If you aren’t sick of paying for it then you’ll likely be sick of hearing about it: inflation and the cost of living crisis has made everything more expensive.
For a sobering reflection of how much prices have risen, the Bank of England’s inflation calculator reckons £10 in 2020 is the equivalent of £12.50 today. That equates to a 5% increase every year over the past five.
Despite having a relatively strong economy compared to the travails we’re experiencing in the UK, customers in the US have been feeling the pinch too.
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Even the old bargain stalwart that is McDonald’s has been forced to up its prices to keep up with inflation.
Back in 2022, strongman Christopher Olive posted his receipt on TikTok expressing incredulity at just how expensive his meal had been.
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The clip showed he’d ordered a Smoky Double Quarter Pounder BLT burger with a large fries and Sprite. Can you guess how much that meal set him back?
If you said $16.10, you’ve won yourself a pat on the back.
"So I get there's a labour shortage, I get there's wage increases and a number of other things but... sixteen dollars?” Christopher said in the TikTok video.
"Sixteen dollars for a burger, a large fries and a drink. It's just crazy."
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Along with amassing hundreds of thousands of views, Christopher’s video has drawn plenty of comments over the years.
"Five Guys prices at McDonald’s?!?" said one, with Christopher replying to say: "It's crazy."
"It’s officially not convenient or affordable anymore,” said another disgruntled burger fan. “Might as well go to the store and buy hamburger meat."
"I make a lot more of my own food these days because of stuff like this," added a third, although we’d argue that’s probably a good thing.
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That said, some pointed out that Christopher had hardly ordered a cheap option. You could argue the “Smoky Double Quarter Pounder BLT burger” name alone is worth $16.
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"Bro ordered the most expensive meal they have and acted surprised," said one person.
"Because you got the DOUBLE DELUXE BACON quarter pounder, literally the most expensive option on the entire menu," said another.
Over here in the UK, and three years on, it’s actually tough to find anything on the March 2025 menu that reaches over £10.
There’s the Deluxe Duo Meal for two for £11.99, featuring two burgers and two medium fries.
The McDonald’s Chicken Sharebox comes in at £11.29, containing six Chicken Selects, 12 nuggets, and four dips. Not too shabby.
In summer 2024, McDonald’s said it was considering lowering the prices across its menu as sales had taken a post-pandemic dip.
Chris Kempczinski, CEO at McDonald’s said the average price of a Big Mac in the US, at the time, was the equivalent of £4.11 and represented a 21% increase over the 2019 price.
That’s in line with inflation, of course, but consumers veering away from those prices has nevertheless got Ronald McDonald and the boys working to bring those prices back down.
Topics: McDonalds , Fast Food, US Food, UK Food, Restaurants and bars
Kerri-Ann Roper