices have increased in recent years, with a pack of gum costing over $5 today at some supermarkets and convenience stores
That means a $3 pack of candy in 2021 would cost about $4.35 today - and a 35-pack of Extra Sugar-Free gum will cost customers about $5.49 when they grab it from a CVS in New York.
Beef and poultry
Meat, poultry, fish and eggs are among the grocery goods hit the worst, with prices rising 12.5 percent over the last year.
Beef and veal prices soared 18.6 percent, while pork rose an estimated 15.1 percent.
Beef prices, in particular, surged over the past few years, rising roughly 40 percent to 50 percent since 2021 - ground beef averaged about $3.96 to $4.60 per pound in 2021, but climbed to about $6.89 per pound by mid-2026.
Well-known brands are continuing to battle cattle costs and mounting losses. Tyson Foods, one of America's biggest meat processors, is closing or selling three of its beef facilities as an unprecedented shortage of cattle continues to hammer the industry.
