McAllen is officially this year’s top dog for summer cookouts, according to Kiplinger’s 10 Best Cities for Affordable Summer Cookouts. The list is compiled of cities that offer “an enviable combination of ample sunshine and affordable prices on cookout staples.”
Kiplinger found McAllen’s cost of cookout staples to be 11.6 percent below average, and the odds of a sunny summer day to be 74.3 percent. The publication found soda prices in McAllen to run 15 percent below the national average and are the cheapest among the ten cities that made the cut.
Metropolitan areas considered for the list had to have an above-average number of sunny days during the summer and populations over 50,000. The Council for Community and Economic Research calculated the cost of cookout staples, including the prices of a pound of 80 percent lean ground beef, an 11.5-ounce bag of potato chips, a two-liter bottle of soda and a six-pack of beer. The total cost for the average U.S. city adds up to $16.50.
This article was originally featured in the July 11, 2012 edition of Valley Business Report’s e-Brief. To receive the e-Brief weekly via email, subscribe here.
