Marylanders can expect to pay around $88 for a thrifty 10-person Thanksgiving feast this year.
Capital News Service analyzed state grocery prices for staple holiday foods, like turkey, green beans and mashed potatoes. CNS averaged store brand prices or the least expensive price for food items.
National estimated costs of a Thanksgiving meal this year range from about $73 to $80, making Maryland prices slightly more expensive.
Grocery prices on the rise
But surging prices are not regional. The Consumer Price Index for “food at home” rose by 2.7% between September 2024 and September 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Last year, the average adjusted price of a frozen, 16-pound turkey on the week before Thanksgiving cost $0.99 per pound, the United States Department of Agriculture reported. The most recent data for the week of Nov. 10 to Nov. 14 shows that the average price is $1.77 per pound, a 79% increase.
Though some grocery stores offer price discounts for whole turkey, like Giant selling a whole bird for $0.99 per pound.
Despite the overall increase in prices, the number of people who expect to spend more on groceries this year has dropped slightly, according to a survey by the market research company Circana. More than a quarter of survey respondents said they expected to pay more this year, compared to 34% in 2024.
To combat rising prices, many grocery chains are offering Thanksgiving bundles, including the $40 Aldi meal, $40 Walmart meal and $100 Sam’s Club meal, which all serve 10 people.
A higher percentage of people said they plan to celebrate at home this year than in recent years, the survey showed. Around 70% said they would eat their Thanksgiving meals at home, compared to about 61% last year.
About one-in-three people will also eat the Thanksgiving meal at somebody else’s home, dropping 11 percentage points from last year.
Although the vast majority of Thanksgiving meals will be eaten at home, 11% of meals will include items bought from a foodservice operator, like a restaurant or catering service. This includes desserts, side dishes or even pre-cooked turkeys. For instance, Popeyes is offering pre-seasoned, fully cooked turkeys for $99.
Methodology:
All data collected by Capital News Service from grocery stores across the state of Maryland. The prices indicated represent averages calculated based on data collected from online shopping sites of major grocery retailers including Safeway, Giant Food and Weis Market. Prices from several locations of each store are collected to represent geographic differences in grocery pricing. The store brand price, or the lowest price in the case where the food item did not have a store brand alternative, was averaged.
Learn more about how CNS tracks grocery prices here.
You must be logged in to post a comment.