It’s no secret that dining out, ordering takeout or having food delivered costs more than preparing food at home.
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However, with skyrocketing food costs and tariffs hitting your grocery cart, it’s still a good idea to know just how much your next meal will cost. Likewise, how much has the price of fast food risen in the past decade?
Quick Take: Inflation vs. McDonald’s
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) marks the current inflation rate in 2025 to be 2.7%. According to data from Top Nutrition Coaching, the average restaurant meal costs $16.28 vs. the same food prepared at home, which costs $4.23. Since 2015, menu prices at popular fast-food chains have risen anywhere between approximately 39% and 100%.
To put this into perspective, general inflation has only increased by an average of 2.9% per year, resulting in a cumulative price increase of 33.16%. In other words, today’s prices are 1.33 times higher than average prices in 2015, which might make you wonder what is going on with food costs.
In order to answer that question, GOBankingRates used fast food giant McDonald’s to show you just how much inflation has affected your food order at the Golden Arches. Take a look at how much your McDonald’s order has increased over the last 10 years.
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McDonald’s Orders: 2015-2025
As one of (if not the) most popular fast-food chains in the world, McDonald’s is the biggest culprit for raising prices in the past decade. It is also not immune to the sting of rising food costs, supply and demand or even tariffs on imported goods. Keep in mind that prices can vary by location, but here are some key takeaways to consider:
- Some McDonald’s prices have risen faster than others. A medium drink still provides value, only rising 25% in the past 10 years, from $1.29 to $1.61.
- A medium-sized order of fries now costs $3.79, compared to the $1.79 price in 2015 — a $2 increase.
- If you want to save money by ordering a meal, get ready to shell out $11.99 for a Quarter Pounder with Cheese Meal, or $10.99 for a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets meal. These items increased by 122% and 83%, respectively.
- The beloved Big Mac hasn’t experienced quite such a high price jump. The sandwich cost $4.29 in 2015, and now costs $5.99.
The Not-So-Happy Meal
Unfortunately, you can’t even snag a Happy Meal for under $5 anymore. The children’s favorite, which includes a choice of hamburger or 4-piece Chicken McNuggets, child-size fries, apple slices, a drink and a toy, costs anywhere from $5.09 to $6.93. Back in 2015, it would only set you back $2.99 to $3.59 to put a smile on your child’s face, food in their belly and a plastic toy in their hands.
Final Take To GO: The Price of Golden Arches
Overall, the prices at McDonald’s have risen an average of 100% in the past 10 years, which is much more than the rate of inflation in general. That makes eating at home an even wiser financial choice today than it was in the 2010s.
Dawn Allcot contributed to the reporting for this article.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Not Lovin’ It: Here’s Inflation’s Impact on Your McDonald’s Meal Over the Last 10 Years
