Published 2026-10-02
The same Crunchwrap Supreme costs $4.69 at one Houston Taco Bell and $7.19 at another
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared the pickup prices of the same items at 565 restaurants of five chains in the Houston area. Within each chain, prices for the same item differ by up to 53% from one restaurant to the next.
Data as of .
Key facts
- Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $4.69 to $7.19 (+53%)Cheapest in Houston, TX, most expensive in Houston, TX; median $6.89, 3% above Taco Bell's US median.
- Burger King Whopper: $5.79 to $7.99 (+38%)Cheapest in Houston, TX, most expensive in Houston, TX; median $5.99, 5% below Burger King's US median.
- McDonald's Big Mac: $3.99 to $5.49 (+38%)Cheapest in Houston, TX, most expensive in Houston, TX; median $4.99, 17% below McDonald's US median.
- Jack in the Box Jumbo Jack: $3.99 to $5.29 (+33%)Cheapest in Houston, TX, most expensive in Houston, TX; median $4.29, 23% below Jack in the Box's US median.
- Bojangles Bo's Chicken Sandwich: $6.29 to $7.89 (+25%)Cheapest in Spring, TX, most expensive in Cypress, TX; median $6.49, 8% above Bojangles' US median.
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.
Taco Bell: a Crunchwrap Supreme costs $4.69 at the Taco Bell in Houston, TX and $7.19 at two Taco Bell restaurants in Houston and Humble, TX, $2.50 (53%) more. Across its 120 restaurants in the Houston area, the median is $6.89, 3% above Taco Bell's US median of $6.69.
Burger King: a Whopper costs $5.79 at the Burger King in Houston, TX and $7.99 at two Burger King restaurants in Houston and Pasadena, TX, $2.20 (38%) more. Across its 131 restaurants in the Houston area, the median is $5.99, 5% below Burger King's US median of $6.29.
McDonald's: a Big Mac costs $3.99 at five McDonald's restaurants in Houston and Cypress, TX and $5.49 at two McDonald's restaurants in Houston and Spring, TX, $1.50 (38%) more. Across its 233 restaurants in the Houston area, the median is $4.99, 17% below McDonald's US median of $5.99.
Jack in the Box: a Jumbo Jack costs $3.99 at ten Jack in the Box restaurants in Houston, Baytown, Highlands, Humble and Webster, TX and $5.29 at two Jack in the Box restaurants in Houston, TX, $1.30 (33%) more. Across its 76 restaurants in the Houston area, the median is $4.29, 23% below Jack in the Box's US median of $5.59.
Bojangles: a Bo's Chicken Sandwich costs $6.29 at the Bojangles in Spring, TX and $7.89 at two Bojangles restaurants in Cypress and Richmond, TX, $1.60 (25%) more. Across its 5 restaurants in the Houston area, the median is $6.49, 8% above Bojangles' US median of $5.99.
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.
“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 same Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme costs $4.69 in Houston, TX but $7.19 in Houston, TX.
The same Burger King Whopper costs $5.79 in Houston, TX but $7.99 in Houston, TX.
The same McDonald's Big Mac costs $3.99 in Houston, TX but $5.49 in Houston, TX.
The same Jack in the Box Jumbo Jack costs $3.99 in Houston, TX but $5.29 in Houston, TX.
The same Bojangles Bo's Chicken Sandwich costs $6.29 in Spring, TX but $7.89 in Cypress, TX.
Images
Images are being generated and will appear here shortly.
The facts behind the release
Every figure is from our prices of 2026-10-02, with the page on this site that shows it.
| Figure | Value | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $4.69 to $7.19 (+53%) | Cheapest in Houston, TX, most expensive in Houston, TX; median $6.89, 3% above Taco Bell's US median. | See the page |
| Burger King Whopper: $5.79 to $7.99 (+38%) | Cheapest in Houston, TX, most expensive in Houston, TX; median $5.99, 5% below Burger King's US median. | See the page |
| McDonald's Big Mac: $3.99 to $5.49 (+38%) | Cheapest in Houston, TX, most expensive in Houston, TX; median $4.99, 17% below McDonald's US median. | See the page |
| Jack in the Box Jumbo Jack: $3.99 to $5.29 (+33%) | Cheapest in Houston, TX, most expensive in Houston, TX; median $4.29, 23% below Jack in the Box's US median. | See the page |
| Bojangles Bo's Chicken Sandwich: $6.29 to $7.89 (+25%) | Cheapest in Spring, TX, most expensive in Cypress, TX; median $6.49, 8% above Bojangles' US median. | See the page |
| Cheapest Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme (restaurants) | $4.69 (1) | Houston, TX |
| Most expensive Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme (restaurants) | $7.19 (2) | Houston, TX, Humble, TX |
| Cheapest Burger King Whopper (restaurants) | $5.79 (1) | Houston, TX |
| Most expensive Burger King Whopper (restaurants) | $7.99 (2) | Houston, TX, Pasadena, TX |
| Cheapest McDonald's Big Mac (restaurants) | $3.99 (5) | Cypress, TX, Cypress, TX, Houston, TX, Houston, TX, Houston, TX |
| Most expensive McDonald's Big Mac (restaurants) | $5.49 (2) | Houston, TX, Spring, TX |
| Cheapest Jack in the Box Jumbo Jack (restaurants) | $3.99 (10) | Baytown, TX, Highlands, TX, Houston, TX, Houston, TX, Houston, TX, Houston, TX, Houston, TX, Houston, TX, Humble, TX, Webster, TX |
| Most expensive Jack in the Box Jumbo Jack (restaurants) | $5.29 (2) | Houston, TX, Houston, TX |
| Cheapest Bojangles Bo's Chicken Sandwich (restaurants) | $6.29 (1) | Spring, TX |
| Most expensive Bojangles Bo's Chicken Sandwich (restaurants) | $7.89 (2) | Cypress, TX, Richmond, TX |
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 2, 2026, in US dollars. The area covers restaurants within 25 miles (40 km) of downtown of Houston, 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 most expensive 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
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.