Fast food price insights
What the drive-thru really costs: prices from 260 fast food restaurants in Italy across 3 chains, checked 2026-10-04. Every figure below compares each restaurant's own pickup price from the brand's ordering app, so the numbers are what you would actually pay at the window.
Data as of . Updated daily. Prices are in euros.
Key findings
- KFC has the biggest price gap between locations: its priciest restaurant charges 45% more than its cheapest for the same basket. Poke House has the smallest gap, 0%.
- Roma, 62 is the biggest cluster of bargain fast food in Italy: 20 of its 31 restaurants rank in their brand's cheapest fifth nationally.
- Lazio is the cheapest region for fast food overall (Drive Thru Index 98, where 100 is the national typical price) and Lombardy the most expensive (102), averaging each brand against its own national prices.
- A KFC Classic Original costs anywhere from €5.70 to €7.70 across 158 restaurants in Italy; the typical price is €5.90.
- Calabria is the cheapest region for KFC and Emilia-Romagna the priciest, comparing the same basket of 5 items at 156 restaurants.
- A Poke House Sunny Salmon bowl costs €10.90 at every one of its 70 restaurants in Italy: the brand charges one price nationwide.
- Lazio is the cheapest region for Popeyes and Lombardy the priciest, comparing the same basket of 5 items at 24 restaurants.
- For KFC, Palermo, 82 has the most bargain restaurants: 5 of 5 are in the brand's cheapest fifth nationally.
- For Poke House, Milano, 25 has the most bargain restaurants: 15 of 15 are in the brand's cheapest fifth nationally.
- For Popeyes, Roma, 62 has the most bargain restaurants: 7 of 7 are in the brand's cheapest fifth nationally.
The scoop
KFC shows the biggest swingKFC has the widest gap in this view: its priciest store is 44% above its cheapest. The basket runs from €23.85 in Palermo, 82 to €34.30 in Bergamo, 25.
Poke House keeps it identicalPoke House prices are the same at every location shown. Across 69 stores, the basket sits at €13.80, with the Sunny Salmon bowl at €10.90 everywhere.
Five Guys spreads across eight storesFive Guys compares 8 stores, with its priciest store 26% above its cheapest. The basket is €31.35 in Torino, 21 and €39.60 in Milano, 25.
KFC has the biggest footprintKFC is the biggest presence on this Italy map, with 158 restaurants compared. Poke House follows with 69, while Five Guys has 8.
Cheapest to most expensive regions
Each region's Drive Thru Index score averages every brand's typical basket there against that brand's own national typical price, so 100 is the national norm, 90 is 10% cheaper and 120 is 20% pricier. Brands are never compared with each other.
| Rank | Region | Index | vs national | Brands | Restaurants compared |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lazio | 98 | -2% | 3 | 40 |
| 2 | Piedmont | 101 | +1% | 2 | 16 |
| 3 | Lombardy | 102 | +2% | 3 | 77 |
Bargain clusters
Where cheap fast food clusters: the places with the most restaurants whose basket ranks in their own brand's cheapest fifth nationally. Each brand is judged against itself, never against another brand's prices.
| City, all brands | Bargain restaurants | Restaurants compared | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roma, 62 | 20 | 31 | 65% |
| Milano, 25 | 15 | 15 | 100% |
| Palermo, 82 | 6 | 6 | 100% |
| Napoli, 72 | 5 | 5 | 100% |
| Torino, 21 | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| Brand | Top bargain cities | Top bargain regions |
|---|---|---|
| KFC | Palermo, 82 (5 of 5), Roma, 62 (4 of 15) | 72 (13 of 13), 82 (8 of 13), 62 (5 of 23) |
| Poke House | Milano, 25 (15 of 15), Roma, 62 (9 of 9) | 25 (28 of 28), 62 (10 of 10) |
| Popeyes | Roma, 62 (7 of 7) | — |
By brand
| Brand | Restaurants | Item | Typical price | Range | Cheapest region | Priciest region | Gap between locations | Delivery vs pickup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KFC | 158 | Classic Original | €5.90 | €5.70 to €7.70 | Calabria | Emilia-Romagna | 45% | — |
| Poke House | 70 | Sunny Salmon bowl | €10.90 | €10.90 to €10.90 | Lazio | Piedmont | 0% | — |
| Popeyes | 24 | Classic Chicken Sandwich | — | — to — | Lazio | Lombardy | 6% | — |
Questions people ask
- How much does a KFC Classic Original cost in Italy?
- As of 2026-10-04, a Classic Original costs €5.70 to €7.70 at 158 KFC restaurants, with a typical price of €5.90.
- Where is KFC cheapest in Italy?
- Calabria has the cheapest typical KFC basket and Emilia-Romagna the most expensive (Drive Thru Index, 2026-10-04). The single cheapest restaurant is in Giugliano, 72.
- How much does a Poke House Sunny Salmon bowl cost in Italy?
- As of 2026-10-04, a Sunny Salmon bowl costs €10.90 at all 70 Poke House restaurants.
- Where is Popeyes cheapest in Italy?
- Lazio has the cheapest typical Popeyes basket and Lombardy the most expensive (Drive Thru Index, 2026-10-04). The single cheapest restaurant is in Montesilvano, 65.
How the index works
Every day we check the menu at every US restaurant of each chain, using the same ordering app its customers use, and record each item's pickup and delivery price. Restaurants are compared on a basket of items that every full-menu restaurant of that brand sells, so a comparison is never skewed by a missing item. Restaurants with a limited menu, and prices that are clearly a menu code error, are left out of comparisons. "Typical" means the median restaurant.
Browse prices for every state and city or download states.csv and cities.csv.
Citing this data: Source: Drive Thru Index (https://drivethruindex.com), prices checked 2026-10-04. Journalists are welcome to quote any figure on this page.