The Golden Arches were long a sign that a cheap, quick and filling meal was just one highway exit away, but McDonald’s aficionados know that cheap is no longer part of a trip through the drive-thru.
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In 2013, the restaurant chain did away with its beloved Dollar Menu and replaced it with the Dollar Menu and More — which quickly became even more and more and more.
In the late 2010s, the $1 $2 $3 Menu emerged, followed by the McValue Menu in 2025, which introduced the “buy one, add one for $1” concept.
Along the way, customers torched the chain on social media after paying $3 for hash browns, $8 for chicken sandwiches and $18 for Big Mac meals, as publications like Fortune began using the phrase “McFlation” to describe the soaring cost of what used to be a cheap alternative to full-service dining.
If you’ve noticed that your money doesn’t go nearly as far as it used to at McDonald’s, you’re hardly alone. Here’s a look at what $20 bought you 10 years ago vs. today.
Prices Vary by Location
Most McDonald’s locations are independently owned franchises that have wide latitude in setting their own prices. Therefore, you can pay more or less for the same order at two different drive-thrus just a few miles apart. That makes it difficult to accurately quote prices and even more challenging to source historical pricing data.
However, FinanceBuzz used sources like the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, ItsYummi, MenuWithPrice and FastFoodMenuPrices to nail down the average price of several popular items from America’s biggest fast-food chains from 2014, 2019 and 2024 to chronicle 10 years’ worth of fast-food inflation. It found that price increases at 11 chains outpaced the last decade’s 31% overall inflation rate. At the bottom was Subway with 39% 10-year inflation. Popeye’s took the No. 2 spot with 86%.
McFlation, however, was the worst of all, with prices at McDonald’s rising an average of 100% over the last 10 years.
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McFlation: What $20 Bought 10 Years Ago vs. Today
With that in mind, here’s how far $20 could take you at a McDonald’s drive-thru a decade ago vs. today with some of its most popular menu items.
Quarter Pounder With Cheese Meal
- 10 years ago: Three, at a cost of $5.39 each
- Today: One, at a cost of $11.99 each (122% inflation)
Oreo McFlurry
- 10 years ago: Eight, at a cost of $2.39 each
- Today: Four, at a cost of $4.49 each (88% inflation)
Chicken Nugget Meal
- 10 years ago: Three, at a cost of $5.99 each
- Today: One, at a cost of $10.99 each (83% inflation)
4-Piece McNugget Happy Meal
- 10 years ago: Six, at a cost of $2.99 each
- Today: Four, at a cost of $4.99 each (67% inflation)
Big Mac
- 10 years ago: Five, at a cost of $3.99 each
- Today: Three, at a cost of $5.99 each (50% inflation)
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: What $20 Buys at McDonald’s Now vs. 10 Years Ago
