Published 2026-10-03
The most expensive fast food in Canada: a Mary Brown's Big Mary for $12.94 in Yellowknife, 36% above the chain's median
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index looked for the most expensive fast food in Canada, comparing each of 6 chains only with its own national prices, on October 3, 2026.
Data as of .
Key facts
- Red Deer, AB: fast food costs 6% more than the Canadian typical priceDrive Thru Index 106, across 15 restaurants; each chain is compared only with itself.
- Manitoba is the most expensive province (index 105)Saskatchewan is the cheapest (index 99); 100 is the national typical price.
- Mary Brown's Big Mary: $12.94 in Yellowknife, NT36% above Mary Brown's Canadian median of $9.49.
- Burger King Whopper: $9.99 in Mont-Laurier, QC25% above Burger King's Canadian median of $7.99.
- Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $9.99 in Brantford, ON25% above Taco Bell's Canadian median of $7.99.
Fast food chains are collecting more and more data about their customers through mobile apps and loyalty programs: accounts with their details, and what they order and when. They are also experimenting with AI and data-driven pricing. Meanwhile the same item can cost very different amounts from one restaurant to the next, and customers cannot see why. Drive Thru Index publishes every restaurant's real price, every day, so anyone can check.
Among cities with at least 10 restaurants, Red Deer, AB is the most expensive: its Drive Thru Index is 106, meaning its restaurants charge 6% more than their own chains' national typical prices, on average.
Next come Victoria, BC (106) and Richmond, BC (105); the cheapest is Regina, SK (97).
By province, Manitoba is the most expensive (index 105) and Saskatchewan the cheapest (99).
Mary Brown's most expensive Big Mary costs $12.94, at the Mary Brown's in Yellowknife, NT: 36% above the chain's Canadian median of $9.49. Its most expensive basket of 4 items is $35.96 in Fort Mcmurray, AB, 9% above its median of $32.96.
Burger King's most expensive Whopper costs $9.99, at the Burger King in Mont-Laurier, QC: 25% above the chain's Canadian median of $7.99. Its most expensive basket of 6 items is $40.85 in Niagara Falls, ON, 25% above its median of $32.64.
Taco Bell's most expensive Crunchwrap Supreme costs $9.99, at the Taco Bell in Brantford, ON: 25% above the chain's Canadian median of $7.99. Its most expensive basket of 5 items is $36.39 in Brantford, ON, 22% above its median of $29.75.
KFC's most expensive Famous Chicken Sandwich costs $13.49, at the KFC in Osoyoos, BC: 23% above the chain's Canadian median of $10.99. Its most expensive basket of 4 items is $38.46 in Osoyoos, BC, 25% above its median of $30.66.
Popeyes' most expensive Classic Chicken Sandwich costs $11.49, at the Popeyes in New Minas, NS: 21% above the chain's Canadian median of $9.49. Its most expensive basket of 5 items is $33.35 in New Minas, NS, 18% above its median of $28.25.
Wendy's most expensive Dave's Single costs $8.69, at the Wendy's in Prince Albert, SK: 14% above the chain's Canadian median of $7.64. Its most expensive basket of 6 items is $34.14 in Canmore, AB, 13% above its median of $30.24.
Anthony Gherghetta, an Australian software developer who built Drive Thru Index, started it after reading some of the buzz about AI being used to set fast food prices: he wanted to see whether it was true, and how big the price differences between restaurants really were. Prices bear out the contrast he noticed. In Australia, 97% of McDonald's restaurants charge within 10% of the typical Big Mac price; in the US, 53% do. The gap between the cheapest and the dearest tenth of restaurants is 10% of the typical price in Australia and 33% in the US. In Canada, 99% of KFC locations, the biggest chain tracked there, charge within 10% of its typical Famous Chicken Sandwich price.
“I kept reading that fast food chains were starting to use AI and customer data to set prices, so I wanted to see if it was true and how big the differences really were. In Australia, where I’m from, a Big Mac costs much the same wherever you buy it. In the US the price changes from one restaurant to the next. Fast food apps now know what you order, when and where, but customers can’t see how prices are set. So I built Drive Thru Index to check every restaurant, every day,” said Gherghetta.
Quotable lines
The most expensive Mary Brown's Big Mary in Canada costs $12.94, in Yellowknife, NT.
The most expensive Burger King Whopper in Canada costs $9.99, in Mont-Laurier, QC.
The most expensive Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme in Canada costs $9.99, in Brantford, ON.
The most expensive KFC Famous Chicken Sandwich in Canada costs $13.49, in Osoyoos, BC.
Images
The facts behind the release
Every figure is from our prices of 2026-10-03, with the page on this site that shows it.
| Figure | Value | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| Red Deer, AB: fast food costs 6% more than the Canadian typical price | Drive Thru Index 106, across 15 restaurants; each chain is compared only with itself. | See the page |
| Manitoba is the most expensive province (index 105) | Saskatchewan is the cheapest (index 99); 100 is the national typical price. | See the page |
| Mary Brown's Big Mary: $12.94 in Yellowknife, NT | 36% above Mary Brown's Canadian median of $9.49. | See the page |
| Burger King Whopper: $9.99 in Mont-Laurier, QC | 25% above Burger King's Canadian median of $7.99. | See the page |
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $9.99 in Brantford, ON | 25% above Taco Bell's Canadian median of $7.99. | See the page |
| Most expensive Mary Brown's Big Mary (restaurants) | $12.94 (1) | Yellowknife, NT |
| Most expensive order (restaurants) | $35.96 (+9%) | Fort Mcmurray, AB |
| Most expensive Burger King Whopper (restaurants) | $9.99 (2) | Mont-Laurier, QC |
| Most expensive order (restaurants) | $40.85 (+25%) | Niagara Falls, ON |
| Most expensive Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme (restaurants) | $9.99 (1) | Brantford, ON |
| Most expensive order (restaurants) | $36.39 (+22%) | Brantford, ON |
| Most expensive KFC Famous Chicken Sandwich (restaurants) | $13.49 (1) | Osoyoos, BC |
| Most expensive order (restaurants) | $38.46 (+25%) | Osoyoos, BC |
| Most expensive Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich (restaurants) | $11.49 (9) | New Minas, NS |
| Most expensive order (restaurants) | $33.35 (+18%) | New Minas, NS |
| Most expensive Wendy's Dave's Single (restaurants) | $8.69 (2) | Prince Albert, SK |
| Most expensive order (restaurants) | $34.14 (+13%) | Canmore, AB |
Methodology, about and contact
Drive Thru Index reads every restaurant's menu from each chain's own ordering app every day; these are the latest pickup prices collected on or before October 3, 2026, in Canadian dollars. The Drive Thru Index of a place averages each chain's own index there, where 100 is that chain's typical price nationally, so chains are never compared with each other; cities need at least 10 restaurants. Each chain's most expensive restaurant leaves out airports, stadiums and similar sites, which are reported separately. Prices are never converted between currencies.
About Drive Thru Index: Drive Thru Index (drivethruindex.com) publishes the menu price of every item at every restaurant of the biggest fast food brands, collected each day from the chains' own ordering apps. As pricing becomes more data-driven, it exists so that customers can see what each restaurant really charges and how it compares with others nearby. It covers the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Mexico and the Netherlands. Brands are only compared with themselves, and prices are never converted between currencies. Its figures are free to quote with attribution: "Source: Drive Thru Index".
The images with this release are free to use with the credit "Image: Drive Thru Index (drivethruindex.com)".
Media contact: anthony@drivethruindex.com
Background sources
Not part of the release: reporting that backs up its one line of context, for questions from journalists.
- How restaurant loyalty programs can drive more traffic and improve experiences Restaurant Dive, 2024-08-15
Restaurant loyalty apps pull in customers' ordering history and preferences, to personalise offers and recommendations (the intro's apps and loyalty programmes). - Wendy's backtracks on dynamic pricing Restaurant Dive, 2024-02-28
Wendy's told investors it would test dynamic and AI-enabled pricing on digital menu boards from 2025, then said after a backlash that it would not raise prices at the busiest times (the intro's experiments with data-driven pricing). - Inside McDonald's push to have AI price your Big Mac CNBC, 2026-09-29
Reports a Reuters investigation into an AI tool that recommends menu prices to McDonald's restaurants; McDonald's says franchisees remain free to set their own prices. Not quoted in the release text; the page could not be fetched to check its wording, only its search listing.