The cost of Thanksgiving dinner
People in St. John’s pay less than in other major Atlantic Canadian cities
As families across the country gear up for Thanksgiving Day weekend, many would agree that besides the holiday, one of the best parts is the turkey dinner.
But if you’re hosting, buying everything needed for a big feast can be costly.
People in St. John’s can take some comfort in knowing their grocery bill to buy basic meal items for the holiday, on average, is less than in other major Atlantic Canadian cities, and is also less than the Canadian average.
According to numbers acquired by The Telegram from Stats Canada, an average trip to the supermarket to buy a turkey (eight pounds), potatoes (10 pounds), carrots (five pounds), turnip/rutabaga (three pounds), green peas (398 ml can) with gravy that includes bread (675 grams), butter (454 grams) and onions (three pounds) will cost about $45.50.
In Halifax, those same items will run a shopper $57.18, while in Fredericton it’s $54.20 and Charlottetown, $53.23. The Canadian average is $51.43
The average cost of a turkey in St. John’s is the lowest among those cities — $2.59 per pound. It’s $3.76 in Halifax, $3.61 in Fredericton and $3.16 in Charlottetown
The numbers — which are averages that include sale prices — are based on August prices, Stats Canada’s latest available published data. It noted that product prices can vary in quality between outlets or between geographic areas.
Brands and outlets can also vary from month to month.
Therefore, average prices may not necessarily be fully comparable from one month to another and between one geographic area and another and should not be used as an appropriate measure of pure price change through time.
A matched product and outlet sample is used for the CPI to determine the pure price movement of products through time.
The prices also don’t include beverages, dessert or any meal items. Salt beef is not included in the list of turkey dinner items, since it was difficult for Stats Canada to find the equivalent in other provinces.