The discount on essential goods could save shoppers about $90 a month, or roughly $1,000 a year.
The mayor announced the pricing plan in Brooklyn as the city identifies locations for three additional community grocery stores, one in each borough.
The city is issuing a 44-page request for proposals seeking operators for the stores.
The mayor explained his vision and revealed what items would be discounted and how much shoppers would save.
"No New Yorker should have to worry about being able to afford to feed their family," Mayor Mamdani said.
For Mayor Mamdani, it's a crucial step in fulfilling his campaign promise of providing affordable groceries for working New Yorkers.
He announced that certain necessities in each of New York's five neighborhood groceries will be discounted by 30%.
Items like produce and pasta, meat and seafood, bread and yogurt, rice and beans, and more.
"Once a month, our five city run grocery stores will set prices for this core set of goods at 30% below typical retail prices. No exceptions, no gimmicks. The savings will last for the entire month. That means no weekly fluctuations nor sticker shock at the checkout line," Mamdani said.
So far, the mayor has named La Marqueta in East Harlem as one of the five sites. Another will be located in Hunts Point, The Bronx. All five are expected to open by 2029.
Under the Mamdani plan, the city owns the land or leases space and covers the costs of construction or renovations, and a private contractor manages the daily operations where "everyday staples" will be sold at discounts.
Critics have said the city-run stores will hurt small, privately-run, neighborhood bodegas.
The mayor disagrees, saying that the city's groceries won't sell items like cigarettes, alcohol and lottery tickets.
"We know that a lot of what drives revenue for these bodegas, grocery stores, those are things that make it possible for them to continue to operate. Those are not things we have any interest in competing for," he said.
The stores also will not sell hot food, avoiding direct competition with local bodegas that offer prepared meals.
The mayor has included $70 million in the capital budget for all five city-run groceries.
The first city-owned grocery store is expected to open in the Bronx next year. A second location, planned for East Harlem, is expected to open by 2029.
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