Americans tend to place fast food, no matter what chain it may be, into one big category – affordable, that’s why we made a list of the 12 best bargain burgers & fries in America. But just because it’s fast doesn’t mean it’s affordable (at least compared to McDonald’s). The meals on our list differ on a nearly $2 scale, so watch what you label as fast (or affordable) food.
We determined the 12 Best Bargain Burgers & Fries in America, some of them also the 16 Biggest Fast Food Chains in the US, by researching the price of a meal in nearly every American fast food restaurant, and even a few sit-down eateries. But it’s more difficult than you would think to find menu prices of fast food online. So we referred to sites that list the specific pricings of menus from various restaurants, and also used some of the restaurant’s downloadable menus.
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We determined, in most cases, the lowest price of a large combo meal (including large drink, large fry, and regular cheeseburger) at each restaurant. No additional toppings were added to the burger, barring those already included. But some restaurants’ regular cheeseburgers may include more ingredients than other regular cheeseburgers, which would raise their worth. And we only priced cheeseburgers, not hamburgers (because who would buy a burger without cheese anyway?)
However, it’s important to keep in mind that every fast food style is different. Some burgers are smaller or thinner, which would affect their cost. Some “regular” cheeseburgers are measured by weight, such as 1/3 pound or 1/4 pound burger. A “large” fry or drink at one restaurant is not as large as it is at others. (We’ve all experienced that sinking feeling of peering into the bag at the large meal you ordered only to be grossly disappointed by the restaurant’s poor definition of large.)
Some restaurants, especially the ones who don’t specialize in burgers and fries, don’t even have combo meals for these items. In these cases, we added up the price of a large drink, large fry, and burger, which made them more expensive. And of course, sales tax is not included in the prices listed below. Any additional factors or exceptions are included with each individual restaurant listed below.
Despite the many factors involved, we’re sure you’ll enjoy and even benefit from the 12 best bargain burgers & fries in America list.
12. White Castle
– $6.07 for a double cheeseburger or “Original Slider,” large fry (sack) and large soft drink.
If you don’t know what a classic White Castle burger looks like, you should know that they’re not the typical burger size, which is why they’re called “sliders” in most cases. That’s why we priced a double instead of a single, to make up for the smallness in size.
11. Checkers/Rally’s
– $5.99 for a Rallyburger with cheese, large fry and a large drink.
10. Sonic
– $5.99 for a Sonic Cheeseburger combo including medium tots or fries and medium soft drink.
9. Burger King
– $5.78 for a cheeseburger, large fry and large soft drink.
8. Whataburger
– $5.59 for Whataburger meal including fries and drink.
The size of this meal wasn’t specified, so it may only be a medium.
7. In-n-Out Burger
– $5.55 for a cheeseburger with onion meal.
Like the previous on the list of the 12 best bargain burgers & fries in America, the size of this meal also wasn’t specified, so it may only be a medium.
6. Steak ‘n Shake
– $5.47 for a single steakburger served with fries and soft drink.
This one’s an actual restaurant though it does include a driveway. The menu is mostly accommodated to sit-down customers, which means there’s no “large” drink, but unlimited free refills, and most likely just a regular size serving of fries.
5. Wendy’s
– $5.29 for a single, quarter pound cheeseburger, large fry and large drink.
4. Hardees/Carl Jr’s
– $5.18 for a 1/3 pound burger, large fry and large drink.
3. Dairy Queen
– $4.39 for an Original Cheeseburger Combo with fries and drink.
It’s ironic that this restaurant, which doesn’t specialize in burgers or fries (ice cream rather), would provide such a low price for them. The menu didn’t specify the size of the fries and drink in the combo, and doesn’t list an option for large selection, so they’re either large or they don’t have large (possibly due to the fact that it’s not a burger restaurant).
2. McDonald’s
– $4.38 for a regular cheeseburger, large fry and large soft drink.
1. Homemade
– $4.11 for a Basic Burger, fries and drink.
All You says that the full cost of a basic homemade burger, which includes condiments and the bun, is $2.11 per serving. We estimate that, to either make your own fries by slicing up a potato and seasoning it or to purchase a pack of frozen fries, it would cost about a dollar per serving (since the average price of one potato is around .63 while large packs of frozen French fries cost around $5). We also added an extra dollar for a beverage. This option, first on the list of the 12 Best Bargain Burgers & Fries in America, would be a lot healthier too.
