Fast Food vs. Homemade:
How Much Do You Really Save?
A homemade cheeseburger costs $3.29 to make. A Big Mac costs $5.91. A restaurant burger costs $14.64. Here is exactly how every option compares.
Every Burger, Ranked by Price
How much does a cheeseburger cost at every major chain compared to making one at home? Prices are national averages from published menu data and price aggregators.
| Where | Burger | Price | vs. Homemade | You Pay Extra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your Kitchen | Homemade Cheeseburger | $3.29 | Baseline | $0.00 |
| McDonald's | McDouble | $3.59 | 1.1x | +$0.30 |
| In-N-Out | Double-Double | $5.25 | 1.6x | +$1.96 |
| McDonald's | Big Mac | $5.91 | 1.8x | +$2.62 |
| Wendy's | Dave's Single | $6.49 | 2x | +$3.20 |
| Shake Shack | ShackBurger | $7.49 | 2.3x | +$4.20 |
| Burger King | Whopper | $7.99 | 2.4x | +$4.70 |
| Five Guys | Cheeseburger | $9.69 | 2.9x | +$6.40 |
| Restaurant (median) | Sit-down burger | $14.64 | 4.4x | +$11.35 |
Homemade cost from BLS CPI Average Price Data (March 2026). Fast food prices from published menus and price aggregator data. Restaurant median from Toast POS data across 164,000 locations.
Full Meal Comparison
What about a complete meal? Fast food combos add fries and a drink, pushing the total even higher.
Family of Four: The Real Math
The savings multiply with every family member.
Over a year of weekly burger nights, a family saves $544.96 vs. fast food and $2,360.80 vs. restaurants by cooking at home.
Big Mac vs. Homemade: Price Gap Over Time
Both have risen, but the gap keeps growing. The Big Mac has increased 41% since 2017. See the full Big Mac Index analysis.
| Year | Big Mac | Homemade Burger | Gap | Big Mac Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $4.19 | $2.02 | +$2.17 | 2.1x |
| 2018 | $4.29 | $2.10 | +$2.19 | 2.0x |
| 2019 | $4.51 | $2.17 | +$2.34 | 2.1x |
| 2020 | $4.82 | $2.19 | +$2.63 | 2.2x |
| 2022 | $5.15 | $2.47 | +$2.68 | 2.1x |
| 2023 | $5.39 | $2.65 | +$2.74 | 2.0x |
| 2024 | $5.69 | $2.71 | +$2.98 | 2.1x |
| 2025 | $5.79 | $2.86 | +$2.93 | 2.0x |
| 2026 | $5.91 | $3.27 | +$2.64 | 1.8x |
Big Mac prices from menu price aggregator data. Homemade prices from BLS CPI Average Price Data (January of each year).
Inflation: Home Cooking vs. Eating Out
Restaurant prices are rising faster than grocery prices. Food away from home inflation (3.9%) is running 1.6x faster than food at home (2.4%).
BLS CPI, February 2026 year-over-year.
Frequently Asked Questions
A homemade cheeseburger costs $3.29 using grocery store ingredients. A McDonald's Big Mac costs $5.91, a Wendy's Dave's Single costs $6.49, and a Five Guys cheeseburger costs $9.69. Making burgers at home saves 44-70% compared to fast food.
The average Big Mac costs $5.91 in 2026, based on prices from over 13,500 McDonald's locations. A Big Mac Meal (with fries and drink) averages $9.30. For comparison, a homemade cheeseburger costs just $3.29.
The McDonald's McDouble at $3.59 is the cheapest fast food cheeseburger from a major chain. It costs only $0.30 more than making a burger at home ($3.29).
The median restaurant burger costs $14.64 in 2026, based on data from 164,000 restaurant locations. That is 4.4x the cost of a homemade cheeseburger ($3.29).
Four homemade burgers cost $13.16. Four Big Macs cost $23.64. Four restaurant burgers cost $58.56. A family of four saves $10.48 per meal vs. fast food and $45.40 vs. a restaurant.