Financial Planning
Commissary Savings Calculator
DeCA FY2026What shopping on base is actually worth per year — using DeCA's official regional savings rates.
Estimated yearly savings · US average
$2,045
vs paying off-base prices for the same basket
Per month
$170
Over a 10-year career window
$20,448
Your region's official rate
21.3%
DeCA FY2026 Q2 patron-savings baseline
Surcharge
The 5% surcharge is already inside these numbers.
Your shopping
What your household spends on groceries in a typical month.
DeCA publishes a measured savings rate per US region plus overseas.
Who can shop
Active duty, Guard and Reserve, retirees, Medal of Honor recipients, 100% disabled veterans — and since the 2020 Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act: all service-connected disabled veterans, Purple Heart recipients, former POWs, and primary family caregivers.
Official savings by region — FY2026
DeCA market-basket study: retailer prices including sales tax vs commissary prices including the 5% surcharge.
Highest savings: Alaska/Hawaii and overseas — exactly where off-base groceries cost the most.
Field notes
Where the number comes from — and why your basket may beat it
The percentages in this calculator are not marketing copy — they're the Defense Commissary Agency's own published patron-savings measurements (FY2026 Q2 baseline). DeCA prices a market basket at regional and national grocery retailers, includes the sales tax you'd pay there, and compares it to commissary shelf prices including the 5% surcharge. The result for FY2026: a 24.9% global average, 21.3% across the continental US, and 41.6% overseas, with US regions ranging from 16.9% (South Central) to 33.8% (Alaska/Hawaii). Congress's statutory direction sets the savings floor the agency is required to manage to.
The surcharge isn't a gotcha. The 5% surcharge applies at the register and funds commissary construction and renovation — and it is already inside every savings percentage above, because DeCA's methodology compares final checkout prices on both sides.
Your basket matters more than the average. The published rate is a blended basket. Savings run higher on meat and produce and lower on heavily-promoted national brands you'd buy on sale off-base. Overseas and in Alaska/Hawaii the gap widens dramatically because the comparison prices are local-economy prices.
Stack it with the rest of your money math. A family spending $1,000/month at the US average saves roughly $2,556 a year — real budget headroom. Put the same rigor on the income side with the RMC calculator, and if a PCS is coming, run the COLA and BAH comparison for the new station.
Source: Defense Commissary Agency, Patron Savings (corp.commissaries.com) — FY2026 Q2 regional baseline, retrieved June 2026. Savings estimates only; your actual basket varies.
FAQ
Commissary savings — frequently asked questions
- How much do you really save at the commissary?
- DeCA's official FY2026 patron-savings measurement: 24.9% globally, 21.3% across the continental US, and 41.6% overseas, with US regions ranging from 16.9% (South Central) to 33.8% (Alaska/Hawaii). Those figures compare retailer prices including sales tax against commissary prices including the 5% surcharge.
- Does the 5% surcharge eat the savings?
- No — the published savings percentages already include it. DeCA's methodology compares final checkout prices on both sides: commissary shelf price plus surcharge versus retailer price plus sales tax. The surcharge funds commissary construction and renovation by law.
- Who is allowed to shop at the commissary?
- Active duty, National Guard and Reserve, retirees, Medal of Honor recipients, and 100% disabled veterans — plus, since the 2020 Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act: all veterans with service-connected disabilities, Purple Heart recipients, former POWs, and primary family caregivers of eligible veterans.
- Is the commissary actually cheaper than big-box stores?
- On the blended basket DeCA measures — which includes national and regional grocery retailers — yes, by the published regional percentage. Savings run strongest on meat and produce and narrowest on promotional national brands. Overseas and in Alaska/Hawaii the gap is largest because local prices are highest.
- Do commissary prices include sales tax?
- Commissaries charge no sales tax — instead a flat 5% surcharge applies at the register. DeCA's savings comparison accounts for both, so the published percentage is what you actually keep.
Keep going
More everyday-money tools
REF: corp.commissaries.com, effective FY2026
DeCA Patron Savings — FY2026 Q2 regional baseline (surcharge included in methodology)
Results are estimates. Always verify with your finance office.
View Official Rate Table