Rising beef prices may chill your grill on cookouts from Memorial Day to end of summer

You might want to be a little more careful while grilling in the backyard this summer – those burgers and steaks are going to cost you more.

The average per-pound price of 100% ground beef increased to $5.80 in April, a nearly 13% gain over the past 12 months, according to the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank.

Beef prices will probably continue to escalate, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says. The department's April 2025 outlook predicts beef and veal costs could jump 6.3% or more in 2025.

The costs were estimated to rise due to “tight supplies and continued consumer demand,” the USDA says. That’s above the 3.2% price increase expected for food-at-home purchased from grocery stores or supermarkets.

How have food prices changed?

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The grilling season typically takes place between Memorial Day and Labor Day, according to beefresearch.org. So get ready.

You'll find other meats will be more expensive, but not as much as beef. Pork prices are predicted to rise 1.8% in 2025, while poultry is expected to increase 1%.

CPI report: Inflation at four-year low.

Egg prices fall: Overall cost is down nearly 13%.

Though your burgers will be more expensive, the toppings you’ll be adding won’t be, according to the USDA. The price of lettuce and tomatoes are down more than 6% over the past 12 months.

The price of potatoes has dropped about 0.5% in the same time period, so your at-home french fries won’t break the bank. You’ll pay a little more for hamburger buns, since the price of bread is about 1.9% more expensive than last year.

And if you crave hotdogs over hamburgers, frankfurters have dropped about 4.3% in price, the USDA says.

SOURCE Paste BN Network reporting and research; Reuters; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; Bureau of Labor Statistics