Why Is Organic Milk More Expensive Than Regular, And Is It Worth It?

It's hard to walk the aisles of the grocery store and not reminisce about a time when the price of everything was lower. When eggs weren't averaging $4.25 per carton and cycling through rounds of recalls (such as the nine states being hit with the latest egg recall). Given the current climate of consumable items, you might be leaning more towards organic/alternative sources, but even those run the risk of price hikes and potential recalls. When it comes to organic milk, you'll notice that the price tag is more expensive than regular milk, but is it worth it?

It's important to understand that organic milk is more expensive because it boils down to how the cows are treated and how much it costs farmers to maintain them. According to the USDA, "organic milk must come from a certified organic cow," which has a special certification that farmers must purchase from the USDA. To be considered truly organic, cows cannot have antibiotics of growth hormones, and must eat "100% organic" food from grass/land that has not been treated with fertilizers, pesticides, or anything of the kind. The cows must have access to open plains for a minimum of 120 days out of the year and if the cow gets sick, needing antibiotic treatment, it's no longer considered "organic." The maintenance of this, from the certification to the organic feed to the altered infrastructure, comes out of the farmer's pocket.

The answer to whether organic milk is worth it for you depends on how intently you're monitoring the ingredients you consume and how much money you're willing to shell out. Regular milk is full of nutrients like protein and calcium. It tends to have the same level as organic milk when it comes to helpful fats such as SFA and MUFA, but organic milk has a higher number of phytonutrients and omega-3 fatty acids. Organic milk has a longer shelf life and is free from many of the conventionally "bad" things (such as the bovine growth hormone bST, pesticides, and other antibiotics) that studies from Emory University in the Cambridge University Press and the Environmental Protection Agency have linked to antimicrobial resistance, cancer, and birth defects.

Price-wise, organic milk has always been more expensive than regular milk. According to a report from the USDA, at the end of May 2025, a half-gallon of regular milk cost an average of $1.56, while a half-gallon of organic milk cost an average of $4.93. When it comes to taste, there's a notable difference between organic versus regular milk, where many accounts report that the former is slightly sweeter and richer. Organic milk also tends to be a shade tanner, potentially thanks to the cow's organic diet. The hefty price tag can be worth it if you're looking to keep artificial hormones and pesticides out of your diet, but if it doesn't fit into your budget or you don't see the value, you can still reap nutritional benefits from conventional milk.