How much was a Big Mac in the 70s?
The Big Mac debuted at the McDonald's owned by Delligatti in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, on April 22, 1967, selling for US$0.45 (equivalent to $3.66 in 2021).
McDonald's 99 Cent Big Mac Commercial (1988)
The Big Mac was developed by franchisee Jim Delligatti of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1967 and was added to the menu in 1968. You could buy it for about 49 cents.
Hamburgers cost just 15p and cheeseburgers cost 21p.
The global fast food chain will make its iconic Big Mac burgers available for just 50 cents on Friday 18 June to celebrate the major milestone.
The Big Mac Value Pack, precursor to today's Extra Value Meal, sold for $2.59 in 1985 (opens in new tab), which amounts to $6.09 in 2018. Even adjusted for inflation that's still not enough to buy the large Big Mac Extra Value Meal today, which sells for $8.
Originally selling for 37 cents, the Whopper was born out of the desire to offer customers a bigger burger than competitors.
A vintage McDonald's menu from the 1970s lists Big Macs for just 65 cents each. It's an especially good deal when you think about the fact that an order of fries cost 46 cents, almost as much as the sandwich. RELATED: The easy way to make healthier comfort foods.
The 50 cent Big Mac offer is only available through the MyMacca's app that can be downloaded for both iOS and Android devices.
Now it is made with 2 pieces of "10-1 meat", meaning each is 1.6 ounces before cooking. So, again, yes the big Mac is smaller, quite significantly. Why does McDonald's charge $5 for a Big Mac when it's the same amount of meat as their $2 double cheese burger options?
How much was a quarter pounder in 1975?
In 1975, your burger cost an average of $0.25.
The 1990s McDonald's menu featured cheaper prices as well. A hamburger, for instance, was just $0.89. You'll find that the same burger in a Happy Meal with a side and drink is $3.19 today. A Big Mac was just over $3, while today's average price is $5.99.

Average price of a Big Mac in the U.S.
In 2022, the price of a Big Mac is $5.93 in March 2022 dollars. In 2000, it was $4.23 in March 2022 dollars.
In 1955, a McDonald's cheeseburger was only $0.19, reports the Chicago Tribune. Today, it costs $1, and a double cheeseburger is $1.59.
1981 was the last time the price of a burger and fries jumped as much as we're seeing in 2022, when you look at changes year over year. Back then, a Big Mac from McDonald's would set you back $1.30. Today, the popular menu item averages around $6, just for the sandwich, which is a 7% increase compared to 2021.
One other example is that Russia has one of the cheapest Big Macs at its time, despite the fact that Moscow is the most expensive city in the world. Standard food ingredients are cheap in Russia, while restaurants suitable for business dinners with English speaking staff are expensive.
Don Gorske, 68, of Fond du Lac, has consumed more than 32,000 Big Macs in his life, according to Guinness World Records.
Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
---|---|---|
1980 | $653.89 | 1.36% |
1981 | $659.23 | 0.82% |
1982 | $650.77 | -1.28% |
1983 | $628.32 | -3.45% |
In 1980,a Domino's large pizza cost $4.99 .
Year | Average price (Snacks) | Inflation adjusted price (2022 dollars) |
---|---|---|
1983 | $2.50 | $7.34 |
1982 | $2.40 | $7.28 |
1981 | $2.28 | $7.19 |
1980 | $2.04 | $7.39 |
How much did a happy meal cost in 1979?
$1.10 -- Cost of the first Happy Meal, introduced in 1979 as the Circus Wagon Happy Meal. It included a burger, fries, drink, McDonaldland cookies and penny toys such as a McDoodler stencil or a McDonald's character eraser.
Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
---|---|---|
1977 | $20.00 | - |
1978 | $20.91 | 4.54% |
1979 | $23.06 | 10.29% |
1980 | $25.88 | 12.22% |
The prices were insanely low.
According to Insider, your average burger cost about 40 cents (with some wiggle room for regional fluctuation), and rose to only 62 cents by 1987.
COLUMBUS Ohio White Castle celebrated its 87th anniversary by lowering the price of its signature Slyder hamburgers to 27 cents each for 87 minutes at selected units this afternoon.
In 1948, you could get a McDonald's burger for just 15 cents. At the original McDonald's locations, before Ray Kroc revolutionized the company and founded what we know as McDonald's today in 1955, a burger cost just 15 cents.
A whopping 28 cents. I remember that McDonalds at that time would advertise that you could get a meal (burger, fries, coke) for under a buck. A lot of things have changed! I don't think a small fry (back then) exists today, neither does a small coke.
Donald A. Gorske (born November 28, 1953) is an American world record holder known as the "ultimate Big Mac fan," having eaten over 32,672 such hamburgers from the U.S. fast food chain McDonald's in his lifetime, earning him a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
Get a free Big Mac when you download the McDonald's app and join MyMcDonald's Rewards. After your first purchase you'll earn 1500 bonus points to redeem for free McDonald's. *Offer valid 1x thru the last day of the month for first time app users at participating McDonald's.
How do I get my $1 Big Mac? All you have to do is log into the mymacca's app and click on My Rewards. If you don't have the app yet, you can download it via the Apple Store (iOS users) and Google Play Store (Android users). The catch: it's for a limited time and there's only one burger allowed per person.
The McDonald's Big Mac® is a 100% beef burger with a taste like no other. The mouthwatering perfection starts with two 100% pure all beef patties and Big Mac® sauce sandwiched between a sesame seed bun. It's topped off with pickles, crisp shredded lettuce, finely chopped onion, and a slice of American cheese.
Which is better Big Mac or Whopper?
Despite the Whopper having more caloric content than the Big Mac, they are still very similar and comparable burgers. It all comes down to what you like more. The Big Mac is very unique due to its buns and special sauce; however, the Whopper tends to be juicier because its patty is softer and thicker.
But McDonald's had to remove the burger off the menu due to its high demand, leaving some fans who missed out to take to Twitter and exclaim how “devastated” they were as they “hadn't had a chance yet” to try the burger. Others have called for the Chicken Big Mac's return, saying “bring it back permanently”.
White Castle opened its first restaurant in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921 and sold its burgers for only 5 cents. During the 1930s prices increased slowly. It was 1950 before the price of a hamburger rose from 10 to 12 cents. The 12-cent price held until 1967 when the price of a burger increased to 14 cents.
A homemade cheeseburger with a quarter pound of ground beef, wheat bread, and American cheese (and no other toppings) cost roughly 50 cents in 1985. But money in 1985 had more purchasing power than it does today.
Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
---|---|---|
1975 | $17.99 | -7.72% |
1976 | $17.79 | -1.09% |
1977 | $17.37 | -2.37% |
1978 | $22.01 | 26.71% |
Pizza Hut Cheese Pizza
When college students Dan and Frank Carney opened a pizza place in Kansas in the late 1950s, a large pizza only cost $1.50, according to The Daily Meal. Now, a large hand-tossed cheese pizza at Pizza Hut goes for $14.99.
In 1998, the average price of a Big Mac was about $2.50. Today, the average Big Mac is $4.33.
According to Rob Cockerham, the blogger behind Cockeyed.com, in 2002 a McDonald's Big Mac cost a mere $2.39. Today that same sandwich will set you back $4.19, an increase of 75 percent.
In Russia, the burger would usually cost 135 roubles, or around $1, according to The Economist's Big Mac index.
In 2000, it was $4.23 in March 2022 dollars.
How much is a hamburger in Hawaii?
...
Prices in restaurants in Hawaii.
Meal in a cheap restaurant | 19 USD (13-29) | 19 EUR (13-29) |
---|---|---|
Cheeseburger (fastfood) | 3.20 USD (3.00-4.10) | 3.20 EUR (3.00-4.20) |
In the 1950s McDonalds sold hamburgers for ten cents, what was considered average middle class wages for the 1950s?
Celebrating 64 years of fried fabulousness this weekend, Burger King is rolling back the price of its whoppingly successful creation by bringing back the 37-cent price point. We can just see Homer Simpson drifting off into drool mode, muttering “Whopper… 37 cents… mmmmm.”
...
Oldest McDonald's restaurant.
McDonald's Restaurant #3 | |
---|---|
NRHP reference No. | 84003893 |
1973: Quarter Pounder®
The 4-ounce all-beef patty, topped with ketchup, mustard, slivered onions and two dill pickles served on a sesame seed bun, sold for 60 cents. For an extra 10 cents, you could upgrade to a Quarter Pounder with Cheese.
1981: $1.83
A gallon of milk, at the commodity price, was $1.83.
A whopping 28 cents.
Originally selling for 37 cents, the Whopper was born out of the desire to offer customers a bigger burger than competitors.
In 1970, your burger cost an average of $0.18.
In inflated August 2018 prices, that $0.18 average burger cost would equal $1.20.
You could buy it for about 49 cents. The first TV ad for the Big Mac appeared in 1969 and featured the memorable Ballad of the Big Mac: “Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions—on a sesame seed bun!”
How much was a White Castle burger in 1978?
White Castle, based here, said it chose today for the special deal because May is National Hamburger Month. It noted that the price of a Slyder did not reach 27 cents until the early 1980s.
$1.10 -- Cost of the first Happy Meal, introduced in 1979 as the Circus Wagon Happy Meal. It included a burger, fries, drink, McDonaldland cookies and penny toys such as a McDoodler stencil or a McDonald's character eraser.
1970s: 65 cents
A vintage McDonald's menu from the 1970s lists Big Macs for just 65 cents each. It's an especially good deal when you think about the fact that an order of fries cost 46 cents, almost as much as the sandwich.
In 1970, a pound of bacon cost 95 cents, a dozen eggs cost 60 cents, bread was priced at 24 cents, 10 pounds of potatoes was 90 cents, coffee was 91 cents and a gallon of orange juice cost 86 cents. And while breakfast in 1970 may have cost you $4.46, lunch for one cost only a buck.
Now it is made with 2 pieces of "10-1 meat", meaning each is 1.6 ounces before cooking. So, again, yes the big Mac is smaller, quite significantly. Why does McDonald's charge $5 for a Big Mac when it's the same amount of meat as their $2 double cheese burger options?
Donald A. Gorske (born November 28, 1953) is an American world record holder known as the "ultimate Big Mac fan," having eaten over 32,672 such hamburgers from the U.S. fast food chain McDonald's in his lifetime, earning him a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
In 1948, you could get a McDonald's burger for just 15 cents. At the original McDonald's locations, before Ray Kroc revolutionized the company and founded what we know as McDonald's today in 1955, a burger cost just 15 cents.
In 1976, the cost of a basic McDonald's hamburger was 37 cents.