Costs for the plant-based dozen

Grocery prices are a hot topic. The cost of food has been climbing since 2020, and recent political turmoil hasn't helped the problem.

In fact, an April 2025 LendingTree survey found a 14% year-over-year increase in the number of Americans using so-called "buy-now-pay-later" loans to cover the grocery bill.

But some states have it better than others, according to a study…