Local
Local Grocery Prices Climb Again
For the third month in a row, most of the price increase in our shopping basket was due to paper products.
[Kirkland, WA – WBHG News] – It’s been four months since President Donald Trump was inaugurated after campaigning on controlling inflation to lower grocery and fuel prices. One hundred and twenty-one days later, has the situation improved?
On 21 January 2025, our team benchmarked grocery, fuel, and fast food prices in Kirkland to track over the next four years. This is our fourth update.
Based on actual retail prices, today’s grocery trip costs $1.90 more than last month and $9.87 more than our first trip in January. The price of Kraft Singles processed cheese and milk went down, and hamburger, Dawn dishwashing soap, and Tampax tampons went up.
Two products had very minor changes that didn’t significantly impact their prices. On January 21, the ground beef we used for our benchmark price was 16 ounces and 93/7 fat content. That changed to 91/9 in March and 90/10 in May. The weight for 102 Tide Pods 3-in-1 laundry detergent went from 84.7 ounces to 85.0 ounces.
Today’s bill climbed from $243.27 to $245.17, up 0.8%, an identical increase from last month.
A 12-gallon fill-up of regular gasoline was unchanged from a month ago and is 43 cents a gallon higher than January 21. Washington state Governor Bob Ferguson signed the state budget bill this morning, which will increase the gasoline tax by 6 cents on July 1, 2025.
The prices of popular fast food items at McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Domino’s did not change.
Here are the Products
We are tracking the prices of 27 popular items, regular unleaded gasoline, and meals from three popular fast food brands.
| Item | Weight, Volume, Quantity | April 21, 2025, Non-sale Price | May 21, 2025 Non-sale Price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dairy Products | ||||
| Whole Milk – Kroger Brand | 128 fluid ounces | $3.99 | $3.69 | Decrease, 30 cents |
| Land O Lakes Unsalted Butter | 4 count – total weight 16 ounces | $5.99 | $5.99 | |
| Kraft Singles American processed cheese food product | 24 individual slices – 16 ounces by weight | $5.79 | $5.49 | Decrease, 30 cents |
| Household Products | ||||
| Tide 3-in-1 Pods laundry detergent | 102 count – 85.0 ounces | $24.99 | $24.99 | Size increased from 84.7 ounces to 85.0 ounces |
| Dawn Ultra dishwashing soap | 38 fluid ounces | $6.29 | $6.49 | Increase, 20 cents |
| Bounty 6=12 doubles paper towels | 6 2-ply rolls, 50 11 inches X 10.2 inches sheets per roll, 233 square feet | $14.99 | $14.99 | |
| Breakfast Foods | ||||
| Cheerios toasted oat cereal | 20 ounces | $6.99 | $6.99 | |
| Starbucks Pike Place Roast ground coffee – medium roast | 18 ounces | $14.49 | $14.49 | |
| Meat | ||||
| Kroger Brand “Simple Truth” prepackaged natural ground beef – 90/10 | 16 ounces, individual vacuum pack | $9.49 for 91/9 | $9.99 for 90/10 | Increase, 50 cents with a 1% increase in fat content |
| Oscar Mayer Beef Franks – Classic | 10 count – total weight 15 ounces | $5.49 | $5.49 | |
| Infant/Baby | ||||
| Pampers baby-dry stage 6 diapers | 50 count | $28.99 | $28.99 | |
| Health and Beauty | ||||
| Tampax Pearl Large Light Day tampons | 36 count | $9.79 | $11.49 | Increase, $1.70 |
| Charmin Ultra Strong 12=48 Mega roll toilet paper | 12 2-ply rolls, 220 3.92 inches x 4 inches sheets per roll, 287 square feet | $16.99 | $16.99 | |
| Snack and Convenience Foods | ||||
| Red Baron brick oven crust pepperoni pizza | 17.89 ounces | $5.29 | $5.29 | |
| Hot Pockets Pepperoni Pizza flavor | 8 count – total weight 36 ounces | $10.99 | $10.99 | |
| Oreo cookies | 18.12 ounces | $4.99 | $4.99 | |
| Doritos – Cool Ranch Flavor – party size | 14.5 ounces | $6.99 | $6.99 | |
| Coca-Cola – canned, sweetened with corn syrup | 12 count – 12 fluid ounce cans | $10.99 | $10.99 | |
| Soups and Broths | ||||
| Swanson chicken broth | 32 fluid ounces | $2.99 | $2.99 | |
| Quick Meals | ||||
| Prego Traditional jarred prepared pasta sauce, tomato | 24 ounces by weight | $2.79 | $2.79 | |
| Barilla rotini pasta | 16 ounces | $1.99 | $1.99 | |
| Kraft Mac & Cheese Dinner, original flavor | 7.25 ounces | $1.29 | $1.29 | |
| Wonder Bread, white, sliced | 20 ounces | $3.49 | $3.49 | |
| Staples | ||||
| C&H premium pure cane granulated sugar in bag | 64 ounces | $4.99 | $4.99 | |
| Pillsbury Best All Purpose Flour, bleached and enriched | 80 ounces | $5.69 | $5.69 | |
| Condiments | ||||
| Hidden Valley Ranch ranch salad dressing | 16 fluid ounces | $4.39 | $4.39 | |
| Heinz real tomato ketchup in the easy squeeze bottle | 20 ounces | $3.99 | $3.99 | |
| Gasoline | ||||
| Regular unleaded E-10 87-octane gasoline at the Totem Lake Fred Meyer location | 128 fluid ounces | $4.19-9/10, which includes 18.4 cents federal motor fuel tax, 49.4 cents Washington state gasoline tax, and approximately 43.4 cents for Washington state cap and trade fees | $4.19-9/10, which includes 18.4 cents federal motor fuel tax, 49.4 cents Washington state gasoline tax, and approximately 43.4 cents for Washington state cap and trade fees | A 6-cent increase in state gasoline tax will go into effect on July 1, 2025. |
| Fast Food | ||||
| McDonald’s Big Mac meal at the 124th Ave NE, Kirkland, location | Big Mac with 2 2-ounce beef patties, medium French fry, and medium 21 fluid ounce Coca-Cola with regular ice | $11.39 before tax | $11.39 before tax | |
| Taco Bell 3 Crunch Taco Combo at the 124th Ave NE, Kirkland, location | 3 hard shell tacos with ground beef filling, included toppings, and a large 30 fluid ounces Pepsi with regular ice | $8.69 before tax | $8.69 before tax | |
| Domino’s large Ultimate Pepperoni pizza for store pickup at the 100th Ave NE, Kirkland location | 14″ pizza with hand-tossed crust, pepperoni (extra), shredded parmesan asiago and provolone cheeses, and tomato sauce | $21.99 before tax | $21.99 before tax |
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