Big Mac Price in 2023. Breakdown by State: From the Cheapest to the Priciest

McDonald’s most famous offering is the Bic Mac, and you would think that it would cost the same everywhere because McDonald’s is a chain. In the interest of optimizing income, McDonald’s charges different prices in different cities and states. Here we will be evaluating the price of just the burger, as the meal price is affected by size and varies inconsistently across states.

The values you see for statewide prices reflects an average across the whole state which takes into account the prices in the cities and the more rural areas so it won’t necessarily be what you pay at your local McDonald’s.

Let’s break down where it is most and least expensive.

Big Mac Cost Research Summary

• The average cost of a Big Mac in the United States is $5.17.
• The cheapest states to buy a Big Mac are North Carolina and Wyoming, at $4.19 each.
• The cheapest city for a Big Mac is Austin, Texas which charges $4.19.
• The most expensive state is Massachusetts charging a whopping $7.09 per Big Mac.
• The most expensive cities are New York and Seattle at $6.39 per burger.

McDonald’s Big Mac Prices by State

Here are the state-accumulated averages for the price of the Big Mac, burger only (the data was collected in 2023). There’s a huge range here and definitely some curveballs you wouldn’t expect.

State	Price
Alabama	$4.70
Alaska	$6.50
Arizona	$5.59
Arkansas	$5.49
California	$5.89
Colorado	$5.69
Connecticut	$6.09
Delaware	$5.49
Florida	$4.29
Georgia	$5.15
Hawaii	$5.31
Idaho	$5.39
Illinois	$6.09
Indiana	$4.40
Iowa	$4.69
Kansas	$4.49
Kentucky	$4.69
Louisiana	$4.69
Maine	$6.29
Maryland	$5.19
Massachusetts	$7.09
Michigan	$4.79
Minnesota	$4.80
Mississippi	$5.40
Missouri	$5.69
Montana	$5.19
Nebraska	$4.29
Nevada	$4.49
New Hampshire	$6.29
New Jersey	$5.49
New Mexico	$4.99
New York	$5.29
North Carolina	$4.19
North Dakota	$5.39
Ohio	$4.29
Oklahoma	$4.69
Oregon	$5.00
Pennsylvania	$4.29
Rhode Island	$5.99
South Carolina	$4.89
South Dakota	$4.54
Tennessee	$5.09
Texas	$5.36
Utah	$4.39
Vermont	$6.29
Virginia	$4.99
Washington	$4.49
West Virginia	$4.79
Wisconsin	$4.59
Wyoming	$4.19
Wyoming	$4.19

10 Cheapest States for the Big Mac

All 10 of the cheapest states for the Big Mac are under $4.50, which is not too shabby! It’s well below the average of $5.17.

1. North Carolina $4.19
2. Wyoming $4.19
3. Florida $4.29
4. Nebraska $4.29
5. Ohio $4.29
6. Pennsylvania $4.29
7. Utah $4.39
8. Indiana $4.40
9. Kansas $4.49
10. Nevada $4.49

10 Most Expensive States for the Big Mac

Massachusetts leads with a price that is 59 cents more expensive than the state in second place – Arkansas. Are they adding some sort of secret sauce here? Made of gold flakes? Who knows.

1. Massachusetts $7.09
2. Arkansas $6.50
3. Maine $6.29
4. New Hampshire $6.29
5. Vermont $6.29
6. Connecticut $6.09
7. Illinois $6.09
8. Rhode Island $5.99
9. California $5.89
10. New Jersey $5.79

McDonald’s Big Mac Prices in the Top Twenty Biggest Cities

Cities will almost always be where you find the most expensive food prices, so let’s list out the twenty biggest cities and what a Big Mac goes for in each.

1. New York $6.39
2. Los Angeles $5.49
3. Chicago $5.89
4. Houston $4.59
5. Philadelphia $5.59
6. Phoenix $5.49
7. San Antonio $4.89
8. San Diego $6.19
9. Dallas $4.89
10. San Jose $5.19
11. Austin $4.19
12. Jacksonville $4.39
13. San Francisco $6.29
14. Indianapolis $4.59
15. Columbus $4.99
16. Fort Worth $4.79
17. Charlotte $4.79
18. Seattle $6.39
19. Denver $5.29
20. El Paso $4.99

5 Cheapest Big Cities for the Big Mac

McDonalds fans, discount addicts, and Big Mac aficionados look no further than Texas for your cheapest Big Mac.Texas holds three of the top five spots for the cheapest city to buy a Big Mac.

1. Austin $4.19
2. Jacksonville $4.39
3. Houston $4.59
4. Indianapolis $4.59
5. Fort Worth $4.79

5 Most Expensive Big Cities for the Big Mac

No surprise that number one is none other than NYC, as it has the highest cost of living of any city in the United States.

1. New York $6.39
2. Seattle $6.39
3. San Francisco $6.29
4. San Diego $6.19
5. Chicago $5.89

How We Gathered Our Data

Data was gathered from the online McDonald’s menu and state as well as the national averages were made from an accumulation of these values. For the cities, there is little to no variability between McDonald’s restaurant prices in the same city, so one location was chosen at random for each city.

Big Mac FAQ

The Big Mac is one of the most popular burgers from McDonalds as well as in the fast food industry as a whole.

Who invented Big Mac?

Jim Delligatti, who was one of the early McDonald’s franchise owners in the Pittsburgh area, invented the Big Mac. This famous burger wasn’t originally called the Big Mac; instead it went through two names – the Aristocrat and the Blue Ribbon Burger. Both ended up being very unsuccessful.

The third and final name, the Big Mac, was crafted by Esther Glickstein Rose. She was 21-year-old at the time and worked as an Advertising Secretary at the McDonalds corporate headquarters in Oak Brook, IL.

How Much Did Big Mac Cost Originally?

When it was released in 1967 in McDonald’s restaurants in Pennsylvania, it was selling for a price of 45 cents. Unfortunately, you are unlikely to find that price at any McDonalds restaurant today.

What Is Big Mac Made Of?

The Big Mac burger consists of two 1.6 oz. 100% all-beef patties, American cheese, thousand island-like signature sauce, iceberg lettuce, pickles, and onions. It is all served in a unique three-part sesame seed bun.

Big Mac Nutrition

The Big Mac has 550 calories, which is not too bad for a fast food burger. It is about 80 calories lower than the Burger King’s Whopper.

At only 550 calories, the Big Mac is not a bad meal if it’s the only thing in your meal. If you start adding fries and a drink, it could get a bit too fattening, so try to avoid any extras.

• Calories: 550
• Protein: 25 g
• Fat: 29 g
• Carbs: 46 g
• Sodium: 970 mg
• Calories from Fat: 260
• Saturated Fat: 10 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 75 mg
• Dietary Fiber: 3 g
• Sugars: 9 g
• Vitamin A: 230 IU
• Calcium: 270 mg
• Iron: 4.5 mg
• Vitamin C: 1 mg

Conclusion

Some of these state values are a bit surprising based on what we generally see for the cost of living in these areas, but the city values mostly adhere to expectations. There’s a lot of variability in

Though big cities tend to have more expensive prices for food, our rock bottom price of $4.19 can be found in both the state of North Carolina or Austin, Texas.