Like Everything Else, Thanksgiving Will Cost a Lot More This Year

For most Americans, Thanksgiving is a time for friends, family, gratitude and an abnormally high grocery bill. And according to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the average cost of turkey day could be the highest in years.

The American Farm Bureau Federation's (AFBF) 36th annual survey, the average cost of a 10-person meal is $53.31, or less than $6 per person. This is up $6.41 — or 14 percent increase — from last year's average of $46.90. The price of the turkey alone increased 24 percent from last year and averages $23.99 for a 16-pound (7.2-kilogram) bird. That's about $1.50 per pound.

It's important to note the survey's list of dishes covers just the very basics: a turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a veggie tray, a pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and coffee and milk. The quantities priced are supposedly enough to serve all 10 diners and allow for leftovers.

"Several factors contributed to the increase in average cost of this year's Thanksgiving dinner," AFBF senior economist Veronica Nigh said in a press statement. "These include dramatic disruptions to the U.S. economy and supply chains over the last 20 months; inflationary pressure throughout the economy; difficulty in predicting demand during the COVID-19 pandemic and high global demand for food, particularly meat. The trend of consumers cooking and eating at home more often due to the pandemic led to increased supermarket demand and higher retail food prices in 2020 and 2021, compared to pre-pandemic prices in 2019."

This year's survey also includes ham, Russet potatoes and frozen green beans, in an expanded holiday menu. Adding these foods increased costs by $15.41, to $68.72. The AFBF calculates its cost using pricing data from all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Farm Bureau shoppers check prices in person and online using grocery store apps and websites. They look for the best possible prices without using special promotions or coupons.

What the AFBF survey doesn't account for is the labor required to turn all those raw ingredients into a delicious dinner suitable for picky eaters, snooty foodies, random third cousins who show up at the last second and anyone else who may be at your table. For the host or hostess who can't deal with the thought of all that stressful prep, there is, of course, the beauty of the ready-made meal, rivaled only by the ease of the restaurant reservation.

But when it comes to Thanksgiving dine-out or take-away, the prices aren't quite so wallet-friendly either (but think of all those hours you'll get back!). We checked out a few places across the country and here's what we found:

And if you just can't handle the thought of all those people in your house? Here's what you can expect to spend if you pick up a complete meal at a restaurant or dine in, depending on your location:

Hardly a 10-person Thanksgiving meal for less than $50.