A Big Mac may taste the same at McDonald’s locations across the country, but the iconic burger is the cheapest in Mississippi and the most expensive in the District of Columbia, according to a new study.
A Big Mac costs 11 percent less than the average in Mississippi, but is also the least affordable, due to the relatively low disposable income of state residents, according to a summary by Veronica Fletcher, data analyst and founder of Pantry & Larder, a website focused on food. By contrast, a Big Mac costs 22 percent more than the average in D.C., where it’s also the most affordable, Fletcher found.
“States like Mississippi with low disposable income will struggle to afford even the cheapest Big Mac. And areas with high disposable income (like DC) will have no problem paying more than $6,” noted Fletcher, who cite your own research. and fastfoodmenuprices.com to create a price index.
A 550-calorie Big Mac without the fries and soda costs $3.91 in Mississippi and $5.35 in DC, according to fastfoodmenuprices.com.
US disposable income statistics were taken into account to determine where the Big Mac, on the menu since 1968, is most and least affordable. And while the price of a Big Mac varies, it’s a difference of a few dollars at most, compared to the difference of more than $50,000 between the highest and lowest disposable incomes, Fletcher said.
Exceptions include Hawaii, which has the second most expensive Big Mac but lacks disposable income, with the Big Mac 3.3% less affordable on the island than the US average.
Nationally, Big Mac prices are up nearly 8 percent from a year ago, Fletcher found, in line with broader inflation trends.
Menu prices increased by 7.6% from July 2021 to July 2022, with consumer prices in general it increased 8.5% during that period, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- In:
- inflation
Add Comment