Report: Price of typical fast food reaches new milestone

Cheap fast food is quickly becoming a thing of the past, with the average price of a basic meal now well into the double digits. A new report from LendingTree found that in larger U.S. cities, a typical fast food meal — an entrée, fries, and a drink — now averages $11.56. San Francisco tops the list with the priciest combo at $13.88, followed by Seattle at $13.48.

Even the most affordable city, Columbus, Ohio , has crossed the $10 threshold, with an average cost of $10.01. It comes after headlines last year revealed Big Mac meals were more than $17 in some of its rest stop locations. The surge in prices is being driven by inflation and higher labor costs.

Higher prices has put off customers. Sales have slumped at McDonalds with sales down a huge 3.6 percent , while they takings also fell at Burger King. Some restaurants such as Subway and Jack in the Box have shuttered hundreds of restaurants as customers have increasingly pulled back their spending. What customers may not realize is that spending habits are also the result of sneaky tricks implemented by fast food chains .

Restaurant chains left and right have been participating in the value meal wars . McDonald's is known for offering specials like the Buy One, Add One for $1, and $5 Meal Deals, both of which are on its popular McValue platform . Other contenders who threw in $5 meal deals include Burger King and KFC. But some suggest that restaurants have also tricked fans into unintentionally spending more money just by doing exclusive offers for reward members.

Redeeming deals typically require the customer to purchase something beforehand, which can ultimately cost more money than it saves. The McDouble, for example, is a popular McDonald's burger featured on value menus. Based on an analysis conducted by FinanceBuzz , the average cost of a McDouble has grown to more than $3 from $1.19 in the last decade.

On average, fast food prices have risen between 39 and 100 percent between 2014 and 2024, it found. Not only are meal costs affecting customers, but they are also troublesome for employees who need to pay bills. LendingTree concluded that in 10 areas in states like Georgia and Tennessee, fast food workers face a living wage gap greater than 42 percent.

This means employees would need to work more than 70 hours a week to afford basic living expenses. 'No one has ever expected to get rich off of fast food wages, but the fact that these workers can't even expect a livable wage is troubling,' said LendingTree chief consumer finance analyst Matt Schulz.

Schulz continued by saying he believes the situation 'isn't likely to get better anytime soon.' Experts advise fast-food employees to consider other career paths, start a side hustle, or relocate to an affordable city if their work conditions become too much to handle.