Fast food is traditionally viewed as a quick and affordable way to grab a meal, and diners have regularly turned to major chains like McDonald’s as a more cost-effective option for dining out. Lately, however, that low-priced perception has been turned on its head.
For months now, customers have complained about the “insane” prices of many popular menu items at the fast-food giant. The angry chorus on social media reached such a crescendo that McDonald’s issued a formal response this past spring, denying the “viral social posts and poorly sourced reports” about soaring prices.
While a meal at McDonald’s isn’t as cheap as it used to be, the company argued that the price hikes aren’t as steep or dramatic as they’re portrayed, either. The average price of a Big Mac, for example, has gone up from $4.39 in 2019 to $5.29 in 2024, according to McDonald’s. That’s an increase of 21%—not 100%, as some suggested.
To be fair: McDonald’s restaurants are franchised, and individual owners can set their own prices, meaning that the cost you pay for that Big Mac at one location may be wildly different at another.
To find out where McDonald’s prices are the highest right now, Eat This, Not That! examined the menus from multiple locations in major cities across the country, using the chain’s own mobile app and noting the prices for three popular items: a Big Mac, a vanilla cone, and a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets. We found a range of regional differences, even sometimes within the same city. But in every location below, the typical price you pay for a Big Mac is well above McDonald’s stated average.
Here’s a look at how prices compare across nine U.S. cities.
Boston
Location: 700 Atlantic Ave.
Cost of a Big Mac: $6.79
Cost of a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets: $6.29
Cost of a vanilla cone: $2.59
Beantown is home to some of the country’s most historic sites, as well as some of its most expensive McDonald’s locations. There are over 50 McDonald’s locations in the Massachusetts capital, and most of them charge over $6.50 for a Big Mac.
You’ll find high prices not just in Boston but throughout the entire state. According to a NetCredit study of takeout prices at fast-food chains, McDonald’s items in Massachusetts cost over 20% more than the national average. The blog McCheapest points to a McDonald’s in Lee, Mass., which sells one of the most expensive Big Macs in the country, priced at $8.09 per burger—and that’s without fries and a drink.
New York City
Location: 151 W. 34th St.
Cost of a Big Mac: $6.79
Cost of a 10 piece Chicken McNugget: $5.29
Cost of a vanilla cone: $3.29
NYC is one of the most expensive places to live in the entire country, so it makes sense that fast-food prices would be higher there, too. According to NetCredit, New York ranks among the least affordable cities in the country, with customers paying nearly 15% more than the national average.
Indeed, you’ll pay handsomely for a Big Mac in the Big Apple, anywhere from $5.99 in the Financial District up to $6.79 in Midtown Manhattan—though you may find even higher prices elsewhere in the Empire State. According to the blog McCheapest, there’s one McDonald’s in Albany that charges $6.89 per Big Mac, and there are similarly priced burgers near Buffalo and Niagara Falls as well.
Seattle
Location: 2401 4th Ave. S
Cost of a Big Mac: $6.79
Cost of a 10-piece Chicken McNugget: $6.59
Cost of a vanilla cone: $3.39
Seattle is perhaps better known as the birthplace of Starbucks, but it’s got plenty of room for other chains like McDonald’s, too. Like other places around the country, customers there have been griping about the cost of dining at Golden Arches.
One Jet City customer posted a receipt of their recent breakfast order on Reddit, showing two McMuffins and an orange juice for $24.18 before taxes, delivery, and other fees. The poster noted that they actually saved money ordering via the McDonald’s app rather than using Uber Eats. Commenters were nevertheless aghast. “I’m sorry but you still spent $30 on two mcmuffins,” one wrote. “Over $33 for $1.50 worth of wholesale food, wow,” added another. “Time to buy stock in Mickey D’s, I guess.”
According to NetCredit, customers in Seattle and the neighboring Washington communities of Bellevue and Takoma pay anywhere from 14.95% to 16.67% more for fast-food takeout than the national average.
A Big Mac will cost you $6.49 downtown and $6.79 in the Industrial District, while the price of 10 McNuggets, generally less than $7 in many places, skyrockets in the shadow of the famed Space Needle up to $7.99.
Kahului, Hawaii
Location: 155 Puunene Ave.
Cost of a Big Mac: $6.99
Cost of a 10-piece Chicken McNugget: $6.59
Cost of a vanilla cone: $2.69
Maui might be a tropical paradise, but it’s far from heaven for anyone who likes to eat cheaply. The Hawaiian island ranks as one of the most expensive places in the country to grab a bite to eat at McDonald’s, with a Big Mac costing $6.99 in Kahului, according to the McDonald’s app.
It’s not just Hawaiian McDonald’s that come with high prices, the entire state has some of the highest prices for fast food in the country, according to BravoDeal. Takeout and fast food are so expensive in the state because of the high cost of living and how remote Hawaii is. It’s a small state in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and ingredients that are imported from the mainland have to travel a long way.
Santa Fe, N.M.
Location: 1007 So. St. Francis Dr.
Cost of a Big Mac: $6.99
Cost of a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets: $8.79
Cost of a vanilla cone: $1.19
New Mexico is known for its impressive chile pepper-spiced cuisine, but sometimes residents and visitors want to eat fast food at McDonald’s, too. They’ll pay a high price for it, though, as Santa Fe has some of the highest McDonald’s prices in the country.
“You should see the price of a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit in Santa Fe,” wrote one Reddit user. “It’s $12 for a combo.”
There are five McDonald’s restaurants in Santa Fe, and a Big Mac costs $6.99 at each one, according to the app. While the price for most items is significantly higher than many other places in the country, Santa Fe’s ice cream prices are notably low, costing only $1.19 for a vanilla cone in most locations.
San Diego
Location: Naval Air Station North Island, Building 207
Cost of a Big Mac: $7.09
Cost of a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets: $7.79
Cost of a vanilla cone: $2.59
All the nice weather and beautiful scenery in sunny San Diego comes with a high cost of living, and that’s reflected in the city’s McDonald’s prices. While the cost of food items like Big Macs and Chicken McNuggets are higher than the rest of the country, customers are also paying a lot for items like black coffee, too. “Today, a large drip coffee at a McDonald’s in San Diego cost me $4.62 (with tax),” one Reddit user posted.
McDonald’s customers in San Diego pay 14.6% more than the rest of the country on average for fast-food takeout, according to NetCredit.
A Big Mac in America’s Finest City will cost you over $7 in some locations and McNuggets cost as much as $7.79.
Los Angeles
Location: 3458 Whittier Blvd.
Cost of a Big Mac: $7.49
Cost of a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets: $7.58
Cost of a vanilla cone: $2.99
San Diego isn’t the only city in Southern California where McDonald’s costs a pretty penny. Los Angeles has high prices as well. The City of Angels has perhaps the widest range of Big Mac prices of anyplace in this survey, as low as $5.99 in some places but several locations sell the burger for up to $7.49.
The state of California in general has some of the highest prices for fast food in the country. A study by BravoDeal ranks the state as having the fourth most expensive fast-food nationwide, with the average price for a Big Mac in California costing $5.11.
According to NetCredit, Los Angeles is the fourth most expensive city in the country for fast-food takeout in general, with customers paying a 17.93% premium compared to the national average. Only three U.S. cities are more expensive and none of them are on the mainland.
Flagstaff, Ariz.
Location: 1401 S. Milton Rd.
Cost of a Big Mac: $7.69
Cost of a 10-piece Chicken McNugget: $8.69
Cost of a vanilla cone: $0.99
Flagstaff isn’t even the biggest city in Arizona, but you might think it is, based on the big-city prices at McDonald’s. The community has just three locations, where a Big Mac will set you back $7.69, according to the McDonald’s app. McNuggets cost more in Flagstaff than many cities, too, but the vanilla cone is curiously priced lower than in other places.
Anchorage, Alaska
Location: 5000 W. International Airport Rd.
Cost of a Big Mac: $8.30
Cost of a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets: $9.30
Cost of a vanilla cone: $2.90
It makes sense that things are more expensive in Alaska, including food at McDonald’s. It’s a difficult state to travel to, which makes the price of imported goods (like ingredients used to make food at McDonald’s) more expensive than in other states.
According to NetCredit, Anchorage is the most expensive city in the country to get takeout from any fast-food restaurant, with customers paying more than 18% over the national average.
A Big Mac in Alaska’s largest city will cost you around $6 in some locations, but the most expensive one is found near the airport, where the chain’s signature sandwich will set you back a whopping $8.30. McNuggets are even more expensive at $9.30 for a 10-count.
