It doesn’t matter if you are staying home to host Thanksgiving dinner or flying away for a long-awaited vacation – this year you will be paying slightly more for virtually everything.

Most people hunkered down for Thanksgiving last year because of the pandemic. But this year, as COVID-19 restrictions ease, more people will be going away to be with family – and many of them will be driving.

Gas prices around New Jersey and around the country have been rising. AAA reports that the average price for a gallon of gas in New Jersey is $3.45. Nationally, the average is slightly less at $3.41 per gallon.

AAA says that 90% of New Jersey residents who are traveling away for Thanksgiving will be doing so by car. The number of those traveling by air is also up.

“The biggest surprise was the jump year-over-year in air travel. Air travel numbers are up 80% compared to last year,” says Tracy Noble, with AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Only 6% of New Jerseyans polled felt that there was a significant risk of COVID for traveling this Thanksgiving.”

Noble says that 34% of New Jerseyans felt there was a risk last year. As more people have been vaccinated there's more confidence for those getting on board an airplane and sitting next to a stranger for a few hours.

The price of groceries for Thanksgiving dinner are also up slightly.

"Chicken, bread, orange juice, it's the basics. Doesn't make a difference whatever aisle you go in it's higher than it was,” says shopper Abdul Andrews.

Andrews says that the spike in food costs means he is not buying food as freely as he would like. He says that it is a hardship.

“Some things you have to think about – what’s needed and what’s not,” he says.

Retail items you may be thinking about buying that special someone for Christmas or Hanukah are also a bit more expensive than previous years.