Inflation hits Fourth of July food costs. How much more will you pay to cook out?
Californians will be seeing slightly lower prices at the gas pump as they enter the Fourth of July weekend. However, they won’t be finding lower costs at the grocery store.
On June 24, the American Farm Bureau Federation released its 2026 Summer Cookout Cost Survey. Since 2016, the Farm Bureau has tracked the average cost of what they call a “a classic Independence Day cookout for 10 people.”
The items surveyed include grillable proteins such as pork chops, chicken, and ground beef, sides such as pork and beans and the fixings for potato salad, plus ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, and the ingredients for fresh lemonade.
How much will a Fourth of July barbecue cost this year?
According to the Farm Bureau, the average national cost for a cookout this year is $73.82, an increase of $2.90, from 2025.
This is the highest price the Farm Bureau has observed since they started the Summer Cookout Cost Survey in 2016. The increase from last year, they note, mirrors overall inflation in the United States. “The cost of the cookout basket rose about 4%, while overall inflation in the United States increased 4.2% over the 12 months ending in May,” the report stated.
However, the Farm Bureau also noted that “while families are paying more dollars at checkout, the purchasing-power cost of the basket is nearly flat from last year.”
How much will Californians pay to host Fourth of July?
Californians can expect to pay the most in the nation for their barbecues this year at $91.80, or about $9.18 per person. It’s an increase of $1.74, or 2%, from 2025.
The Farm Bureau also assessed the numbers by region. In the West (which includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, plus Alaska and Hawaii) the average barbecue price is $80.00. The cheapest region to host a cookout is the Northeast, at $71.35.
The West in general saw higher prices for many of the Farm Bureaus’s listed items, such as beef, hamburger buns, chips, and ice cream.
What’s more expensive to buy this year for Fourth of July?
Meat helped bump up the overall cookout cost Nationally, the price of two pounds of ground beef jumped to $14.06, a 5% increase over last year. Chicken breasts are a cheaper option, at $8.06 for two pounds, while three pounds of pork chops ring up at $14.79.
Some side dishes and desserts also showed big price jumps. A 32-ounce can of pork and beans, for example, increased nearly 14% in cost between 2025 and 2026, landing at $3.06. The increase, stated the Farm Bureau, is due to higher aluminum costs.
Two pints of strawberries, on average, now cost $5.27, an increase of 58 cents from 2025, which the Farm Bureau attributed to a frost in Florida and higher prices for fresh fruits and vegetables.
What’s cheaper this year for the Fourth of July?
Only two items tracked by the Farm Bureau decreased in price in 2026. Potato salad and potato chips both saw declines.
For two and a half pounds of homemade potato salad, the average price consumers will see is $2.91, nearly 18% less than 2025. Eggs, whether as mayonnaise or hard-boiled additions to a potato salad, are one factor. The Farm Bureau noted that “egg-laying flocks have recovered considerably from highly pathogenic avian influenza,” which had driven prices up.
Potatoes are also cheaper, meaning that a 16-once bag of potato chips will be, on average, $4.76, down about 1% from last year.
