New York City Thanksgiving Dinner Costs 15% More This Year

A New York Post survey of 18 items at six supermarkets across the city's five boroughs found that a Thanksgiving dinner costs 15% more than last year, at $184.43. Turkey rose 17% and apple cider 75%. The Farm Bureau says New York has the highest per-person Thanksgiving dinner cost in the nation.

A Thanksgiving dinner in New York City costs 15% more than last year, totaling $184.43, according to the New York Post. The Post compared this year's prices with last year's for 18 staple holiday items at six popular supermarkets across the five boroughs.

For the centerpiece of the table, a 20-pound (about 9 kg) Bell & Evans young turkey at Morton Williams cost $79.80, up 17% from last year. The Post also reported that, according to the Farm Bureau, the national average turkey price has climbed 30% to $1.76 per pound (about 0.45 kg), nearly 88% higher than the 2024 average of 94 cents.

The biggest increase among the items surveyed was apple cider, which jumped 75%, from $3.99 last year to $6.99. The Post explained that a spring frost hit apple harvests in upstate and western New York hard, and that the governor's office estimates growers have lost about $30 million so far this year. Farmland whole milk (half a gallon, about 1.9 liters) rose 50%, from $5.99 to $8.99, and Libby's pure pumpkin rose 43% to $4.29. A 9-inch (about 23 cm) pumpkin pie at Whole Foods rose 19%, from a low of $11.75 last year to $13.99.

At least eight items held steady in price, and only Idahoan instant mashed potatoes fell, by 50 cents (10%). Angelo Hernandez, a 66-year-old retiree interviewed at the Union Square Whole Foods, said milk, bread, fruit and meat have all gone up. He said his son is picking up the turkey. Carol Miller, 89, interviewed at the Morton Williams in Greenwich Village, also said meat prices are outrageous but that she will buy it regardless of the cost.

According to a Farm Bureau report, New York has the highest per-person Thanksgiving dinner cost in the nation, 20% above the national average and 9% above neighboring Northeast states.