Every November, I find myself standing in the grocery store aisle staring at the price of a frozen turkey like it personally offended me. Sound familiar? This year, though, something actually changed for the better.
For the first time in what feels like forever, the classic Thanksgiving spread got a little easier on the wallet. Not dramatically cheaper, mind you, but enough to notice when you’re feeding ten people and trying not to wince at the register.
The Big Picture: A Welcome 5% Drop
The numbers are in, and the average cost for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner serving ten people clocks in at $55.18 this year. That’s down roughly 5% from 2024, or about $3 less per feast. In my book, I’ll take any break I can get after the rollercoaster we’ve been on since 2020.
Think about that for a second. Back in 2019, the same meal cost around $49. A few brutal years of supply-chain chaos and inflation shot it all the way to $64 in 2022. We’ve now had three straight years of declines, which feels almost surreal to type.
But here’s the catch — we’re still paying more than we did before everything went haywire. That $55.18 is nice, sure, but it’s also about six bucks higher than the pre-pandemic norm. Progress, yes. Back to normal? Not quite.
The Turkey Takes Center Stage (And Actually Gets Cheaper)
Let’s talk about the bird. The star of the show. The thing we all fight over the legs of.
Average price for a 16-pound turkey this year? Right around $21.50. That’s a solid 16.3% drop from last Thanksgiving. Grocery stores are practically giving them away as loss leaders — some places even cheaper than that if you catch the right sale.
Behind the scenes, wholesale prices actually rose a bit because farmers are still rebuilding flocks after the avian flu nightmare. But retailers decided Thanksgiving without an absurdly cheap turkey wasn’t an option, so they ate the margin. Literally the only time I’m thankful for corporate loss-leader strategy.
Sometimes the best deals come when stores decide they absolutely, positively need you walking out with a giant frozen bird.
Where Prices Went Up (Because Of Course They Did)
Not everything followed the turkey’s generous example. Some sides decided 2025 was their year to shine — straight into your wallet.
- Frozen peas: up a painful 17.2%
- Whole milk: jumped 16.3%
- Whipping cream: quietly climbed 3.2%
- Pie shell (the cheater’s friend): up about 4%
On the brighter side, plenty of staples actually got cheaper:
- Dinner rolls: down a delightful 14.6%
- Stuffing mix: fell 9%
- Fresh cranberries: eased 2.8%
- Cubed stuffing: dropped around 6%
It’s this weird mix where half the table feels like a victory and the other half reminds you inflation never really goes away — it just moves around.
Regional Differences: Where Your Money Goes Furthest
If you’ve ever wondered why your cousin in Alabama seems to host Thanksgiving without breaking a sweat while you’re in California crying over dairy prices, here’s your answer.
The South wins the affordability crown again at $50.01 for ten people. The West? We’re getting absolutely hosed at $61.75. That’s almost twelve bucks more for the exact same meal, depending on which side of the Rockies you live.
The Midwest comes in at $55.12, pretty close to the national average, while the Northeast sits at $59.44. If you’re west of Denver, I feel your pain every time you buy milk.
| Region | Average Cost (10 people) |
| South | $50.01 |
| Midwest | $55.12 |
| Northeast | $59.44 |
| West | $61.75 |
| National Average | $55.18 |
What This Actually Means For Your Holiday Budget
Let’s break it down per person, because that’s how I always think about it when I’m deciding whether to invite the extra cousins.
At $55.18 for ten people, you’re looking at about $5.52 per plate. That’s less than a fast-food combo meal for a proper homemade Thanksgiving spread. Honestly not terrible when you consider everything that’s happened the past few years.
Compare that to eating out — even a decent restaurant Thanksgiving special runs $35-50 per person in most places. Suddenly doing it yourself looks almost reasonable.
The Bigger Economic Context (Because We Can’t Escape It)
Three years of declining Thanksgiving costs sounds great until you remember we had three years of massive increases first. It’s like climbing out of a hole we fell into — getting back to ground level feels like progress, but we’re still covered in dirt.
The avian flu impact on turkey flocks is finally easing, which helps explain the big bird discount. Dairy prices staying high reflects ongoing issues in that sector. Vegetables swing wildly based on weather and transportation costs. It’s all connected.
In my experience, the real story isn’t that prices dropped 5%. It’s that after years of grocery sticker shock, we’re finally seeing some breathing room. Not victory, but definitely not defeat.
Practical Tips If You’re Hosting This Year
Want to come in under that $55 average? Here’s what actually works:
- Buy your turkey early and watch for the deepest discounts — some stores go below $0.50/lb with additional purchase
- Make stuffing from scratch instead of buying the boxed mix (cheaper and honestly better)
- Frozen vegetables over fresh when prices spike — they were picked at peak ripeness anyway
- Check multiple stores — the difference between chains can be shocking
- Don’t sleep on store brands for basics like rolls and pie crust
I’ve hosted enough Thanksgivings to know that the difference between spending $50 and $80 usually comes down to these small choices adding up.
At the end of the day, the real cost of Thanksgiving was never really about the money. It’s about who sits around your table and whether everyone leaves full and happy.
This year, for the first time in a while, the grocery bill isn’t going to be the thing that stresses me out most about hosting. That’s worth giving thanks for all by itself.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a turkey to thaw and some very judgmental relatives to feed.
