Memorial Day Weekend Costs: Food, Travel Prices Rise This Summer Americans will pay more for everything from gas to meat for the barbecue heading into Memorial Day weekend. Prices for travel, recreation, and food saw sharp increases, giving consumers headaches as the summer unofficially kicks off. Total inflation for shoppers rose 3.8% in April from the same month a year ago, the highest annual rate since 2023, according to federal government data. Prices for travel, recreation, and food saw especially sharp increases, draining Americans’ wallets as they ring in the unofficial start of summer. “They’re not going to be happy about what they see,” said Stephen Juneau, senior U.S. economist at Bank of America. “There will be a lot of grumbling this weekend when people are driving and in the airports, or are going to the store to stock up.” Consumer sentiment officially came in at its lowest level on record in May, according to survey data from the University of Michigan. The outlook was battered in part by spiking oil prices amid the Middle East war, which is almost three months old. E.l.f. Beauty announced Wednesday that it was rolling back some price increases, saying its consumers were “suffering” from elevated fuel costs. McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski warned earlier this month that the fast food chain faced a “challenging environment” as inflationary pressures mount. Summer barbecues will be more costly this year as cattle herds shrink and fertilizer costs jump. Ground beef and steaks are up as much as 16% compared with 2025. Frankfurters cost nearly 11% more than a year ago. Tomatoes run shoppers close to 40% more, while lettuce is up about 8% over the same period. Toppings such as spices, seasonings, condiments, and sauces have climbed almost 4%.#mcdonalds #bank_of_america #university_of_michigan #memorial_day_weekend #elf_beauty
