These days, buying your essential groceries has quite the sticker shock attached. So, we decided to survey over 1,000 Americans to explore how they are coping with grocery inflation. We also studied grocery store prices across 50 U.S. cities to determine how much Americans should budget to afford only the essentials.
With holidays around the corner, we’ve got the scoop on how rising costs might hit our holiday celebrations in 2024.
Armed with all this new knowledge, we’re creating fresh, budget-friendly recipes.
Key Findings
- Nearly one in four Americans have used savings to pay for groceries this year.
- Three in four Americans are concerned about the cost of food for their holiday celebrations this year.
- The most expensive cities to feed a family of four on only essential grocery items per month are Honolulu, HI ($1,510.89); Boston, MA ($1,280.39); and New York City, NY ($1,277.53).
- The most expensive cities to host holiday festivities this year are Honolulu, HI; Los Angeles, CA; and Anchorage, AK.
- On average, Americans will pay $40.64 for a 15-pound turkey to feed 10, or an average of $2.71 per lb.
Top Ways to Help Reduce Holiday Meal Costs
The jingle bells are ringing in the distance as the holiday season quickly approaches. But three in four Americans are worried about how they will be able to cover the cost of festive get-togethers this year.
Nearly 9 in 10 (87%) hosting Christmas this year say they are concerned about the cost of their holiday celebrations this year. Being on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t comfortably celebrate the holidays with friends and family. Our survey shows that Americans are getting creative to cut costs this holiday season. A popular choice is to go potluck-style, with everyone bringing their favorite dish (37%). Others plan to buy a smaller turkey (30%) or offer fewer dessert options (27%).
Millennials are leading the way with some unique cost-cutting strategies. They’re much more likely than other generations to limit the alcohol at their Holiday festivities. They’re actually 45% more likely than Gen X to do so. Meanwhile, Gen Z isn’t willing to part with their sweet treats – only 14% of them plan to serve fewer dessert options.
Even though we’re all feeling the squeeze from inflation, it’s interesting that women are 11% more likely than men to worry about the cost of food for their celebrations. And Millennials are 12% more likely than Baby boomers to stress about food costs for their holiday gatherings.
Uncovering Food Costs for Holiday Recipes
Not all homemade pumpkin pies are created equal – at least not in price! Depending on where you live in the U.S., you might be paying double for the same delicious holiday recipe compared to your neighboring state.
To gather data, we compiled essential items from Numbeo and holiday foods from local stores via Instacart in-store pickup, excluding the 15% markup. Then, we crunched the numbers to calculate the prices of making these holiday recipes at home. For each holiday item, the most expensive cities are on the left, and the least expensive are on the right.
Let’s breakdown down the highs and lows of the infographic to get a feel for how prices can change from city to city for our favorite holiday dishes:
- Making an apple pie in Charleston, SC, is a whopping 112% more expensive than in Virginia Beach, VA.
- Whipping up a pumpkin pie in Los Angeles, CA, costs 61% more than making one in Sioux Falls, SD.
- Preparing sweet mashed potatoes in Anchorage, AK, is 108% more expensive than in Newark, NJ.
- Buying a turkey to feed 10 people in Los Angeles, CA, is 94% more expensive than in Denver, CO.
We’ve taken a deeper dive into the costs of holiday foods across 50 U.S. cities; besides Thanksgiving staples, we also explored the cost of ham for folks celebrating Christmas and the cost of latkes, a type of potato pancake, for those lighting their menorah this year.
Los Angeles, CA, Anchorage, AK, and Honolulu, HI, are the most expensive cities for your Christmas ham. A 5-pound boneless ham to feed 10 people will be around $17.50, paying an average of $3.50 per lb. Meanwhile, on average, Americans will fork over $40.64 for a 15-pound turkey to feed 10, paying an average of $2.71 per lb. Wherever you are, remember that with the right quick and easy recipe and a dash of love, you can create a holiday feast that your family will love.
Top Ways to Fight Grocery Prices
This year, 50% of shoppers have clipped coupons to cut down on rising costs, while others are cutting non-essentials entirely.
Since 2020, grocery costs have skyrocketed by over 25%. Naturally, folks are tightening their wallets. While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for saving money, our survey data shows some pretty savvy strategies. The top three ways consumers are cutting costs are couponing (50%), limiting brand name buys (49%), and cutting back on snacks (47%). Baby boomers were most likely to stop splurging on name brands at 55%, while Gen Z is most likely to combat grocery inflation by buying in bulk (49%), boosting Costco to #3 on the list of budget-friendly stores. Walmart holds the #1 spot, with Aldi right behind at #2.
Half of Americans say they’ve clipped coupons to combat rising prices. But if hunting for coupons isn’t your thing, then maybe you’re a part of the 10% of Americans growing their food at home. Fresh tomatoes straight from the garden? Yes, please! We also uncovered that families of four were 21% more likely to swipe a credit card for purchases and were 19% more likely to travel further to cheaper stores than those living alone. And let’s be honest, who wants to spend hours in the kitchen after driving further for groceries? That’s where our easy and quick recipes come in handy.
Budgeting for Essential Food Items
Grocery prices vary heavily depending on where you live, so Americans must set their unique budgets based on location and family size. But no matter where you are, with some creativity and smart shopping, you can still whip up quick dinners without breaking the bank.
We gathered grocery prices from Numbeo and prepared a super handy shopping list with the basics. This list includes enough food to provide two adults with 2,300 calories per day, with portions adjusted for two kiddos. Food items included were milk, white bread, white rice, eggs, cheese, chicken, beef, apples, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, potatoes, onion, and lettuce.
Based on USDA’s thrifty food plan, an average family of four (two adults and two kids aged 9-11) costs about $1,000 a month to feed as of August 2024. Honolulu, HI, topped the charts, with essential groceries costing over $1,500. Meanwhile, the most budget-friendly city is Little Rock, AR, which costs around $790 a month.
After learning how much it takes to feed a family of four in each city, we wanted to show individual prices for these essential items in the most and least budget-friendly cities. For example, a gallon of regular milk is 148% more expensive in Honolulu, HI, compared to Indianapolis, IN. Crazy, right? Similarly, beef costs 33% more in New York City than in Little Rock, AR.
Giving Back with Quick and Easy Recipes
Our data showed that many of us are feeling the pinch of inflated food costs. But regardless of where you live or how many coupons you snip, Inspired Taste has your back with easy and quick recipes. This holiday season, we’re supporting as many Americans as possible by conducting a sweepstakes (winner selection in process) and donating $30,000 to various charities and food banks all over the US, so you can enjoy every bite of our holiday recipes.
Methodology
To explore the cost of food in America, we surveyed 1003 Americans and analyzed grocery prices across 50 U.S. cities. We compiled data on essential items from Numbeo and holiday foods from local stores via Instacart in-store pickup, adjusting prices to exclude the 15% markup. To determine the only essential grocery budgets for families of four, we used AI to create a shopping list of basic food items that would provide two adults with 2,300 calories per day. Portions were then reduced accordingly for children.
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