Published 2026-10-02
The same Crunchwrap Supreme costs $5.19 at one New York City Taco Bell and $8.99 at another
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared the pickup prices of the same items at 436 restaurants of five chains in the New York City area. Within each chain, prices for the same item differ by up to 73% from one restaurant to the next.
Data as of .
Key facts
- Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $5.19 to $8.99 (+73%)Cheapest in Jackson Heights, NY, most expensive in New York, NY; median $6.69, the same as Taco Bell's US median.
- Jersey Mike's Original Italian: $8.25 to $13.85 (+68%)Cheapest in Union, NJ, most expensive in Newark, NJ; median $11.50, 5% above Jersey Mike's US median.
- Wingstop 10 Classic Wings: $13.49 to $20.03 (+48%)Cheapest in Bronx, NY, most expensive in Bronx, NY; median $15.99, 19% above Wingstop's US median.
- Burger King Whopper: $6.39 to $8.79 (+38%)Cheapest in Cedar Grove, NJ, most expensive in Staten Island, NY; median $7.19, 14% above Burger King's US median.
- Firehouse Subs Hook & Ladder: $9.49 to $12.99 (+37%)Cheapest in Floral Park, NY, most expensive in East Rutherford, NJ; median $10.49, 6% above Firehouse Subs' 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 $5.19 at the Taco Bell in Jackson Heights, NY and $8.99 at the Taco Bell in New York, NY, $3.80 (73%) more. Across its 149 restaurants in the New York City area, the median is $6.69, the same as Taco Bell's US median of $6.69.
Jersey Mike's: a Original Italian costs $8.25 at the Jersey Mike's in Union, NJ and $13.85 at the Jersey Mike's in Newark, NJ, $5.60 (68%) more. Across its 90 restaurants in the New York City area, the median is $11.50, 5% above Jersey Mike's US median of $10.95. At the airport in Queens, NY, it costs $16.99.
Wingstop: a 10 Classic Wings costs $13.49 at the Wingstop in Bronx, NY and $20.03 at the Wingstop in Bronx, NY, $6.54 (48%) more. Across its 7 restaurants in the New York City area, the median is $15.99, 19% above Wingstop's US median of $13.49.
Burger King: a Whopper costs $6.39 at four Burger King restaurants in Cedar Grove, Hillside, Midland Park and West Orange, NJ and $8.79 at four Burger King restaurants in Staten Island, NY, and Linden, NJ, $2.40 (38%) more. Across its 180 restaurants in the New York City area, the median is $7.19, 14% above Burger King's US median of $6.29. At the turnpike service plaza in Hasting On Hudson, NY, it costs $9.15.
Firehouse Subs: a Hook & Ladder costs $9.49 at three Firehouse Subs restaurants in Floral Park, New York and Uniondale, NY and $12.99 at the Firehouse Subs in East Rutherford, NJ, $3.50 (37%) more. Across its 10 restaurants in the New York City area, the median is $10.49, 6% above Firehouse Subs' US median of $9.89.
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.
Quotable lines
The same Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme costs $5.19 in Jackson Heights, NY but $8.99 in New York, NY.
The same Jersey Mike's Original Italian costs $8.25 in Union, NJ but $13.85 in Newark, NJ.
The same Wingstop 10 Classic Wings costs $13.49 in Bronx, NY but $20.03 in Bronx, NY.
The same Burger King Whopper costs $6.39 in Cedar Grove, NJ but $8.79 in Staten Island, NY.
The same Firehouse Subs Hook & Ladder costs $9.49 in Floral Park, NY but $12.99 in East Rutherford, NJ.
Images
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: $5.19 to $8.99 (+73%) | Cheapest in Jackson Heights, NY, most expensive in New York, NY; median $6.69, the same as Taco Bell's US median. | See the page |
| Jersey Mike's Original Italian: $8.25 to $13.85 (+68%) | Cheapest in Union, NJ, most expensive in Newark, NJ; median $11.50, 5% above Jersey Mike's US median. | See the page |
| Wingstop 10 Classic Wings: $13.49 to $20.03 (+48%) | Cheapest in Bronx, NY, most expensive in Bronx, NY; median $15.99, 19% above Wingstop's US median. | See the page |
| Burger King Whopper: $6.39 to $8.79 (+38%) | Cheapest in Cedar Grove, NJ, most expensive in Staten Island, NY; median $7.19, 14% above Burger King's US median. | See the page |
| Firehouse Subs Hook & Ladder: $9.49 to $12.99 (+37%) | Cheapest in Floral Park, NY, most expensive in East Rutherford, NJ; median $10.49, 6% above Firehouse Subs' US median. | See the page |
| Cheapest Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme (restaurants) | $5.19 (1) | Jackson Heights, NY |
| Most expensive Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme (restaurants) | $8.99 (1) | New York, NY |
| Cheapest Jersey Mike's Original Italian (restaurants) | $8.25 (1) | Union, NJ |
| Most expensive Jersey Mike's Original Italian (restaurants) | $13.85 (1) | Newark, NJ |
| Most expensive overall (airport) | $16.99 (1) | Queens, NY |
| Cheapest Wingstop 10 Classic Wings (restaurants) | $13.49 (1) | Bronx, NY |
| Most expensive Wingstop 10 Classic Wings (restaurants) | $20.03 (1) | Bronx, NY |
| Cheapest Burger King Whopper (restaurants) | $6.39 (4) | Cedar Grove, NJ, Hillside, NJ, Midland Park, NJ, West Orange, NJ |
| Most expensive Burger King Whopper (restaurants) | $8.79 (4) | Linden, NJ, Staten Island, NY, Staten Island, NY, Staten Island, NY |
| Most expensive overall (turnpike service plaza) | $9.15 (1) | Hasting On Hudson, NY |
| Cheapest Firehouse Subs Hook & Ladder (restaurants) | $9.49 (3) | Floral Park, NY, New York, NY, Uniondale, NY |
| Most expensive Firehouse Subs Hook & Ladder (restaurants) | $12.99 (1) | East Rutherford, NJ |
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 New York City, 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.