If you feel like the price of fast food has been ticking up in recent years, you're not wrong. A new study shows that the cost of what is arguably America's favorite meal — a burger, fries and soda — has increased 24% on average in just the past two years.
The personal finance website MoneyGeek.com analyzed menu prices at more than 150 major and local restaurant chains across 50 of the largest cities in the United States to track the price differences now compared to what they were in 2022. To no surprise, it looks like real estate isn't the only thing that costs more on the coasts.
Top 10 most expensive cities for a burger, fries and soda (per MoneyGeek)
| City 1. San Diego, California | Average price $20.76 |
| 2. Washington, D.C. | $18.17 |
| 3. San Francisco, California | $17.96 |
| 4. Seattle, Washington | $17.83 |
| 5. Boston, Massachusetts | $17.63 |
| 6. Los Angeles, California | $17.50 |
| 7. New York, New York | $16.61 |
| 8. Phoenix, Arizona | $16.53 |
| 9. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | $16.48 |
| 10. Baltimore, Maryland | $16.16 |
To find the cheapest burger, fries and soda combos in the nation, just head over to a restaurant in Detroit, Michigan, where consumers spend an average of $8.12 for the same meal, according to the study. The next cheapest places — in order — include Raleigh, North Carolina, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, where consumers can expect to spend about $11 for the combo.
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The inflation rate in the U.S. has been dropping steadily since hitting a peak of 9.1% in June 2022, but food inflation is up 26.3% since 2019, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. And even if the overall inflation rate continues to slow, Scott Taylor with the Wine & Beverage Institute says Americans shouldn't expect prices for food to follow suit.
"Things will likely level off at some point in the near future, but I don’t expect restaurants or grocers to bring prices back down completely," Taylor told MoneyGeek. "I also believe that with pushes for increased wages for restaurant workers and more operations starting to pay living wages and even doing away with tipping, we are going to see menu prices go up to account for increased pay."
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Meanwhile, it appears the high prices at restaurants are actually starting to sway how Americans choose to spend their hard-earned cash. McDonald's — which sells more burgers than any other restaurant chain in the U.S. — reported Monday that for the first time since 2020, same-store sales fell in the second quarter of this year as Americans turned to cheaper options and more home-cooked meals.
Jill Fopiano is the president and CEO of O'Brien Wealth Partners and she told MoneyGeek that while grocery stores are not immune from the impacts of inflation, they may offer a cheaper alternative to fast food restaurants.
"They require less labor per customer than restaurants and should not see as much price pressure," said Fopiano. "You may want to make your burgers at home for a while!"
