Thanksgiving dinner in New York to cost more this year

The cost of a Thanksgiving meal will be 20 percent higher than the national average in New York state for anyone planning to cook a turkey with trimmings this holiday, the New York Farm Bureau found.

A meal for 10 people in New York will be $66 on average, or about $6.60 per person. That is bucking the national trend, which is $55.18 on average, or about $5.52 per person, a five percent decrease on 2024.

In New York City, shoppers from different boroughs said that the prices they'd seen at their local grocery stores and supermarkets were definitely higher this year, especially for holiday staples like turkeys, yams and vegetables.

Lisa Smith, 77, a retiree living in Brooklyn, New York will spend Thanksgiving with her son, daughter-in-law and grandson. She said that everyone who is invited to dinner will bring a dish to help split the cost.

"I'm invited to my grandson's family's Thanksgiving. So, I'm going to bring a dish," she told China Daily. "The cost of vegetables and a turkey is way too high for most people. I have a pension, so … I can pay for my groceries. But they've eaten up a lot of my other expenditures, travel, or, you know, getting transportation, as its tough for older people to get around.

"The cost of groceries is much higher this year, yes. It's everything: produce, meat, especially. Dairy products are higher. My son and his wife certainly are thinking of their budget, that's why they asked us to bring a dish, which is what I used to do when I was younger with my friends, because we didn't have the money and everybody used to come to our house."

Major retailers such as Walmart, Target and others are offering low-cost meal deals. Walmart's 2025 Thanksgiving meal basket for 10 is less than $4 per person, versus $7 last year. ShopRite will give shoppers with a Price Plus club loyalty card a free turkey or ham if they spend $400 from Oct 26 to Nov 27.

Food costs are a key sticking point for President Donald Trump's administration, which campaigned on lowering costs.

In New York, the average cost of buying a 16-pound (7.25 kilogram) frozen turkey will be $28.27, while nationwide the average price for a 16-pound frozen turkey will be $21.50, down more than 16 percent from last year, the American Farm Bureau found.

"Here in New York … we continue to experience issues like labor shortages, rapidly increasing farm wages and rising production costs, which affect prices in the grocery store, as well as a higher-than-average cost of living," New York Farm Bureau Director of Communications Amanda Powers said in a statement.

At an Ideal Food Basket Supermarket in Brooklyn, a 21-pound turkey cost $32.19. Three pounds of golden sweet potatoes displayed in front of the store were priced at $2. Nationwide, yams are more expensive this year due to inflation and tariffs, which raised production costs for farmers.

In several local supermarkets, American shoppers bemoaned the high cost of food a week before Thanksgiving.

One family in a Western Beef supermarket in Brooklyn carefully put a few items back after looking at the price tag and realizing it wasn't within their budget.

Trader Joes, a popular grocery chain, is charging $3.49 per pound for organic frozen turkeys, as is Whole Foods.

Angel Hernandez, 53, from Queens, New York will spend Thanksgiving with his 10-year-old son, as he is separated from his partner. He is finding the cost of food "too high," especially a turkey.

"I don't have much family here as I'm from Honduras," Hernandez told China Daily. "When I go to the supermarket, it is too high. I want to make Thanksgiving nice for my son, special for the two of us, but prices are too much.

"There is nothing I can do, so I have to pay for the things. I buy less. Everyone is struggling. My friends. They all say food prices are too high and they cannot enjoy Thanksgiving as much."

An analysis by Deloitte's 2025 Thanksgiving Index suggests that "costs have not decreased, like they did last year but have instead risen at a more normal historical rate."

It estimates the cost of turkey, sides and sparkling cider for around eight people will be $76.50, up 0.6 percent from 2024, but below the food-at-home inflation rate, shown on the October Consumer Price Index.

Meanwhile other popular vegetables such as collard greens and roasted brussels sprouts will cost $9 for eight people.

Ella Sauter, 28, originally from California but living now in Brooklyn, New York, was out shopping and counted herself lucky for getting help buying food. She said that some of her friends, however, are feeling financial strain ahead of Thanksgiving.

"I work in food services, so I get most of my food from my job. I feel really grateful that my job keeps me fed, because otherwise I would be spending a good portion of my paycheck on food.

"My friends who are hosting Thanksgiving complain that food costs are taking a bigger portion of their paychecks than before. I feel like the cost of vegetables and turkeys has gone so much higher this year when looking back at last year."