President Trump emphasizes affordability in second-year agenda
President Donald Trump’s second-year agenda has shifted focus from his MAGA wish list to tackling the cost of living.
Affordability will be the key word in Georgia’s special and midterm elections this year.
Gov. Brian Kemp made the issue a key point in his speech at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s annual Egg and Issue event, and both parties in the state Legislature have made it a key priority this legislative session.
One factor that all would-be candidates must consider is the rising cost of food, whether it’s at the grocery store or on restaurant menus.
The Consumer Price Index is released bimonthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and analyzes prices for items such as food, housing, energy, and services.
Below are prices for December 2025 in the Atlanta area compared to the same month last year.
How much have prices increased this year?
The index is based on the company’s “Atlanta – Sandy Springs – We’re calculating prices for the area we call “Roswell,” which includes Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Follis, Fulton, Gwinnett, Haralson, Heard, Henry, Jasper, Lamar, Merriweather, Morgan, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Pyle, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton counties.
Over the past 12 months, prices across the region have increased by 0.9% compared to December 2024, according to the index.
By category, overall food costs increased by 5% and housing costs increased by 2.2%, but overall transportation costs decreased by 5.7% and fuel costs decreased by 4.6%.
Restaurant prices are higher than groceries
The data showed overall food saw the biggest increase of any other large category, but there were differences by type of food and where it was purchased.
The price of food and groceries purchased for household use increased by 3.4% in December 2025 compared to December 2024.
Cereals and bakery products rose 5%, meat, poultry, fish and eggs rose 7.8%, non-alcoholic drinks rose 3.8% and fruits and vegetables rose 0.8%.
But dairy prices actually fell this year, dropping by 4.6%.
“Five out of six food groups among major grocers saw price increases,” analysts said.
Out-of-home grocery items, such as restaurants, cafeterias and vending machines, increased by 7.4%, more than double the increase in grocery stores.
Eileen Wright is an Atlanta Connect reporter for USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. X Find her at @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
