Published 2026-10-02
The same Big Mac costs $5.79 at one Washington, DC McDonald's and $7.89 at another
As fast food pricing becomes more data-driven, Drive Thru Index compared the pickup prices of the same items at 423 restaurants of five chains in the Washington, DC area. Within each chain, prices for the same item differ by up to 36% from one restaurant to the next.
Data as of .
Key facts
- McDonald's Big Mac: $5.79 to $7.89 (+36%)Cheapest in Sterling, VA, most expensive in Washington, DC; median $6.69, 12% above McDonald's US median.
- Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich: $4.99 to $6.79 (+36%)Cheapest in Washington, DC, most expensive in Arlington, VA; median $5.49, 5% below Popeyes' US median.
- Jersey Mike's Original Italian: $8.65 to $11.55 (+34%)Cheapest in Dulles, VA, most expensive in Clinton, MD; median $11.15, 2% above Jersey Mike's US median.
- Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $6.08 to $7.99 (+31%)Cheapest in Wheaton, MD, most expensive in Alexandria, VA; median $6.99, 4% above Taco Bell's US median.
- Burger King Whopper: $6.29 to $7.99 (+27%)Cheapest in Beltsville, MD, most expensive in Silver Spring, MD; median $6.99, 11% above Burger King's 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.
McDonald's: a Big Mac costs $5.79 at two McDonald's restaurants in Sterling, VA, and Waldorf, MD and $7.89 at two McDonald's restaurants in Washington, DC, $2.10 (36%) more. Across its 183 restaurants in the Washington, DC area, the median is $6.69, 12% above McDonald's US median of $5.99.
Popeyes: a Classic Chicken Sandwich costs $4.99 at eight Popeyes restaurants in Washington, DC, Herndon, Arlington and Falls Church, VA, and Waldorf, MD and $6.79 at five Popeyes restaurants in Arlington, Springfield and Woodbridge, VA, and Hyattsville and Wheaton, MD, $1.80 (36%) more. Across its 86 restaurants in the Washington, DC area, the median is $5.49, 5% below Popeyes' US median of $5.79.
Jersey Mike's: a Original Italian costs $8.65 at the Jersey Mike's in Dulles, VA and $11.55 at three Jersey Mike's restaurants in Clinton, Dunkirk and Waldorf, MD, $2.90 (34%) more. Across its 56 restaurants in the Washington, DC area, the median is $11.15, 2% above Jersey Mike's US median of $10.95.
Taco Bell: a Crunchwrap Supreme costs $6.08 at the Taco Bell in Wheaton, MD and $7.99 at two Taco Bell restaurants in Alexandria, VA, and Washington, DC, $1.91 (31%) more. Across its 60 restaurants in the Washington, DC area, the median is $6.99, 4% above Taco Bell's US median of $6.69.
Burger King: a Whopper costs $6.29 at eight Burger King restaurants in Beltsville, Bowie, Colmar Manor, Crofton, Forestville, Hyattsville, Lanham Seabrook and Laurel, MD and $7.99 at nine Burger King restaurants in Silver Spring, Germantown, Burtonsville, Gaithersburg and Greenbelt, MD, and Fairfax, VA, $1.70 (27%) more. Across its 38 restaurants in the Washington, DC area, the median is $6.99, 11% above Burger King's US median of $6.29.
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 McDonald's Big Mac costs $5.79 in Sterling, VA but $7.89 in Washington, DC.
The same Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich costs $4.99 in Washington, DC but $6.79 in Arlington, VA.
The same Jersey Mike's Original Italian costs $8.65 in Dulles, VA but $11.55 in Clinton, MD.
The same Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme costs $6.08 in Wheaton, MD but $7.99 in Alexandria, VA.
The same Burger King Whopper costs $6.29 in Beltsville, MD but $7.99 in Silver Spring, MD.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| McDonald's Big Mac: $5.79 to $7.89 (+36%) | Cheapest in Sterling, VA, most expensive in Washington, DC; median $6.69, 12% above McDonald's US median. | See the page |
| Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich: $4.99 to $6.79 (+36%) | Cheapest in Washington, DC, most expensive in Arlington, VA; median $5.49, 5% below Popeyes' US median. | See the page |
| Jersey Mike's Original Italian: $8.65 to $11.55 (+34%) | Cheapest in Dulles, VA, most expensive in Clinton, MD; median $11.15, 2% above Jersey Mike's US median. | See the page |
| Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme: $6.08 to $7.99 (+31%) | Cheapest in Wheaton, MD, most expensive in Alexandria, VA; median $6.99, 4% above Taco Bell's US median. | See the page |
| Burger King Whopper: $6.29 to $7.99 (+27%) | Cheapest in Beltsville, MD, most expensive in Silver Spring, MD; median $6.99, 11% above Burger King's US median. | See the page |
| Cheapest McDonald's Big Mac (restaurants) | $5.79 (2) | Sterling, VA, Waldorf, MD |
| Most expensive McDonald's Big Mac (restaurants) | $7.89 (2) | Washington, DC, Washington, DC |
| Cheapest Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich (restaurants) | $4.99 (8) | Arlington, VA, Falls Church, VA, Herndon, VA, Herndon, VA, Waldorf, MD, Washington, DC, Washington, DC, Washington, DC |
| Most expensive Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich (restaurants) | $6.79 (5) | Arlington, VA, Hyattsville, MD, Springfield, VA, Wheaton, MD, Woodbridge, VA |
| Cheapest Jersey Mike's Original Italian (restaurants) | $8.65 (1) | Dulles, VA |
| Most expensive Jersey Mike's Original Italian (restaurants) | $11.55 (3) | Clinton, MD, Dunkirk, MD, Waldorf, MD |
| Cheapest Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme (restaurants) | $6.08 (1) | Wheaton, MD |
| Most expensive Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme (restaurants) | $7.99 (2) | Alexandria, VA, Washington, DC |
| Cheapest Burger King Whopper (restaurants) | $6.29 (8) | Beltsville, MD, Bowie, MD, Colmar Manor, MD, Crofton, MD, Forestville, MD, Hyattsville, MD, Lanham Seabrook, MD, Laurel, MD |
| Most expensive Burger King Whopper (restaurants) | $7.99 (9) | Burtonsville, MD, Fairfax, VA, Gaithersburg, MD, Germantown, MD, Germantown, MD, Greenbelt, MD, Silver Spring, MD, Silver Spring, MD, Silver Spring, MD |
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 Washington, DC, 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.