Memorial Day Cookout Staples Cost 13% More on Average

The increases vary sharply by item. Ground beef costs 20% more than last year, Johnsonville bratwursts are up 28%, Kraft hot dogs 12%, and Martin’s rolls 19%. Among produce, iceberg lettuce is 19% more expensive and seedless watermelon 17%; six ears of yellow corn cost 98% more than in 2025. Tomatoes are up 22%, following the end of the decades-old US-Mexico tomato trade agreement and the imposition of a 17% tariff on Mexican tomatoes.

The report also points to higher costs for items used to serve and store food: heavy-duty aluminum foil is up 18%, and disposable plasticware 20%. It says fertilizer prices rose under tariffs imposed during much of 2025 and remained elevated after the administration rolled them back. The groups also link higher plastic costs to disruption in oil and petrochemical markets amid the conflict in the Middle East.

The analysis connects the war’s impact on fuel to travel costs as well. It says jet fuel has reached record highs and the average domestic airfare is 31% more expensive than in January, adding about $360 to a typical flight for a family of four. Higher fuel prices contributed to Spirit Airlines’ shutdown, the report says.

Janelle Jones, a senior fellow at TCF, said tariffs and the war were decisions the president could reverse, adding that families were “getting squeezed on the price of everything.” Groundwork chief economist Breyon Williams said consumers were scaling back “from the ticket counter to the cookout.” The source also reports that US households have spent nearly $300 more on fuel than they otherwise would have, while gasoline has risen above $4.50 per gallon.