Fast food used to be an easy way to save money and time on a meal. Not so much these days. Depending on where you live, the cost of a fast food meal can rival that of a meal in a more traditional restaurant.
Recently, CashNetUSA, an online lender, analyzed McDonald’s prices across the U.S. to find out where eating at the iconic fast food restaurant is the most and least affordable.
The company used the official McDonald’s App to find prices from multiple restaurant locations in the most populous metro areas in each state and Washington, D.C. They then used these figures to calculate the average price of various McDonald’s menu items in each metro and state.
The analysis turned up some interesting statistics. If you want a cheap burger, you’ll do well to be in Texas, where the average cost of a Big Mac is $4.67, the cheapest in the nation. Compare that with the Massachusetts average of $6.72, the highest in the U.S.
Here’s a look at the metros where McDonald’s is the most and least affordable.
Where McDonald’s is the cheapest and most expensive
Want to give your bank account a break? Out of the 71 metro areas for which CashNetUSA analyzed McDonald’s prices, these are the metros where the average price of a Big Mac is lowest (including multiple ties):
1) Austin, Texas: $4.36
2) Houston, Texas: $4.52
3) Fort Worth, Texas: $4.66
4) Milwaukee, Wisconsin: $4.86 (tie)
4) Tulsa, Oklahoma: $4.86 (tie)
4) San Antonio, Texas: $4.86 (tie)
7) Baton Rouge, Louisiana: $4.89
8) Indianapolis, Indiana: $4.92
9) Knoxville, Tennessee: $4.96 (tie)
9) Charlotte, North Carolina: $4.96 (tie)
9) Dallas, Texas: $4.96 (tie)
You’ll have to bring a little more money with you if you order a Big Mac in these metros, where the average price of a large Big Mac is highest:
1) Seattle, Washington: $7.06
2) Springfield, Massachusetts: $6.96
3) San Diego, California: $6.86
4) Tucson, Arizona: $6.82
5) Buffalo, New York: $6.72 (tie)
5) Boston, Massachusetts: $6.72 (tie)
7) San Francisco, California: $6.66
8) San Jose, California: $6.59 (tie)
8) New York City, New York: $6.59 (tie)
10) Washington, D.C.: $6.52
Where McDonald’s is the most and least affordable relative to wages
People earn different salaries in different areas, of course. So, CashNetUSA also sorted out the metro areas where a Big Mac meal (which includes fries and a drink) is the most and least affordable relative to local wages.
These are the metros where the average price of a large Big Mac meal constitutes the smallest percentage of the median hourly wage. For example, in San Jose, the average cost of a large Big Mac meal is $12.42. Not cheap, but it’s only 31.7% of the median hourly wage, which is high at $39.17.
1) San Jose, California: 31.7%
2) Austin, Texas: 35.3%
3) Denver, Colorado: 36.2%
4) Stamford, Connecticut: 37.6%
5) Boston, Massachusetts: 37.9%
6) Fort Worth, Texas: 38.2%
7) Washington, D.C.: 38.3%
8) Milwaukee, Wisconsin: 38.9%
9) Minneapolis, Minnesota: 39.0%
10) Indianapolis, Indiana: 39.1%
But in areas where people don’t earn as much or McDonald’s prices are simply higher, or perhaps both, a Big Mac meal hits wallets harder. Here are the metros where the average price of a large Big Mac meal constitutes the largest percentage of the median hourly wage.
1) Tucson, Arizona: 59.4%
2) Springfield, Massachusetts: 52.4%
3) Orlando, Florida: 52.2%
4) New Orleans, Louisiana: 52.1% (tie)
4) San Diego, California: 52.1% (tie)
6) Las Vegas, Nevada: 51.9%
7) Jacksonville, Florida: 51.1%
8) Little Rock, Arkansas: 50.8%
9) Tampa, Florida: 50.1%
10) Fresno, California: 49.9%
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