Website ranks Raleigh as one of the most expensive places to make Thanksgiving meal

A new ranking shows that Raleigh could be one of the most expensive places in America to prepare a Thanksgiving Day meal.

The City of Oaks came in 9th place on the Savings.com analysis, which looked at advertised prices for holiday staples.

The study finds major metropolitan cities like Philadelphia and Houston could be cheaper.

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"It's very surprising since we're big on agriculture," said Raleigh resident Richard Mitchell.

North Carolina does have a thriving agricultural industry, but it's apparently no match for inflation.

Food prices are rising and some people say they're cutting back in spending for Thanksgiving.

"Prices for food, gas, everything plays a part in how we go about our life right now," said Raleigh resident Jenee Martell.

Mitchell has more family is coming from out-of-town and he's tweaking the menu.

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"Less desserts," he said.

Savings.com estimates the average cost of a Turkey Day meal is Raleigh is $41.88.

ABC11 set out to see if we could get the meal for less and stopped by Lidl on Wake Forest Road, which is a cost-effective place to shop.

We gathered all the staples Savings.com used to get their number.

The cost for a bag of potatoes, Brussel sprouts, stuffing, pumpkin pie and a frozen turkey came out to $36.57. That's more than $5 under Savings.com average.

Some folks plan on being savvy this holiday season.

"We're going to definitely watch what we buy, what we don't buy," said Mitchell.

Availability could be another issue.

ABC News is reporting that turkeys were 60 percent out-of-stock. There were also problems getting in yams, refrigerated pies and cranberries.

Experts are urging folks to buy early if you something in stores.