Big Mac Index 2026: Big Mac Price by Country

Switzerland has the most expensive Big Mac in the world in 2026: CHF 7.30, or $9.04, according to The Economist’s Big Mac index of July 1, 2026. Indonesia has the cheapest at $2.38 (IDR 43,000), just below Taiwan at $2.42 (TWD 78). The US reference price is $6.22. So the same sandwich costs almost four times more in Switzerland than in Indonesia.

I built this guide from The Economist’s raw data files, which are published under a CC BY 4.0 license, not from the aggregator sites that rank for this search. Every price below is in local currency, with its conversion to dollars and euros at The Economist’s own July 1 exchange rates. Every figure has a named source, and I flag the numbers that are my own calculation. My view after a week in these files: the index is a blunt tool for currencies, but it is the cleanest price comparison of a single fast-food product anyone publishes.

Big Mac price by country in US dollars, July 2026 (bar chart): Switzerland $9.04, Uruguay $8.94, Norway $8.05 at the top; United States $6.22 as the reference; Taiwan $2.42 and Indonesia $2.38 at the bottom. (Chart: Burger Breton, data from The Economist Big Mac index, July 2026 (CC BY 4.0, https://github.com/TheEconomist/big-mac-data), rendered with QuickChart)

What is the Big Mac index 2026?

The Big Mac index is The Economist’s comparison of what a Big Mac costs around the world, used as a simple test of whether currencies are overvalued or undervalued against the US dollar. The magazine launched it in September 1986. Pam Woodall created it as a “semi-humorous” illustration of purchasing power parity, the idea that the same basket of goods should cost the same everywhere once prices are converted (Wikipedia).

The latest edition is dated July 1, 2026 and covers 54 economies, counting the euro zone as one. The previous edition came out on January 1, 2026. The Economist updates the index twice a year (The Economist, raw data).

The logic is simple. A Swiss Big Mac at $9.04 is 45.4% more expensive than the US one at $6.22, which in the index’s terms suggests the Swiss franc is overvalued against the dollar. Indonesia, at 61.7% below the US price, suggests the opposite for the rupiah.

Big Mac price by country: the full 2026 table

The table below gives the price of a Big Mac in 34 markets in July 2026, sorted from most to least expensive in US dollars. Local prices and dollar values come from The Economist. Euro values are my conversion at The Economist’s July 1, 2026 rate of 0.87439 euros per dollar. Exchange rates have moved since then, so read the dollar and euro columns as a snapshot of July 1.

Sources: The Economist, Big Mac index, July 1, 2026 edition (raw index, checked October 30, 2026). The “vs US” figures for Switzerland, Uruguay, Norway, Colombia, the United Kingdom, the euro zone, Taiwan and Indonesia are The Economist’s own. The others are my calculation from the rounded dollar prices and can differ from The Economist’s by a tenth of a point.

Big Mac Index 2026 table: local price, US dollars, euros and gap with the $6.22 US Big Mac for 34 markets, July 1, 2026. Euro values converted at 0.87439 EUR per USD. (Table: Burger Breton, data from The Economist Big Mac index raw data, July 2026, CC BY 4.0)

Most expensive Big Mac in the world: Switzerland

The most expensive Big Mac in the world in July 2026 is in Switzerland, at CHF 7.30 or $9.04, 45.4% above the US price. The Swiss price has not moved in local currency since January 2026, when it was worth $9.08. The small drop in dollars is the exchange rate at work. McDonald’s did not touch the menu.

The top five in dollars:

1. Switzerland: CHF 7.30, $9.04 (+45.4%)
2. Uruguay: UYU 359, $8.94 (+43.7%)
3. Norway: NOK 78, $8.05 (+29.5%)
4. Colombia: COP 25,900, $8.00 (+28.7%)
5. Israel: ILS 23, $7.67 (+23.3%)

Uruguay is now only 10 cents behind Switzerland, after its price rose from UYU 339 ($8.76) in January to UYU 359 in July. Colombia is, to me, the story of the year. It jumped from COP 22,900 ($6.21) to COP 25,900 ($8.00): 13% more in local currency in six months, and a climb from just below the US price to fourth place in the world. Costa Rica, at $7.00, also sits above the US.

If you see Switzerland listed at $9.08, $9.12 or $10.74 elsewhere, that is why I stick to the raw file. Aggregator sites mix the January and July editions, and some publish figures whose source I could not trace. $9.08 is the January 2026 value. I found no official source for the other two.

Cheapest Big Mac in the world: Indonesia and Taiwan

The cheapest Big Macs in the July 2026 index are in Indonesia ($2.38, IDR 43,000) and Taiwan ($2.42, TWD 78), both about 61% below the US price. Four cents separate them, and The Economist’s own gap figures confirm the order: −61.7% for Indonesia, −61.0% for Taiwan.

The five cheapest in dollars:

1. Indonesia: IDR 43,000, $2.38 (−61.7%)
2. Taiwan: TWD 78, $2.42 (−61.0%)
3. India: INR 236.25, $2.45 (−60.6%)
4. Philippines: PHP 169, $2.74 (−55.9%)
5. Egypt: EGP 145, $2.87 (−53.9%)

The figure I find most striking is Japan’s. At JPY 500, or $3.08, a Big Mac there costs about half the US price, in one of the world’s richest economies. Hong Kong ($3.25), South Korea ($3.84) and mainland China ($3.91) are also well below the US.

A Big Mac with its sesame seed bun at the McDonald’s in Star House, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong (photo from 2012). In the July 2026 index a Hong Kong Big Mac costs HK$25.50, or $3.25, 47.7% below the US price. (Photo: Himgspendra, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HK\_TST\_Star\_House\_McDonalds\_Big\_Mac\_hamburger\_sesame\_seed\_bun.jpg)

How much is a Big Mac in the US in 2026?

A Big Mac costs $6.22 in the United States in the July 2026 Big Mac index, up from $6.12 in January 2026. This is a single national figure that McDonald’s gives The Economist. Since July 2022 it has replaced the old average of prices in four US cities (The Economist on GitHub).

Your local price may be higher or lower. McDonald’s restaurants are mostly run by franchisees who set their own prices, so the same sandwich can cost more downtown than at a highway exit, and more in the delivery app than at the counter. Treat the $6.22 as a benchmark, not a promise. For more on the chain, see our McDonald’s brand profile.

Big Mac prices in Europe: same euro, 43% apart

Inside the euro zone, the price of a Big Mac ranges from €4.90 in Greece to €6.99 in Germany in July 2026, a 43% gap in the same currency. The headline index shows only one euro-zone figure, a weighted average of €6.19 ($7.08). The Economist’s source file breaks it down country by country (source data), and I think that breakdown is more useful than the average: a German customer pays €2.09 more than a Greek one for the same sandwich, with no exchange rate involved.

Big Mac prices in Europe’s euro zone, July 2026 (bar chart, euros): Germany €6.99, Ireland €6.60, Italy €6.56, euro-zone average €6.19, Spain €5.90, France €5.60, Greece €4.90, a 43% gap in the same currency. (Chart: Burger Breton, data from The Economist Big Mac source data, July 2026 (CC BY 4.0, https://github.com/TheEconomist/big-mac-data), rendered with QuickChart)

Big Mac prices in the 11 euro-zone countries, July 2026: Germany €6.99 at the top, Greece €4.90 at the bottom, euro-zone average €6.19, France €5.60 and Spain €5.90. (Table: Burger Breton, data from The Economist Big Mac source data, July 2026, CC BY 4.0)

France sits at about €5.60, roughly $6.40 at the July 1 rate (my calculation): below the euro-zone average and only slightly above the US price. Spain is at €5.90, about $6.75. Neither price changed between January and July 2026. Like the US figure, these are The Economist’s survey prices. McDonald’s France publishes no national price, and restaurants set their own.

Portugal’s €5.65 is a useful benchmark for real menus. Our guide to McDonald’s in Braga, with locations, hours and prices shows what a single Portuguese city actually charges. Outside the euro, the UK Big Mac costs £5.49 ($7.40), Sweden SEK 69 ($7.16) and Denmark DKK 46 ($7.04).

Biggest Big Mac price increases in 2026

The fastest-rising Big Mac prices between January and July 2026 were in Venezuela (+138% in local currency), Turkey (+27%) and Israel (+15%). All changes below are measured in local currency, before any exchange-rate effect.

Big Mac price inflation in 2026 (bar chart, % change in local currency, January to July): Venezuela +138%, Turkey +27%, Israel +15%, Moldova +14%, Colombia +13%, against +1.6% in the US ($6.12 to $6.22). (Chart: Burger Breton, data from The Economist Big Mac index, January and July 2026 (CC BY 4.0, https://github.com/TheEconomist/big-mac-data), rendered with QuickChart)

Biggest Big Mac price increases from January to July 2026, in local currency: Venezuela VES 1,370 to 3,267 (+138%), Turkey TRY 255 to 325 (+27%), Israel ILS 20 to 23 (+15%), Moldova MDL 70 to 80 (+14%), Colombia COP 22,900 to 25,900 (+13%). (Table: Burger Breton, data from The Economist Big Mac index raw data, January and July 2026 editions, CC BY 4.0)

Venezuela shows the limit of a local-currency view. Its price more than doubled, yet at the official rate its Big Mac ($4.51) is still cheaper than the US one, and that rate may not match what Venezuelans actually pay for dollars (see below). Argentina went from ARS 8,000 to ARS 8,700. The US price rose by 10 cents. France and Spain did not move at all. Higher prices are not the only way chains are courting customers this year, either: see the fast-food items coming back in 2026.

Why the Big Mac costs so much more in some countries

A Big Mac costs more in Switzerland or Norway than in Indonesia mostly because wages, rents and local costs are much higher, and because a strong currency inflates the price once it is converted to dollars. The index is built on that gap: it assumes the sandwich is the same everywhere, so price differences reflect currency values and local costs.

Several other factors widen the gaps:

• Taxes. Sales tax and VAT rates differ from country to country, and the index uses the price the customer pays.
• Franchise pricing. Franchisees set prices locally, so one national figure hides gaps between restaurants and between counter, kiosk and delivery orders.
• Promotions. A price taken during a discount or bundle offer can understate the usual price.
• Exchange rates. Dollar values use the rate of July 1, 2026. A currency that has moved since then changes the ranking without any change on the menu.
• Local recipes. The burger is not always the same product. Where beef is rarely served, as in India, the Big Mac is not on the menu in its American form. I could not confirm from a 2026 source which product The Economist prices there, so read India’s figure with caution.

Two conversions are especially fragile. Lebanon (LBP 480,000) is converted at 89,550 pounds to the dollar, or about $5.36. Venezuela’s official rate can also differ from the market rate. Market rates would give different dollar prices for both.

How I built this comparison

Every price in this article comes from The Economist’s July 1, 2026 edition, read in its raw data files on October 30, 2026. The Economist says its prices come “directly from McDonald’s and from reporting around the world”. It takes exchange rates from Refinitiv Datastream and weights the euro-zone average with Eurostat data (methodology).

My own additions are the euro column, the dollar values for France and Spain, and the gaps with the US that The Economist does not state directly. They are simple conversions at its July 1 rates. I attached no city to any index price, because The Economist does not say where prices were recorded, except for the national US figure. I also left out third-party aggregators on purpose. They publish conflicting figures, such as €6.35 for France or $1.91 for Pakistan against The Economist’s $3.89, and their sources cannot be checked. A table you cannot trace back is worse than no table.

Big Mac index 2026: FAQ

How much does a Big Mac cost in 2026?

A Big Mac costs between $2.38 (Indonesia) and $9.04 (Switzerland) in The Economist’s July 2026 index. The US reference price is $6.22.

Where is the most expensive Big Mac in the world?

Switzerland has the most expensive Big Mac, at CHF 7.30 ($9.04), 45.4% above the US price. Uruguay is a close second at $8.94.

Where is the cheapest Big Mac in the world?

Indonesia has the cheapest Big Mac in the July 2026 index at IDR 43,000 ($2.38), followed by Taiwan at TWD 78 ($2.42) and India at $2.45.

How much is a Big Mac in the US?

The Big Mac costs $6.22 in the US according to the July 2026 index, a national figure supplied by McDonald’s. Prices at your local restaurant can differ, because franchisees set their own.

What is the Big Mac index used for?

The Big Mac index compares the price of the same burger across countries to show whether a currency looks overvalued or undervalued against the dollar. The Economist launched it in 1986 as a light-hearted guide to purchasing power parity.

Why does the price of a Big Mac change from one McDonald’s to another?

McDonald’s franchisees set prices restaurant by restaurant, and prices can also differ between counter, kiosk and delivery. A national index price is a benchmark, not a fixed price.

Is the Big Mac the same everywhere in the world?

No. The Big Mac was created in Pennsylvania in 1967 and went on McDonald’s national US menu in 1968, but menus vary by market. Where beef is rarely eaten, as in India, it is not sold in its original form. Our roundup of new McDonald’s burgers in 2026 shows how much menus differ from one country to another, and our history of the hamburger traces where the format came from.

Is the index price for a Big Mac alone or a meal?

The index uses the Big Mac sandwich alone, without fries or a drink. Meal prices are much higher: crowd-sourced reports on combien-coute.net put a Big Mac meal in Paris at around €12, an estimate rather than an official price.

When is the next Big Mac index?

The next edition is expected around January 2027, because The Economist has published in January and July. I found no official announcement of the date. This article will be updated when the new data is out. Follow it in our burger news section.