Below are the prices we found. For each product, we either used the cheapest store brand or one specific name brand, such as Land o’ Lakes or Wonder Bread. An asterisk by a price means we didn’t find the name brand for a product and substituted a store brand.
Left column is prices from August and the right column is from December.
Meat
| Ground Beef 1 Lb | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aldi | $3.79 | $4.99 |
| Kroger | $5.49 | $5.99 |
| Meijer | $5.29 | $5.79 |
| Dot's Market | $3.99 | $4.99 |
| Dorothy Lane Market | $7.99 | $8.49 |
An analysis of U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data by software company Trace One PLM found that the cost of ground beef has increased 25.8% since March 2020, and increased 6.2% over the past year.
Eggs
| Aldi | $1.99 | $3.96 |
| Kroger | $2.49 | $3.99 |
| Meijer | $3.19 | $3.99 |
| Dot's Market | $2.99 | $4.99 |
| Dorothy Lane Market | $3.39 | $4.89 |
Egg prices increased the most since March 2020, with a 50% increase. Prices are continuing to climb.
Dairy
| Land o' Lakes Butter | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aldi | $3.49* | $2.99* |
| Kroger | $6.49 | $5.99 |
| Meijer | $6.19 | $6.19 |
| Dot's Market | $6.79 | $7.69 |
| Dorothy Lane Market | $6.79 | $4.99 |
Butter has increased 29.4% since March 2020, but declined 2.1% last year. Meat, eggs, and milk have all seen more steep increases over the past four years than the 20.9% average price increase for all products.
| Milk (1 gal.) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 2024 | Dec. 2024 | |
| Aldi | $2.67 | $2.56 |
| Kroger | $2.79 | $2.69 |
| Meijer | $2.62 | $2.57 |
| Dot's Market | $3.99 | $3.99 |
| Dorothy Lane Market | $3.99 | $3.99 |
On the other hand, milk increased 19.2%, since March 2020, and has also gone down 1.6% since last year, roughly in line with general inflation.
Produce
| Aldi | $1.89 | $1.85 |
|---|---|---|
| Kroger | $1.99 | $1.99 |
| Meijer | $2.19 | $1.99 |
| Dot's Market | $2.99 | $1.99 |
| Dorothy Lane Market | $2.99 | $3.99 |
The price of lettuce has gone up 27.3% since 2020, with a 5.8% increase this past year. Bananas, though, are only 7% more expensive than they were in 2020.
Grains
| Wonder Bread | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aldi | $1.35* | $1.39* |
| Kroger | $2.49 | $3.99 |
| Meijer | $2.49 | $2.49 |
| Dot's Market | $3.79 | $3.79 |
| Dorothy Lane Market | $3.79 | $3.79 |
A loaf of bread has remained around the same price for the past four months.
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