Drive Thru
Index

게시일 2026-10-02

The same Big Mac costs $8.15 at one Brisbane McDonald's and $9.40 at another

As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared the pickup prices of the same items at 156 restaurants of two chains in Greater Brisbane. Within each chain, prices for the same item differ by up to 15% from one restaurant to the next.

데이터 기준일 .

핵심 사실

Fast food chains are collecting more and more data about their customers through mobile apps and loyalty programmes: 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.

McDonald's: a Big Mac costs $8.15 at the McDonald's in Victoria Point, QLD and $9.40 at the McDonald's in Doolandella, QLD, $1.25 (15%) more. Across its 108 restaurants in Greater Brisbane, the median is $8.65, 2% above McDonald's Australian median of $8.45.

Hungry Jack's: a Whopper costs $9.40 at the Hungry Jack's in Taringa, QLD and $10.70 at two Hungry Jack's restaurants in Deagon and Fortitude Valley, QLD, $1.30 (14%) more. Across its 48 restaurants in Greater Brisbane, the median is $10.00, 1% above Hungry Jack's Australian median of $9.90.

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.

“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.

인용할 만한 문장

The same McDonald's Big Mac costs $8.15 in Victoria Point, QLD but $9.40 in Doolandella, QLD.

The same Hungry Jack's Whopper costs $9.40 in Taringa, QLD but $10.70 in Deagon, QLD.

이미지

Map of Greater Brisbane marking the cheapest and dearest restaurant of each chain. McDonald's Big Mac: $8.15 in Victoria Point, QLD, $9.40 in Doolandella, QLD; Hungry Jack's Whopper: $9.40 in Taringa, QLD, $10.70 in Deagon, QLD.
PNG 다운로드 JPEG 다운로드 3200 × 1800
캡션
The cheapest and dearest McDonald's Big Mac and Hungry Jack's Whopper in Greater Brisbane, 1 October 2026. Image: Drive Thru Index
대체 텍스트
Map of Greater Brisbane marking the cheapest and dearest restaurant of each chain. McDonald's Big Mac: $8.15 in Victoria Point, QLD, $9.40 in Doolandella, QLD; Hungry Jack's Whopper: $9.40 in Taringa, QLD, $10.70 in Deagon, QLD.
출처 표기
Image: Drive Thru Index (drivethruindex.com)
Map of Greater Brisbane marking the cheapest McDonald's Big Mac ($8.15 in Victoria Point, QLD) and the dearest ($9.40 in Doolandella, QLD).
PNG 다운로드 JPEG 다운로드 2160 × 2160
캡션
The cheapest and dearest McDonald's Big Mac in Greater Brisbane, 1 October 2026. Image: Drive Thru Index
대체 텍스트
Map of Greater Brisbane marking the cheapest McDonald's Big Mac ($8.15 in Victoria Point, QLD) and the dearest ($9.40 in Doolandella, QLD).
출처 표기
Image: Drive Thru Index (drivethruindex.com)
Same item, different price: Brisbane: McDonald's Big Mac: $8.15 to $9.40 (+15%). Cheapest in Victoria Point, QLD, dearest in Doolandella, QLD; median $8.65, 2% above McDonald's Australian median.; Hungry Jack's Whopper: $9.40 to $10.70 (+14%). Cheapest in Taringa, QLD, dearest in Deagon, QLD; median $10.00, 1% above Hungry Jack's Australian median.
PNG 다운로드 JPEG 다운로드 3200 × 1800
캡션
Same item, different price: Brisbane, 1 October 2026. Image: Drive Thru Index
대체 텍스트
Same item, different price: Brisbane: McDonald's Big Mac: $8.15 to $9.40 (+15%). Cheapest in Victoria Point, QLD, dearest in Doolandella, QLD; median $8.65, 2% above McDonald's Australian median.; Hungry Jack's Whopper: $9.40 to $10.70 (+14%). Cheapest in Taringa, QLD, dearest in Deagon, QLD; median $10.00, 1% above Hungry Jack's Australian median.
출처 표기
Image: Drive Thru Index (drivethruindex.com)

보도자료 속 수치의 근거

모든 수치는 2026-10-01 가격 기준이며, 해당 수치를 보여주는 이 사이트의 페이지를 함께 표시해요.

항목값확인할 곳
McDonald's Big Mac: $8.15 to $9.40 (+15%)Cheapest in Victoria Point, QLD, dearest in Doolandella, QLD; median $8.65, 2% above McDonald's Australian median.페이지 보기
Hungry Jack's Whopper: $9.40 to $10.70 (+14%)Cheapest in Taringa, QLD, dearest in Deagon, QLD; median $10.00, 1% above Hungry Jack's Australian median.페이지 보기
가장 저렴한 McDonald's Big Mac(매장)$8.15 (1)Victoria Point, QLD
가장 비싼 McDonald's Big Mac(매장)$9.40 (1)Doolandella, QLD
가장 저렴한 Hungry Jack's Whopper(매장)$9.40 (1)Taringa, QLD
가장 비싼 Hungry Jack's Whopper(매장)$10.70 (2)Deagon, QLD, Fortitude Valley, QLD

방법론, 소개, 연락처

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 1 October 2026, in Australian dollars. The area covers restaurants within 40 km of the city centre of Brisbane, each restaurant counted in its nearest city. Each chain is compared only with itself, on its own signature item, and only where it has at least 5 restaurants in the area; prices are never compared between chains or converted between currencies. The cheapest and dearest restaurants leave out airports and similar special sites, which are reported separately.

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

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