The beloved Big Mac is a household name across the world. Consisting of two beef patties, a slice of cheddar cheese, dill pickles, shredded lettuce, sliced onions and the classic "Big Mac Sauce," it's no surprise why the hefty burger is a staple at every McDonald's menu. It's simple. It's tasty. And, it'll have you craving for more!
If there's one thing you can count on when ordering a Big Mac, it's its consistency. But that can't be said about its price, which differs from country to country and, even, state to state. Back in November 2022, CashNetUSA, an online lender company, compared the prices of a Big Mac in every U.S. state and every country in the world. They specifically used the McDonald's website and local delivery apps to find the price of a Big Mac and a Happy Meal in every country and U.S. state. They then converted the prices to U.S. dollars and ranked them in a series of maps and charts.
Per the data, the world's most expensive Big Mac can be found in Liechtenstein and Switzerland for a whopping $7.75. In fact, in Switzerland, you can also pay for your Big Mac with cryptocurrency. On the flip side, the world's cheapest burger can be found in Pakistan at just $1.91, followed by Egypt at $2.12 and Indonesia at $2.35.
The United States has the 19th most expensive Big Mac in the world with an average price of $5.35. Taste of Home wrote: "These prices are based on the Big Macs sold in capital cities of these countries, so technically the average here for the United States is $5.35—which seems expensive compared to state prices. This means that Big Macs sold within capital cities of the country are likely more expensive than the entire state averages reported by CashNetUSA."
Hawaii is the U.S. state where McDonald's is the most expensive ($5.31), followed by New York ($5.23), California ($5.11) and Maryland ($5.03). The cheapest Big Macs are predominantly sold in the deep south states, namely Mississippi, where a single burger costs $3.91.
Today, a Big Mac costs more than 10 times the original 45 cents burger, which was invented in 1967 by Uniontown McDonald's franchisee Jim Delligatti. The high prices, which will continue to rise in the future, are primarily due to soaring retail beef prices along with higher operational costs and greater demands for labor, also per Taste of Home. But despite the increasing menu prices, many Mickey Dee's customers are still ordering away. A July 2022 report from CNN Business said sales jumped 3.7% at McDonald's U.S. restaurants that were open at least 13 months. That growth was due to higher menu prices and "value offerings" on its regular menu and through its app, according to McDonald's.
"We're taking smaller, more frequent price increases because it gives us the flexibility to be able to see how consumers are reacting and then adjust if or when necessary," said CFO Kevin Ozan, per CNN.
"Even though we're pushing through pricing, the consumer is tolerating it well," added McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski.
In addition to looking at Big Mac prices, CashNetUSA ranked the price of a Happy Meal, which is an astounding $8.17 in Liechtenstein and Switzerland. In the United States, the most expensive Happy Meal is sold for $3.71 in Hawaii. The cheapest Happy Meal is available for just $2.73 in Mississippi.
