Puget Sound Thanksgiving Meals Among Nation's Most Expensive

SEATTLE — Holiday shoppers around Seattle, Bellevue and Tacoma will pay some of the highest prices in the nation for Thanksgiving meals this year, according to a new report from MoneyGeek. The surge in costs is primarily linked to inflation, with consumer prices around Seattle in October up nearly 9 percent compared to last year and food prices up 11.5 percent.

MoneyGeek analyzed costs in 122 metro areas comparing this year's costs to last year's for Thanksgiving staples like turkey, pumpkin pie, bread rolls, potatoes, stuffing, beer and wine. Researchers developed price estimates based on data from the Council for Community and Economic Research, along with Instacart prices minus the app's 15 percent markup.

Some of the stores factored into the price estimates include Safeway, Kroger, Walmart, Target and Costco. Overall, the study found Thanksgiving meals will be "significantly more expensive this year," with turkeys up to 50 percent pricier during the holiday week.

For a full meal, including a 10-pound turkey, side dishes and refreshments for six, MoneyGeek estimated shoppers in the greater Seattle area will have to fork over $157 — the fourth most expensive of any major metro in the U.S, trailing only Boston, Honolulu and New York.

On the other side of the coin, shoppers in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Waco, Texas, and Oklahoma City will pay the least in the nation, getting a full spread for under $100.

"While the overall cost of Thanksgiving dinner in many places will come with no small amount of sticker shock, the bird itself will also be more expensive," MoneyGeek wrote. "As of the beginning of October, a fresh 10-lb. turkey cost, on average, $19. But that price has risen and will continue to rise throughout the next few weeks."

Inflation is not the sole source of blame for the price hikes, either. Researchers noted that major turkey producers trimmed flocks amid falling prices in 2019 and have navigated supply chain disruptions throughout the pandemic. An outbreak of avian flu has impacted nearly 48 million turkeys in more than two dozen states this year.

For last-minute shoppers, birds bought during Thanksgiving week could cost buyers 19 percent more, researchers found. Puget Sound residents will also pay the most in the nation for alcohol, estimated to cost $27 for one six-pack and a bottle of wine.

>> Read the full report via MoneyGeek.