ROCK ISLAND, Illinois - It's news you can drink to. Illinois is the cheapest state in the country to buy a 24-pack of beer according to a new study.
The website "Simple. Thrifty. Living." calculated the average price of 24-packs of Bud Light and Miller Lite in each state and Illinois rose above the rest. That's something those at Riverside Liquors are relieved to hear.
"Awesome for me as a retailer, awesome for my customers," says Hyvee retailer, Jay Flores.
Flores works at the Rock Island Hyvee and, when he heard the news, it came as a shock.
"Not in the flux the state is, I would not have thought that," Flores says.
The average bargain price for a case of beer in Illinois is close to $15. In Iowa, it's close to $17 - making Iowa the fifteenth cheapest state.
"We need somewhat of a break," says Charnjit Singh of Riverside Liquors. "We are higher. People who are on the road pay the tow tax, license expenses, everything we have, expensive."
It's a package coming in at a more refreshing price.
"A couple more dollars across the river in Iowa you are paying the same package you're paying a couple more dollars," Flores comments. "Fortunately, we get some people who think it's worth coming across the bridge to get that package."
Alaska has the most expensive price for a case of beer - doubling the price of Illinois' - around $31 a case.
Coming in second for cheapest 24-pack is South Carolina followed by New York.