New Jersey is the cheapest state to barbecue

It’s not often that there’s a list of how much something costs and you see New Jersey in the lower half, but it’s even rarer for New Jersey to be the absolute cheapest state. Well, if a new report by Total Shape and reported by The Street is accurate, that’s the case when it comes to barbecuing this Fourth of July. That’s right, according to their math, New Jersey is the absolute cheapest state for bbq.

The study looked at the prices for various essentials like meat, beer, sides, and cheese with enough to serve 10 people. They also looked at the median monthly salary in the state to find out what percentage of their income would be needed.

Providing that kind of spread in New Jersey will only set you back $98.05; the monthly salary is $4998.

South Dakota is the highest at $150.80; while other states had higher costs (Georgia was $170.86), but combined with South Dakota’s lower monthly wage, barbecue will take a bigger chunk of your bank account there.

Along with South Dakota and Georgia, Kentucky, and Montana were near the top with high food prices and lower than average incomes.

With food prices up across America in the last year, many of us will be left worried about covering the cost of our usual holiday celebrations this summer — especially for the Fourth of July, which is a chance for the whole family to get together," a Total Shape spokesperson said.

According to The Street, food prices have risen 5.6% over the past year, but foods that are traditionally served at barbecues have gone up more.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.

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