The 10 Most Expensive U.S. Cities for a Burger, Fries and Soda
A burger, fries and soda used to be an affordable meala go-to for hungry folks on a budget. But in the past two years, the cost of these classic fast-food items has jumped an average of 24% in the 50 largest U.S. cities, according to a new study from personal finance site MoneyGeek. It’s gotten so costly that even McDonald’s customers are feeling the pinch … and plenty of frustration.
That doesn’t stop Americans from ordering the meal, though. “The U.S. consumer has an insatiable demand for burgers,” explains Vermont Wagyu owner Sheila Patinkin, noting that we consume the bulk of imported beef as burgers. “We can’t get enough of the stuff. Nearly half of all our beef is burger, not steaks or brisket, and we are the only country that consumes more meat per capita than we can produce.”
So where can you get a great burger without breaking the bank? That’s what MoneyGeek set out to learn in its recent study. Read on to find out which cities serve up the most expensive burgers, fries and sodasand where you can get the meal on the cheap.
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How were the most expensive burger meals determined?
The team at MoneyGeek used the sites Allmenus and Grubhub to source 2024 prices for a burger, fries and soda across major restaurant chains in 50 of America’s most populated cities. They sourced 10 meal prices per city, analyzing 189 national and local chains and burger restaurants to determine an average. They also used Allmenus and Grubhub to compare 2024 prices with 2022 prices to calculate the price differences.
What’s the most expensive city for a burger, fries and soda?
If you guessed New York City, prepare to be surprised: You’ll find the most expensive burgers, fries and sodas in San Diego. The average cost of this meal at major chains in the city is $20.76.
“This is unsurprising since the state has notoriously high operational costs, minimum wage and high expectations for quality ingredients,” says Kevin Shahnazari, a data scientist and the founder of FinlyWealth. Add in California’s high real-estate costs, and it makes sense that the Golden State took three of the top 10 spots in MoneyGeek’s analysis.
What other cities round out the top 10?
We sometimes think the biggest cities are the most expensive cities, and when we’re talking about real estate, we’re pretty spot-on. (Yes, we’re looking at you, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.) But when it comes to paying premium for a burger, fries and soda, several smaller cities top the list.
Here’s where you need to pad your wallet before hitting the burger joint:
- San Diego ($20.76)
- Washington, D.C. ($18.17)
- San Francisco ($17.96)
- Seattle ($17.83)
- Boston ($17.63)
- Los Angeles ($17.50)
- New York ($16.61)
- Phoenix ($16.53)
- Philadelphia ($16.48)
- Baltimore ($16.16)
Which city has the most affordable burger?
On the other end of the spectrum is Detroit, where you’ll find the most affordable burger meal at $8.12. Raleigh, North Carolina, took the 49th slotyou’ll pay an average of $10.51 for a burger meal there.
Which burger chains are the most expensive?
As far as chain burgers go, Five Guys and Jack in the Box are the most expensive. The average meal at Five Guys in 2024 is $20.84, up 13.7% from $18.33 in 2022.
At Jack in the Box, a meal will run you $13.75 in 2024, up a whopping 25.8% from the 2022 price of $10.93.
Is there an end in sight to these price increases?
It’s hard to say for sure, but there should be an end to these food-price increases. Though the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’s consumer price index reported a 3.9% rise in the cost of food away from home from September 2023 to September 2024, it showed that inflation on a whole is slowing. “There is a prospect for stabilization of prices by mid-2025,” Shahnazari says. “Increases in labor costs, persistent supply-chain pressures and consumer preference for higher-quality ingredients would likely keep prices at the current level and not at pre-2020 rates.”
Ingredient quality definitely plays a role in how much that burger will cost you. Unlike their fast-food counterparts, top restaurants have transformed the burger into art in big cities and small towns alike. Twenty years ago, burger meat wasn’t a bespoke item, but that’s changed dramatically.
Wagyu beef, for example, is relatively new to the United Statesthe first bulls were brought over from Japan in 1975but the nutrition and flavor of the meat have made it a popular item on menus across the country. “This is the burger evolution in this country,” Patinkin explains. “The customer’s palate has evolved, and we have responded to meet the demand and attempt to supply it.”
How can you get a good deal on burger night?
You can always make burgers at homeit can halve the price of burger night. The downside? You know it: You’ll have to do the labor (including the cleanup!), which is a large part of the expense of eating out. Another way to save money when eating out is to skip the soda and drink water, which could save about $3 per person. Or try this money-saving trick at McDonald’s.
Another tip: Keep an eye out for deals. As a response to slowing sales from customers who are spending less due to inflated food prices, fast-food titans are currently offering specials to lure diners back in. McDonald’s is offering a $5 meal deal through December, and Burger King is offering $5 meal deals through October. Keep your eyes on their rivals, who will most likely offer discounts and specials too.
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Sources:
- Sheila Patinkin, MD, is the owner of Vermont Wagyu; interview, October 2024
- Kevin Shahnazari, data scientist and founder of FinlyWealth; interview, October 2024
- MoneyGeek: “America’s Favorite Meal Just Got a Major Price Hike”
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: “Consumer Price Index”
- AP News: “McDonald’s extends $5 deal through December to keep customers coming”
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