# What are you paying for a 1 gallon jug of 2% cow's milk? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 12, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457 "2010-07-12T21:39:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/41 "2010-07-14T10:48:43Z")
In Hokkaido it works out to about 6 US dollars a gallon for what I pay for semi-skimmed - about ¥138 per litre. But even here the price can vary from about ¥128 per litre to about ¥220 depending on where you buy it. Honshu friends say that their prices START at ¥200 so that would make your gallon cost 8 dollars 50 at today’s rates. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/42 "2010-07-14T14:55:40Z")
> [@BetsQ](#): > > Y’all are really paying attention?? Why? I notice the price of everything I buy. I think it’s a control thing, I like to have the illusion that I’m in command of my life. FWIW, milk in central MS varies from about $2.50 (on sale) to $3.50 per gallon. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/43 "2010-07-14T15:06:59Z")
> [@crazyjoe](#): > > I can’t beleive it’s so much more in Canada. And it comes in a bag, not even a proper plastic jug! That’s just insane! I can’t believe it’s so much cheaper in the states! 99 cents a gallon! That’s just crazy. How about chocolate milk? It’s about $7.50 a gallon here. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/44 "2010-07-14T15:35:03Z")
Chocolate milk is probably $3 a gallon, and typically milk runs about $2 - 2.50 per gallon. Busch’s just has a pretty cool loss-leader deal going on, and Prarie Farms is a local Dairy co-op. ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/45 "2010-07-14T15:42:22Z")
It’s been $2.18/gal at Kroger’s here for quite a while. ETA: That’s for A&D skim milk. The unfortified stuff is about 20 cents cheaper, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/46 "2010-07-14T15:43:36Z")
Wow. We’re getting hosed. How much is a pound of butter in the states? It’s $4.50 to $5.50 in Ontario. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/47 "2010-07-14T15:53:33Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Wow. We’re getting hosed. How much is a pound of butter in the states? It’s $4.50 to $5.50 in Ontario. Around $2.50, I think. Sometimes on sale for about $2.00. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/48 "2010-07-14T15:58:18Z")
Canada has its own dairy industry, right? Is it as large as the US dairy industry? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/49 "2010-07-14T16:04:18Z")
The national average in the U.S. is below $3.00? Most things in Louisiana are dirt-cheap … but the cheapest gallon of milk I can find around here is around $3.59 - $3.79. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/50 "2010-07-14T16:13:03Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Canada has its own dairy industry, right? Is it as large as the US dairy industry? Well, we have 1/10th the population spread over a larger area, but yes the dairy industry is regulated at both the federal and provincial levels. Production quotas are set and although consumer pricing isn’t fixed, it is based upon other criteria. From the Ontario Dairy page: > [@](#): > > The Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC) uses the national COP formula as a guide in establishing support prices for butter and skim milk powder. Support prices are used as references by provincial milk organizations and agencies for pricing of milk to processors. Interesting stuff I wasn’t really aware of before. Is there no price or quota regulation down south? ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/51 "2010-07-14T16:15:57Z")
Las Vegas - $2.18 a gallon for 2% at the local Walmart. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/52 "2010-07-14T17:31:44Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > The national average in the U.S. is below $3.00? > > Most things in Louisiana are dirt-cheap … but the cheapest gallon of milk I can find around here is around $3.59 - $3.79. What often happens is that a chain like Safeway will move into an area and sell milk and other dairy as a loss leader in order to run local dairies out of business. Then they jack up the prices, since milk is pretty much a necessity for people with kids. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/53 "2010-07-14T18:22:22Z")
> [@BetsQ](#): > > Why am I the only one who has no idea how much a gallon of milk costs? I bought one yesterday, but I sure didn’t look at the price. It’s not like milk is really a luxury item - you just put a gallon in the cart every week no matter what the price. Y’all are really paying attention?? Why? My mom talks about my dad not believing years ago that she didn’t know what the price of milk and eggs were. Her logic was exactly yours. She didn’t need to decide whether to buy them, she just bought them. I only know now because my budget is extremely tight and i have a pre-teen son who just started drinking a gallon every two days. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/54 "2010-07-14T18:53:08Z")
Things are more expensive where I live, but we make up for it by having a lot of high-paying jobs. The grocery prices in the rest of the country amuse me. Sometimes I think it’s BS, becuase it seems like there’s always someone who pipes in with “I NEVER pay more than 25 cents a pound for Filet Mignon; you people are nuts”. At other times I just resent capitalism because there’s no FUCKING way it costs less to get milk to Deserted Bumfuckia than to somewhere that’s not only a convenient, close transport hub, but also buys in ginormously greater quantities. Demand isn’t the only player in this anomaly, I suspect. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/55 "2010-07-14T22:37:44Z")
Here’s the problem. It costs a dairy farmer _in general_ in the US about $1.50/gal. to produce milk. The rest of the price of a gallon of milk is in transportation, marketing, packaging, profit. I have no doubt that stores that sell a gallon of milk in the US _currently_ are perhaps breaking even on that. It’s a “loss leader” even though they aren’t really taking a loss. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/56 "2010-07-14T22:39:58Z")
> [@An\_Arky](#): > > Things are more expensive where I live, but we make up for it by having a lot of high-paying jobs. > > The grocery prices in the rest of the country amuse me. Sometimes I think it’s BS, becuase it seems like there’s always someone who pipes in with “I NEVER pay more than 25 cents a pound for Filet Mignon; you people are nuts”. At other times I just resent capitalism because there’s no FUCKING way it costs less to get milk to Deserted Bumfuckia than to somewhere that’s not only a convenient, close transport hub, but also buys in ginormously greater quantities. Demand isn’t the only player in this anomaly, I suspect. Not a lot of dairy farms close to Arlington. 🙂 Just the transport alone should cost you more. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/57 "2010-07-15T00:40:26Z")
The $4.13 butter at my town Walmart has just gone down to $2.62. I was at Walmart in a nearby town and their price was $2.28. The other Walmart had milk at less than $2.50. Like I said it’s my town. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/58 "2010-07-15T01:18:25Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Sugar prices ain’t exactly Kosher either. I hold moderators to a higher standard. Couldn’t you have said: Pork Prices ain’t exactly Kosher either. 2% Milk is about $3.00/gal give or take quarter around this part of the midwest (rural Missouri). ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/59 "2010-07-15T01:26:43Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > I hold moderators to a higher standard. Couldn’t you have said: > > Pork Prices ain’t exactly Kosher either. Only if I had been as quick witted as you. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457/60 "2010-07-15T01:44:33Z")
Okay, now I know - $3.99 for a four-litre of skimmed milk (basically a gallon), plus 25 cents for deposit on the jug which I get back when I take it in and 5 cents recycle levy that I _don’t_ get back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paying-for-a-1-gallon-jug-of-2-cows-milk/546457.md?page=4)