Americans are feeling inflation's pinch into the holiday weekend. Here's where prices are rising the most

U.S. consumers will shell out more for everything from fuel to hot dogs and hamburgers heading into Memorial Day weekend as the Iran War reignites inflation.

Total inflation for shoppers rose 3.8% in April from the same month a year ago, the highest annual rate since 2023, according to federal government data released this month. Prices for travel, recreation and food saw especially sharp increases, draining Americans' wallets as they ring in the unofficial start of summer.

"They're not going to be happy about what they see," said Stephen Juneau, senior U.S. economist at Bank of America. "There will be a lot of grumbling this weekend when people are driving and in the airports, or are going to the store to stock up."

Consumer sentiment officially came in at its lowest level on record in May, according to survey data from the University of Michigan released Friday. The outlook was battered in part by spiking oil prices amid the Middle East war, which is almost three months old.

E.l.f. Beauty announced Wednesday that it was rolling back some price increases , saying its consumers were "suffering" from elevated fuel costs. McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski warned earlier this month that the fast food chain faced a "challenging environment" as inflationary pressures mount.

Here's some of the areas where Americans will pay more over the holiday weekend:

Summer barbecues will be more costly this year as cattle herds shrink and fertilizer costs jump.

Ground beef and steaks are up as much as 16% compared with 2025. Frankfurters cost nearly 11% more than a year ago.