America’s most expensive fast food cheeseburger is also the unhealthiest as 2026 prices are revealed
Sharply rising costs for ingredients like ground beef and cheese are forcing uncomfortable choices on the American fast food industry.
That means your favorite burger place probably isn’t the affordable option it once was.
To get a handle on just how much you can blow on a burger today, the Daily Mail compared the prices of basic cheeseburger options at the nation’s biggest fast food chains.
Keep in mind that franchise owners for chains like McDonald’s and Burger King adjust menu prices to reflect local costs like rent, wages, taxes and competition.
That means the price of the same cheeseburger in different places can vary widely.
For this survey, we looked at cheeseburger prices in Manhattan and Los Angeles, using each company’s own online ordering platform – as opposed to delivery platforms like Uber Eats or Grubhub.
While loyalty programs and coupons can significantly lower what customers actually pay, this ranking reflects the regular menu price a walk-in customer would typically see before taxes and fees.
Five Guys is home to one of the unhealthiest burger options with cheeseburgers coming in at almost 1,000 calories
Five Guys has one of the most expensive burger options in America, with a cheeseburger coming in at $12.55
Five Guys – $12.55
Five Guys was the most expensive fast food cheeseburger in our survey. While customers can load up on free toppings, a plain cheeseburger still comes out to $12.55 in New York City.
The Five Guys cheeseburger is also staggeringly unhealthy: 980 calories, plus 55g of fat, 26g of saturated fat and a whopping 1,050mg of sodium – and that’s not including bacon or a heaping side of fries.
Shake Shack – $8.29
Shake Shack’s simplest menu item, the Shack Burger, includes a quarter pound angus beef patty loaded with American cheese, plus lettuce, tomato and their ‘ShackSauce’ on a toasted potato bun.
All that sets you back $8.29, making it the second most expensive cheeseburger in our survey.
Sonic – $6.69
Sonic is famous for its drive-in service, with staff bringing orders right out to customers’ cars – just not in Manhattan, sadly.
Burgers are at the heart of Sonic’s menu lineup, but the chain is also known for its sprawling drink and slush menu. The Sonic cheeseburger costs $6.69, a little more than half the price of Five Guys.
Carl’s Jr – $5.99
This West Coast chain has long marketed itself around oversized burgers piled high with toppings, and its $5.99 cheeseburger includes onions and pickles – but it’s still one of the cheapest options on the restaurant’s menu.
Smashburger is known for its signature cooking method of flattening the patty so it gets thin and crusty
Smashburger – $4.99
Smashburger has several basic options on its $4.99 menu, including an ‘All-American’ burger with pickles and a ‘deluxe’ burger with lettuce and tomato.
Even discounts and deals aside, Smashburger’s cheeseburger costs less than half the price of Five Guys.
In-N-Out – $4.10
California-based In-N-Out remains one of the best-value ‘premium’ burgers at about $4.10 for a cheeseburger.
Despite a fiercely loyal fan base and a reputation for fresh ingredients, the family-owned chain has resisted the dramatic price increases seen elsewhere.
If you’re looking for the ultimate value, big-name chains Wendy’s, Burger King and McDonald’s offered the cheapest options for plain cheeseburgers.
All three fast food giants have more ‘premium’ versions of a cheeseburger at a much higher price point. One of the most recognizable is the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese, which costs $6.39 and boasts more beef than a typical cheeseburger at the fast food joint.
