McDonald’s Price Index 2025: The Most Affordable Places for a Big Mac

When time is short and hunger is calling, McDonald’s has long been among the first solutions for Americans on the go. But prices have risen a reported 141.4% over the past half-decade, and families taking control of their household budget have reacted by moving fast food to the “luxury” column of their spreadsheets.

In January, McDonald’s acknowledged this need for a tasty bargain with its new McValue menu, a standard offer across its domestic locations. But beyond that limited menu, McDonald’s prices vary widely from place to place, even within the United States. We found that the cost of a Big Mac can rise by as much as 62% from one major city to another. Along with the variability of incomes, Americans get a distinctly different deal on their Big Mac meal depending on where they live.

To see where opting for McDonald’s makes the most economic sense, CashNetUSA gathered the prices of popular menu items from McDonald’s restaurants around the country and compared the cost of a Big Mac and the affordability of a Big Mac meal compared to local wages.

What We Did

We used the Official McDonald’s App to source prices from three restaurants near the center of the three biggest cities in each state and Washington, DC. We used these figures to calculate the average price of a Big Mac in each state and city. Then, we found the affordability of McDonald’s in each location by calculating the average local price of a Big Mac meal in every state and major city as a percentage of the local average hourly wage according to BLS.gov.

Key Findings

• The state with the cheapest Big Mac is Texas, where the average Big Mac costs $4.67.
• But Colorado is the state with the most affordable Big Mac meal — the average price is 40.0% of the local average hourly wage.
• San Jose is the city with the most affordable Big Mac meal compared to the local average hourly wage (31.7%).
• Seattle is the city with the most expensive Big Mac on average ($7.06).

Texas is the State with the Cheapest Big Mac

First, we mapped the average price of a Big Mac across big city restaurants in every state. We found that Texas ($4.67) has the cheapest Big Mac, with the average sandwich costing 30.5% less than in Massachusetts ($6.72) — where prices are highest.

With a wealth of reasonably priced, Texas-based restaurant chains offering competition, it’s no wonder local McDonald’s franchisees are working to keep prices low. Texas mom Leiela Kapewa-Latu went viral recently with a post highlighting a $12 McDonald’s dinner box loaded with two cheeseburgers, four small fries, 10-piece chicken nuggets and two Big Macs. Bundled deals like these are designed and promoted by local franchise owners.

Although Texas has the cheapest Big Macs, there are three states where McDonald’s is more affordable. A large Big Mac meal costs an average of $9.08 in Texas, which is 41.1% of the state’s average hourly wage ($22.10). In the most affordable state, Colorado, the meal costs slightly more ($10.40), but the average local wage of $25.98 gives an affordability ratio of 40.0%, the best at state level.

Colorado was the site of an E. coli breakout that was linked to McDonald’s last year, leading to a 33% drop in visits to local restaurants. When the danger passed, the brand announced strategies to win back customers through value deals and “food innovation.”

San Jose is the Most Affordable (But Not Cheapest) City for McDonald’s

Next, we compared the average price of a Big Mac across America’s biggest cities. Again, we found Texas to be the spot of choice for a bargain Big Mac: the three cheapest cities are Fort Worth ($4.66), Houston ($4.52) and Austin ($4.36). However, Dallas falls just outside the top ten at $4.96.

With the exception of Milwaukee ($4.86), America’s cheapest cities for a Big Mac tend toward the South. Conversely, the two most expensive cities are Seattle ($7.06) and Springfield, Mass. ($6.96).

Seattle has the third highest average hourly wage of any city in our study, and its pricey restaurant scene has seen the city tagged as a “$20 Lunch Town” as prices have edged up. However, that high hourly wage ($31.38) keeps Seattle just outside the ten least affordable cities, even balanced against high local prices.

Despite the $12.42 cost of a large Big Mac meal, San Jose is miles ahead of other cities in terms of affordability. The average hourly wage is $39.17, giving affordability at 31.7%. By contrast, neighboring San Diego is among the least affordable McDonald’s, with its $13.29 Big Mac meal costing over half (52.1%) of an average hour’s work ($25.52).

How Much Does a Big Mac Cost in Each State?

To help you identify the cheapest spots to visit the Golden Arches, we’ve created this interactive table with the average price of popular menu items in every state and major city.

Even within cities, it is worth checking the app to see if another franchise a little further than your nearest one might offer better prices. It could be worth the walk.

How to Save Money at McDonald’s

Despite being known for its ‘standard’ menu, McDonald’s pricing and its products can vary from restaurant to restaurant. Try these tips to keep your McDonald’s bill low.

1. Ask for the specials

Franchise owners have the right to create their own deals and bundles, but they might not always be clearly advertised. Ask your server if they are offering any dinner boxes or reductions, and you might hit the jackpot.

2. Get the app

As well as making ordering easy, the free McDonald’s app comes with coupons and regular new deals that can help loyal customers keep spending down — as long as you don’t spend just to get that deal.

3. Use your Rewards points at the optimum moment

App users can collect Rewards points with every purchase and may get as much as 13 – 17% cash back when trading in 1,500 points. However, trade a higher number than this and you’re likely to see slimmer returns.

4. Combine your order with friends and family

Items like McNuggets are cheaper when bought in higher quantities. Instead of getting a small individual order for each family member, it can make sense to order large and divide the food among yourselves.

5. Ask about discounts

Some franchises offer senior discounts on drinks and other items, and some even offer discounts for military personnel and veterans.

Methodology

To find out which U.S. locations pay the most and least for McDonald’s, we manually sourced prices from over 130 different cities from the Official McDonald’s App.

First, we collected prices from three restaurants near the center of the three most populated
cities of each state and Washington, D.C. We recorded prices for the following items: Big Mac, Large Big Mac Meal, Large Fries, Happy Meal and Large Coke.

We then calculated the average price of a Big Mac across these restaurants in each state and city.

Next, we retrieved the median hourly wage for all states and metro areas as per BLS.gov and mapped the 130 focus cities to their metro areas.

To assess affordability, we calculated the price of a large Big Mac meal in every state and major city as a percentage of the median hourly wage in each location.

Data is correct as of February 2025.

DISCLAIMER: This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, tax or legal advice.