American shoppers will find some traditional Thanksgiving foods cheaper in 2026, but not enough to make the holiday meal much cheaper overall, according to an analysis by Alexis Villacis, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics at The Ohio State University, reported by Farms.com.
The 2026 Wells Fargo Thanksgiving Food Report puts a traditional meal for 10 people, with dessert and without drinks, at $78.93, 0.4% less than in 2025. Six of the 10 items in the report became cheaper, while pumpkin pie, gravy mix and prepared mashed potatoes cost more.
Prices of individual ingredients moved in different directions. Eggs rose slightly in October and were about 81% above their 2019 level, and sugar fell during the month but was still nearly 70% above its pre-pandemic price. Butter rose slightly and flour fell. Wholesale turkey was estimated at about $1.83 a pound, nearly 7% higher than a year earlier, though seasonal supermarket promotions often mean shoppers do not pay more.
"Slower inflation means prices are increasing more slowly," Villacis said. "Returning to prepandemic prices would require prices themselves to fall sufficiently." Average hourly earnings of private-sector workers rose nearly 35% between October 2019 and October 2026; some ingredients rose faster than wages and others became more affordable, but averages do not describe every household.
Villacis's advice is to decide the menu and the amount of food first, which avoids unnecessary purchases and waste, and to compare the cost of the whole shopping list across stores rather than single advertised prices, looking at unit prices, package sizes, membership requirements and fees. Shoppers can compare fresh and frozen turkey, buy a bird that matches the number of guests and share dishes among the family.
Ready-made meal deals differ in what they include: Walmart advertises a $35 Thanksgiving meal for 10 people, ALDI a meal for 10 for under $39 and Target a $30 meal for six. Turkey size, side dishes and eligibility rules vary, so the cheapest headline price is not always the best value, and a recipe that needs a little of an ingredient can still mean buying a whole package.
Photo: Ms Jones / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Source: Farms.com
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