Hoosiers can expect to pay less for their Fourth of July cookouts this year, according to the Indiana Farm Bureau. A cookout for 10 people will cost about $66.73 in 2026, down 7% from last year.
Lower Egg Prices Drive Down Costs
Lower egg prices have helped drive down costs, especially for items like potato salad. Shoppers should look for deals on meat, which makes up more than half of the total cookout cost.
The estimated cookout includes items like ground beef, cheese, pork chops, potato salad, chips, and ice cream. The biggest price drop came from potato salad, which fell about 56% compared to last year.
Some items are still more expensive this year. Cookie prices increased about 4%, while strawberries rose about 3%. Two pounds of ground beef will cost about $13.05 this year, down from $13.81 in 2025. A half gallon of ice cream dropped from $5.60 to $4.33, while cheese fell from $3.53 to $3.12.
Original reporting: 93.1 WIBC (Indianapolis) — read the source article.
