Celebrating your mother this Mother’s Day is going to cost you dearly, because of inflation.
According to a recent analysis from the Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute, it is expected to cost 4% more to feed moms out.
And going the nine yards with a Mother’s Day gift package, which includes flowers, jewelry, chocolates, a spa treatment, perfume and a card, will cost 6% more than last year — or $543 compared to $514 — according to CouponFollow.
It will be expensive to take mom out to feed her.
The Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute expects diners to spend about 4% more on Mother’s Day for a total restaurant food bill of $67, up from $64 last year. Wells Fargo credit card data on last year’s Mother’s Day spending at non-quick-service restaurants was used.
The biggest reason for the increase is labor costs for the restaurant industry.
“Restaurants need to compete to retain those workers,” Michael Swanson, chief agricultural economist at the Wells Fargo Institute, told USA TODAY.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in March that wages for the leisure and hospitality category had increased by 3.8% over the past 12 months.
As far as food is concerned, two popular foods for Mother’s Day – eggs and beef – have seen some dramatic price changes over the past year.
Swanson said, fortunately, the price of eggs has fallen from last year’s highs following the impact of bird flu.
“Maybe this is the year to have lunch on Mother’s Day because egg prices are down significantly from a year ago,” Swanson said. “A dozen eggs cost $6.23 in March a year ago and they cost $2.35 in March this year.”
But if beef is on the Mother’s Day menu, the cost of the meal could be high. Beef prices are high as the market struggles to restore supply despite record demand.
According to Wells Fargo, the retail price of beef increased 17% in the latest USDA retail meat price report. By comparison, retail prices for pork have increased 1.3% over the same period and the overall price of broiler chickens has decreased 1.9%.
What parts of a Mother’s Day gift package increased?
If gifts suit your style, their cost is also increasing. Flowers, jewelry and chocolates saw the biggest price increases, each rising more than 7% year over year, according to CouponFollow.
“The main takeaway from our study is how fast costs are rising across different categories,” Clay Carey, senior trends analyst at CouponFollow, told USA TODAY. “Although inflation is always predictable, these hidden costs can come back to haunt consumers. Planning ahead and using discounts where possible can have a meaningful impact on the budget this year.”
Here’s how the costs escalated:
- Bouquet of Flowers: Up 7.3%, from $54.53 in 2025 to $58.50 in 2026
- Jewelry (under $500): up 7.3%, from $213.82 to $229.34
- Chocolate and candy: up 7.2%, from $37.97 to $40.71
- Perfume: up 1.1%, from $66.87 to $67.57
- Greeting cards: up 1.1%, from $6.83 to $6.90
The most expensive part of the package is jewelry at $229 and spa services averaging $140. CouponFollow said these two make up 68% of the total gift package price.
You will have to suffer losses if you procrastinate
If you wait too long to buy your Mother’s Day gift, it will also cost you more. Last-minute shoppers pay $5 to $20 more per gift in expedited shipping fees, ranging from an extra $5 for same-day flower delivery to $20 for overnight chocolates.
Reporting by Betty Lynn-Fisher, USA TODAY/USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect