
Beer, cheese and chips are your best budget options for the Super Bowl. Photo: Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)
A Wisconsin-style spread heavy on beer and cheese will save you a few bucks at your Super Bowl party on Sunday. Hold the meatballs and chicken wings.
Driving the news: Overall food prices in the Twin Cities were up 7.5% in January, year-over-year, according to newly released Twin Cities Consumer Price Index data by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- But the cost of alcoholic beverages and dairy products, two game day menu staples, have risen slower than other food items.
By the numbers: The overall increase is driven by meat, fruits and veggies.
- Meats, poultry, fish and eggs were up 9.4% and cereal and baked products were up 8.3%.
- Chicken wings prices (14%), ground hamburger (17%) and pop (6% to 12%) have risen the most, according to a national Wells Fargo analysis.
- Bellying up to a sports bar will also cost you more, as "food away from home" prices are up 7.7% locally. And if you're driving, gas prices are up 41%.
Yes, but: Dairy prices were only up 3% and alcoholic beverages only 2.8%, both below the state's annual wage growth of 5.4% in 2021.
The bottom line: The CPI index for the Twin Cities largely mirrors national numbers. Inflation locally over the past 12 months is 7.2% compared to the U.S. rate of 7.5%.
It's the nation's highest rate in 40 years.

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