These Stores Sell Least Expensive Thanksgiving Food, New Study Finds

By Chris Spiker From Daily Voice

As grocery prices keep climbing before Thanksgiving, a new study shows where you can trim your budget for your holiday feast.

NetCredit compiled a list of the least expensive supermarkets for Thanksgiving essentials. The online lending website compared Thanksgiving food prices at 19 major national and regional grocery chains.

The study found that Walmart had the most affordable overall meal, feeding six to eight people for $52.74. That was more than 13% cheaper than the Texas grocery chain H-E-B, which was the second-most affordable store overall.

Mid-Atlantic supermarket chain Harris Teeter came in No. 5 with an overall meal price of $62.27, just five cents ahead of Kroger. Target finished in eighth place at $64.85, while Acme Markets rounded out the top 10 at $69.27.

NetCredit built a standard Thanksgiving shopping list, including a whole turkey, Yukon Gold potatoes, stuffing, canned vegetables, pumpkin pie ingredients, and dinner rolls, along with everyday items like butter, milk, and eggs. The researchers then pulled prices from a major ZIP code in three of the largest states where each store operates and averaged the totals to find the cost of a full meal.

The study also broke down the shopping list item by item. Walmart had 10 of the 19 cheapest Thanksgiving supplies, including potatoes, cranberry sauce, and three major ingredients for a green bean casserole.

A person cutting into a Thanksgiving turkey.

Unsplash - Jessica Christian

It may also help to shop at more than one store. Target was the cheapest for sweet potatoes and cinnamon, while Harris Teeter had the lowest corn and vanilla extract prices.

At just $11.12, Walmart had the cheapest average price of a frozen turkey. Acme, Harris Teeter, and Target all tied for third place at $11.88, while Kroger finished a distant 10th at $14.28.

Thanksgiving comes as many food prices have risen throughout 2025, due in part to President Donald Trump's widespread tariffs. Increasing wholesale costs for frozen turkeys have been fueled by several bird flu outbreaks on farms across the Midwest.

Despite higher turkey prices, many supermarkets are slashing prices for Thanksgiving to attract weary shoppers.

"The wholesale price per pound has risen by around 40% year-over-year," NetCredit said. "Although there should be no shortage of turkeys available in the shops, consumers may experience the knock-on effects of wholesale pricing changes at some stores. All the same, Walmart claims to be selling turkey at its cheapest rate since 2019 and is among several chains that appear happy to take a hit on low turkey prices if it draws festive shoppers into their stores."

Many national retailers like Aldi, Target, and Walmart have advertised huge deals on a pre-selected assortment of Thanksgiving foods. Regional grocery chains have their own promotions, including Price Rite Marketplace, Price Chopper, and Stop & Shop.

NetCredit warns that shoppers should be careful when picking out items because the promoted discount may not match the final bill.

"The Walmart set deal may make sense for some households, but consumers should take care both that they need every item in the set basket and that there is nothing excluded from the basket that they need — or the Walmart deal could end up proving to be false savings," NetCredit said.

According to the National Turkey Federation, Americans eat about 1.4 billion pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving, more than a quarter of the nation's total 2025 production.

You can click here to see NetCredit's full study.