Seasonal Basket
The Summer Cookout Index
U.S. city average · August 2026
A summer cookout for a small gathering cost $47.49 in August 2026, based on Basket Report's fixed 9-item Cookout Index of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average grocery prices — up 0.5% from the previous month and up 2.8% from a year earlier.
248 monthly observations · January 2006 to August 2026 · Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What's in the cookout basket
The Cookout Index is a fixed grilling spread of burgers, grilled chicken, pork chops, cheddar, buns, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes for potato salad, and a bag of chips. In August 2026, the fixed basket came to $47.49, up 0.5% from the prior month and up 2.8% from a year earlier. The largest line is ground beef at $13.85, while the smallest is lettuce at $1.47. Over the past year lettuce moved most, down 12.1%.
| Item | Unit | Price | MoM | YoY | Cookout Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burgers — ground beef (2 lb) BLS APU0000703112 | pound | $6.92 | ▲ 0.6% | ▲ 9.6% | $13.85 |
| Grilled chicken breast (2 lb) BLS APU0000FF1101 | pound | $4.17 | ▲ 0.5% | ▼ 0.9% | $8.35 |
| Pork chops (1.5 lb) BLS APU0000704211 May 2026 price carried forward | pound | $4.91 | — | ▲ 6.6% | $7.36 |
| Cheddar slices (0.5 lb) BLS APU0000710212 | pound | $5.98 | ▲ 4.2% | ▼ 2.3% | $2.99 |
| Buns — bread (1 lb) BLS APU0000702111 | pound | $1.82 | ▲ 0.2% | ▼ 1.0% | $1.82 |
| Lettuce (1 lb) BLS APU0000712211 | pound | $1.47 | ▼ 16.1% | ▼ 12.1% | $1.47 |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) BLS APU0000712311 | pound | $1.98 | ▼ 1.3% | ▲ 2.7% | $1.98 |
| Potato salad — potatoes (3 lb) BLS APU0000712112 | pound | $0.98 | ▲ 3.6% | ▼ 2.5% | $2.93 |
| Potato chips (16 oz) BLS APU0000718311 | 16 ounces | $6.75 | ▲ 2.9% | — | $6.75 |
| Cookout total Fixed 9-item basket | ▲ 0.5% | ▲ 2.8% | $47.49 | ||
Methodology. This index uses the 9 tracked groceries above at fixed quantities and the BLS U.S. city-average source-unit prices. It is not a survey, and the BLS average-price series are not seasonally adjusted. For every fixed seasonal index, each target month uses the latest real BLS observation published at or before that month. If an item is not published for the target month, its raw series remains unavailable while the unchanged prior value is carried forward only in the derived seasonal basket, with its series ID, value, source month, and target month disclosed. No price is estimated or interpolated. Line items are rounded to the nearest cent for display while the total is summed from unrounded BLS prices, so the column can differ from the total by a cent. Quantity changes are versioned methodology events (see methodology and corrections).
Cookout total FAQ
How much does a summer cookout cost in 2026?
Basket Report's 9-item Cookout Index was $47.49 in August 2026, based on the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics city-average grocery price published at or before that month for each component — covering ground beef, chicken breast, pork chops, cheddar cheese, bread, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, potato chips. 8 item prices were published for August 2026; 1 price was carried forward with disclosure.
Is a cookout more expensive than last year?
The cookout basket is up 2.8% from a year ago, at $47.49 versus $46.21 last year.
What's in the cookout basket?
A fixed 9-item grilling spread: ground beef (2 lb), chicken breast (2 lb), pork chops (1.5 lb), cheddar cheese (0.5 lb), bread (1 lb), lettuce (1 lb), tomatoes (1 lb), potatoes (3 lb), potato chips (1 16oz). Each uses the latest published BLS U.S. city-average price at or before the target month, and quantities stay constant month to month.
Cite this
Basket Report. "The Summer Cookout Index." Basket Report — Grocery Price Index. Retrieved September 11, 2026 from https://basketreport.com/cookout/. Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. <a href="https://basketreport.com/cookout/">The Summer Cookout Index — Basket Report</a> (data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; retrieved September 11, 2026) Basket Report. (2026). The Summer Cookout Index [Data set]. Basket Report — Grocery Price Index. https://basketreport.com/cookout/