(NEXSTAR) — Preparing a Thanksgiving meal can be stressful enough, but it’s made extra-stressful when buying everything you need takes too big a chunk out of your wallet. It can be daunting figuring out where to buy what, but it helps if you have a breakdown.
Thankfully, just in time for the holiday, financial data outlet FinanceBuzz has compared prices among the U.S.’ major grocery stores to find who has the most expensive and least expensive Thanksgiving prices.
For shoppers who intend to make the meal themselves, Whole Foods was found to have the most expensive meal, with an average of $84.84 for eight people. Meanwhile, Wegmans was found to have the least expensive groceries, with an average of $32.94 for eight people.
Here’s the full list of stores and items by price:
| Store | Turkey | Potatoes/ gravy | Stuffing | Vegetables | Other sides | Pumpkin pie | Total |
| Albertsons | $7.08* | $5.97 | $3.99 | $12.32 | $9.07 | $6.99 | $45.42 |
| Aldi | $15.24 | $2.53 | $1.50 | $4.21 | $6.79 | $5.19 | $35.46 |
| H-E-B | $11.76* | $3.27 | $1.42 | $7.16 | $5.95 | $6.05 | $35.61 |
| Hy-Vee | $23.88 | $3.25 | $1.98 | $9.12 | $7.47 | $4.99 | $50.69 |
| Kroger | $8.28 | $4.49 | $2.98 | $7.72 | $7.37 | $5.49 | $36.33 |
| Meijer | $7.08* | $3.27 | $1.98 | $8.96 | $6.97 | $6.49 | $34.75 |
| Publix | $9.12* | $5.61 | $3.71 | $10.88 | $10.44 | $10.19 | $49.95 |
| Target | $11.88 | $5.27 | $3.39 | $10.50 | $8.97 | $7.99 | $48 |
| Walmart | $11.76 | $2.94 | $2.58 | $5.44 | $7.14 | $6.42 | $36.28 |
| Wegmans | $3.48* | $5.27 | $2.98 | $6.72 | $7.47 | $6.99 | $32.91 |
| Whole Foods | $29.88* | $5.49 | $3.49 | $20.52 | $10.47 | $14.99 | $84.84 |
Turkey-wise, aside from Whole Foods, Hy-Vee was found to have the next-most expensive birds ($23.88), followed by Aldi, with turkeys averaging $15.24. Vegetables were the next-most expensive items across all stores. The least expensive potatoes/gravy and vegetables could be found at Aldi, while Texas-based grocer H-E-B was found to have the least expensive prices for non-listed sides, with an average cost of $5.95.
When it comes to pre-made Thanksgiving meals, FinanceBuzz also compared store rates to find the most and least expensive stores.
Costco was found to have the most expensive pre-made meals, with an average cost of $24.88 per person, while Target was found to be least expensive, with an average cost of $6.35 per person.
Recently, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) reported that the average price for turkey nationwide is $27.35, which is a slight decrease from last year’s $28.96 for a 16-pound turkey. Last year, the bureau reported a record-high price of $64.05 to feed 10 people — this year’s total ($61.17) is a little bit of price break.
The bureau’s price comparisons found a healthy mix of decreases and increases between 2022 and 2023 Thanksgiving dinner ingredients. For instance, while items like pumpkin pie mix ($4.44) rose 16 cents, that spike represents the highest year-over-year change found.
Addy Bink contributed to this report.
