Thanksgiving Meal Costs Ease as Six of 10 Staples Drop

Most standard holiday items are cheaper than a year ago, so households hosting dinner may see slightly lower grocery bills this November.

Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Inflation

Screen-print poster illustration of a roasted turkey drumstick and golden potatoes on a cream plate in warm mustard and rust tones. — Thanksgiving meal costs for 10 people fell 0.4% from a year earlier to $78.93, with six of 10 standard staples cheaper, according to Wells Fargo. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Are your household's grocery costs getting better or worse this holiday season?

Wells Fargo reported that the cost of a Thanksgiving meal for 10 fell 0.4% from a year earlier, to $78.93. Six of the 10 standard food items in the report cost less than they did a year ago, so households planning holiday budgets this November are seeing some relief.

Why it matters

The report tracks the cost of 10 standard Thanksgiving food items, so it gives households a sense of how holiday grocery bills are moving at the national level. A small decline in the overall meal cost, paired with lower prices for several key staples, can ease pressure on holiday spending ahead of the November 26 holiday.

The 10-item Thanksgiving meal for 10 costs $78.93, a 0.4% decline from last year. Turkey fell 0.5%, cranberries fell 6.6% and frozen vegetables fell 4.2%, while the report does not provide a national household-level dollar figure beyond the meal total.

The players

Wells Fargo

A large U.S. bank whose consumer checking, savings, credit card and mortgage products reach millions of households, and which publishes this annual holiday cost report.

The details

The report prices a fixed basket of 10 standard Thanksgiving foods and totals them for a meal serving 10 people. Because the total is the sum of those items, price drops in a few heavily weighted staples can offset increases elsewhere, which is why six of the 10 items being cheaper matters more than the overall 0.4% change alone. Actual bills will vary depending on where families shop and which dishes they choose to prepare.

Prior-year Thanksgiving meal prices serve as the comparison baseline for this year's 0.4% decline.
Thanksgiving falls on November 26, 2026, two weeks after the report's November 13 release.

Money Landscape

Holiday meal costs are a narrow, one-time slice of household food spending, so a 0.4% move in a single basket says little about the broader grocery inflation trend. Read it as a snapshot of holiday staples rather than a signal of overall price direction.

Households hosting Thanksgiving may find that turkey, cranberries and frozen vegetables cost somewhat less than last year, which can free up a little room in holiday budgets. Because the decline is modest and the basket reflects a standard menu, it is worth comparing your own shopping list against the report's items before the holiday.

The takeaway

The main money insight is that the overall holiday meal cost eased slightly even as most staples got cheaper, which suggests holiday grocery pressure is easing modestly. Before Thanksgiving, check current prices on the items you plan to buy and set a total budget with a little room for variation.