(The Center Square) – One year since Inauguration Day, consumer prices in the capital city of North Carolina are down for milk and beef, up for eggs and a tick higher for bread, according to TCS analysis of a nationally recognized crowd-sourced database.
Consumer prices and inflation were key points of campaign stops in the Tarheel State by Donald Trump. The Republican earned his second term by not only winning the state for a third consecutive election, but sweeping the seven battleground states 93-0 in electoral college votes.
Milk is down 9 cents since Jan. 20 of last year and dropped 15 cents in the last two weeks. Last Wednesday, Trump signed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, reintroducing full-fat dairy as part of a healthy dietary pattern, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
A pound of beef round is 20 cents less than a year ago. Eggs, at $4.06 a year ago, today are $4.53 for a regular dozen large. Bread, a 1-pound fresh loaf of white, is $3.65, 4 cents higher than a year ago.
The figures are from Numbeo, a crowd-sourced database with costs of living and other factors for cities and countries globally. Throughout the last 12 months, TCS has regularly checked the site for Raleigh and national norms.
Lows in Raleigh were $3.26 for milk in early August, $3.98 for eggs a month after inauguration, $7.50 for beef multiple times, and $3.61 for bread when Trump was sworn in. Highs were $3.56 for milk in the last two months, $4.83 for eggs on Labor Day weekend, $8.04 for beef in March and $4.03 for bread to begin December.
For context, across the country just as in Raleigh, different areas could be experiencing fluctuations and not across the board increases or decreases. There have been tariff battles and new trade agreements, all part of the president’s desire to fulfill campaign promises on the economy.
Here’s a look at some measures of consumer prices for Raleigh and the nation for Tuesday:
• Milk (regular, 1 gallon): $3.41, on a range of $1.82 to $5.98. The national average is $4.01, on a range of $2.42 to $7.57.
• Eggs (regular, large, dozen): $4.53, on a range of $2 to $6.50. The national average is $4.41, on a range of $2 to $7.71.
• Beef round (1 pound, equivalent back leg red meat): $7.50, on a range of $4.99 to $9. The national average is $7.55, on a range of $4.50 to $12.
• Bread (loaf, fresh white, 1 pound): $3.65, on a range of $1.99 to $5. The national average is $3.31, on a range of $1.81 to $6.04.
The latest rate of inflation released in December for November is 2.6%, better than last January (3%) and November a year earlier (2.9%). The next release is Feb. 11 for the January period.
Inflation was as low as 2.3% for April 2025. In June 2022, it was 9.1%.
