The 2025 Thanksgiving dinner table brings some welcome news for families planning their holiday feast. For the third year running, costs have dropped, with the average meal for ten people now priced at approximately $55.18. This represents a 5% decrease from 2024, though prices still sit about 13% higher than before the pandemic changed everything.
Turkey deserves most of the credit for these savings. Frozen sixteen-pound birds now average $21.50, marking a 16% price drop from last year. This happened despite wholesale increases caused by avian flu affecting turkey farms. Aggressive store promotions have made turkeys more affordable for shoppers, even as farmers face higher costs.
Turkey now accounts for 39% of the total meal expense, down from the usual 43%. However, not everything on the dinner table got cheaper. Several staples actually became more expensive, creating a mixed bag for shoppers. Onions, spiral hams, cranberry sauce, and creamed corn all jumped 20% or more in price.
Other sides like stuffing mix, sweet potatoes, and frozen peas showed varied changes, with some going up while others dropped slightly. Vegetable prices have risen due to hurricane damage and labor shortages affecting farms. Regional differences matter too. Southern families enjoy the lowest costs at around $50.01 per meal, while Western households pay the most at $61.75. Tennessee shoppers face costs of approximately $12.80 per person for homemade Thanksgiving meals based on recent pricing studies.
These gaps reflect local market conditions and transportation costs that affect grocery prices differently across the country. Smart shoppers have discovered that heat-and-serve meal kits often cost less than buying separate ingredients.
Major retailers like Walmart, Lidl, Aldi, and Target offer complete Thanksgiving meals for as little as $3.60 to $5 per person. These deals reflect intense competition among stores trying to attract holiday customers. Interestingly, consumer stress about holiday expenses has actually increased despite lower prices.
About 65% of Americans feel pressured about Thanksgiving costs in 2025, up from previous years. This suggests that while turkey prices dropped, families remain cautious about their overall holiday spending as they navigate ongoing economic uncertainties and remember recent years of higher inflation. During periods of economic uncertainty, many families turn to fixed income investments to help preserve capital and reduce financial stress.
