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The 2021 grilling season is officially upon us now that Memorial Day weekend is here.
If you plan to celebrate with a classic American meal of cheeseburger and fries, latest data from deal site Simple Thrifty Living shows that barbequing a home-cooked burger is likely more affordable than eating one out at a restaurant.
For residents in Arizona, a cheeseburger at home is cheapest at $2.34, while Hawaiians pay the most, shelling out $2.95 on average. By region, the Midwest came in with the highest average burger cost at $2.65 — outpricing the West at $2.58, the Northeast at $2.54 and the South at $2.50.
To find the average cost of a cheeseburger by state, Simple Thrifty Living aggregated prices from Walmart retailers for each of the following ingredients and toppings, based on specific serving sizes:
- 1/4 pound ground beef
- 1 tsp ketchup
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1/5 of an onion
- 1 hamburger bun
- 1 tsp mayonnaise
- 1/4 of a tomato
- 1 oz pickles
- 1/8 of a head of lettuce
- 1 slice of cheese
Here is the average cost of one home-cooked cheeseburger in each state:
Alabama
$2.52
Alaska
$2.92
Arizona
$2.34
Arkansas
$2.44
California
$2.55
Colorado
$2.44
Connecticut
$2.48
Delaware
$2.37
Florida
$2.65
Georgia
$2.48
Hawaii
$2.95
Idaho
$2.42
Illinois
$2.54
Indiana
$2.49
Iowa
$2.54
Kansas
$2.51
Kentucky
$2.52
Louisiana
$2.47
Maine
$2.69
Maryland
$2.37
Massachusetts
$2.69
Michigan
$2.54
Minnesota
$2.92
Mississippi
$2.56
Missouri
$2.55
Montana
$2.59
Nebraska
$2.75
Nevada
$2.55
New Hampshire
$2.53
New Jersey
$2.45
New Mexico
$2.75
New York
$2.45
North Carolina
$2.57
North Dakota
$2.76
Ohio
$2.79
Oklahoma
$2.54
Oregon
$2.57
Pennsylvania
$2.38
Rhode Island
$2.68
South Carolina
$2.43
South Dakota
$2.84
Tennessee
$2.65
Texas
$2.51
Utah
$2.42
Vermont
$2.46
Virginia
$2.49
Washington
$2.60
West Virginia
$2.43
Wisconsin
$2.73
Wyoming
$2.50
How you can save on your next cheeseburger
No matter what state you reside in, you can save money on your next home-cooked burger by using a credit card that rewards you for your your grocery store purchases.
The average American spends about $5,174 a year, or roughly $431 a month, on groceries, according to a sample budget based on the latest spending data available from the location intelligence firm Esri. Using an average American's annual budget and digging into each card's perks and drawbacks, we analyzed 26 popular rewards cards to find the best grocery store rewards cards based on your spending habits. (See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best cards.)
Our number-one choice is the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express because it offers grocery shoppers the highest cash-back rate at U.S. supermarkets at 6% (on up to $6,000 per year in eligible purchases, then 1%). The average American can earn $310 in cash back each year when they do their shopping at qualifying supermarkets.
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a low-fee card with generous cash-back rewards and useful ongoing benefits, such as a monthly Disney Bundle credit. (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned)
- High cash-back earnings for U.S. supermarkets and streaming services
- Intro-APR offer for purchases and balance transfers
- No annual fee for the first year
- It's less rewarding after the first year because of the annual fee
- Bonus rewards for U.S. supermarkets are capped
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Apply and find out your welcome offer. As High As $300 cash back* after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply, and if approved: 1. Find out your offer amount 2. Accept the Card with your offer 3. Spend $3,000 in 6 months 4. Receive the cash back. *Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- Enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 19.74%-28.74%.
- Plan It®: Buy now, pay later with Plan It. Split purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly installments with a fixed fee so you don't have the pressure of paying all at once. Simply select the purchase in your online account or the American Express® App to see your plan options. Plus, you'll still earn rewards on purchases the way you usually do.
- Earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in eligible purchases (then 1%), 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at eligible U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more) purchases and 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout.
- Get up to a $10 monthly statement credit after using your enrolled Blue Cash Preferred® Card for a subscription purchase, including a bundle subscription purchase, at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com, or Stream.ESPN.com U.S. websites. Subject to auto-renewal.
- See Rates & Fees
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars
Here are our other top picks for cards offering supermarket rewards:
- Runner-up: American Express® Gold Card
- Best for online grocery shopping: Prime Visa (see rates and fees)
- Best for gas stations and groceries: PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card
- Best for no annual fee: Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express (see rates and fees)
- Best for welcome bonus: Chase Freedom Flex®
Before choosing the best grocery card for your wallet, first consider how you like to shop. Whether you like to visit a supermarket in-person or prefer to shop online and have your groceries delivered will help you decide which is the better rewards card for your spending.
Read more
Our methodology
To determine which cards offer the best value for grocery shopping, Select analyzed 26 of the most popular credit cards offered by the biggest banks, financial companies and credit unions that allow anyone to join and offer bonus rewards at supermarkets. Bonus rewards means a cardholder earns 2% or 2 points per dollar in a given category. In this case, grocery stores.
We compared each card on a range of features, including cash-back rewards, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR, balance transfer fee and foreign transaction fees, as well as factors such as required credit score and customer reviews when available. We also considered additional perks, the application process and how easy it is for the consumer to redeem points.
Select teamed up with location intelligence firm Esri. The company's data development team provided the most up-to-date and comprehensive consumer spending data based on the 2019 Consumer Expenditure Surveys from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can read more about their methodology here.
Esri's data team created a sample annual budget of approximately $22,126 in retail spending. The budget includes six main categories: groceries ($5,174), gas ($2,218), dining out ($3,675), travel ($2,244), utilities ($4,862) and general purchases ($3,953). General purchases include items such as housekeeping supplies, clothing, personal care products, prescription drugs and vitamins, and other vehicle expenses.
Select used this budget to estimate how much the average consumer would save over the course of a year, two years and five years, assuming they would attempt to maximize their rewards potential by earning all welcome bonuses offered and using the card for all applicable purchases. All rewards total estimations are net the annual fee.
It's important to note the value of a point or mile varies from card to card and based on how you redeem them. When we calculated the estimated returns, we assumed that cardholders are redeeming points/miles for a typical maximum value of 1 cent per point or mile. (Extreme optimizers might be able to achieve more value.)
Our final picks are weighted heavily toward the highest five-year returns, since it's generally wise to hold onto a credit card for years. This method also avoids giving an unfair advantage to cards with large welcome bonuses.
For rates and fees for the Blue Cash Everyday Card, click here
For rates and fees for the Blue Cash Preferred Card, click here
Information about the Chase Freedom Flex® has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer prior to publication.
We may earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through Amazon links.
