Updated Tuesday 3 November 2026 — prices checked against independent trackers and The Economist’s Big Mac Index
| The short answer Big Mac: about £5.49 on its own, The Economist’s latest UK price. Many restaurants now charge £5.99 to £6.29, and delivery apps more.Big Mac medium meal: roughly £7.99 to £8.39, depending on the restaurant.Cheapest items: a hamburger from about £1.39 and a cheeseburger from about £1.59. The Meal Deal Plus bundle is £5.59.Why prices differ: McDonald’s does not publish a national price list, and most UK restaurants are franchises that set their own prices. Motorway services, airports and central London cost more.Then and now: a Big Mac cost £1.90 in 2000 and £3.69 in 2022. |
How much is a Big Mac in the UK in 2026?
The most reliable figure is the one The Economist collects for its Big Mac Index, which it updates every January and July. In its July 2026 edition the UK price was £5.49, up from £5.29 in January. That is a 20p rise in six months, or about 3.8%.
In practice, you may pay more. Independent price trackers that checked UK menus in October and November 2026 list the Big Mac at anywhere from £5.49 to £6.29. Delivery apps are dearer again: one tracker that follows delivery prices put the UK Big Mac at £6.38 in late September.
A Big Mac meal (medium fries and a medium drink) costs about £7.99 to £8.39 across the trackers we checked, and a large meal adds roughly another £1.
How the Big Mac price has changed
| Date | UK Big Mac price | What happened |
| 2000 | £1.90 | First year of The Economist’s UK figures used here |
| July 2022 | £3.69 | Up 20p, as the 99p cheeseburger rose to £1.19 for the first time in 14 years |
| January 2026 | £5.29 | The Economist Big Mac Index |
| July 2026 | £5.49 | Latest Big Mac Index price |
Sources: The Economist Big Mac Index (via Pounds and Pennies and bigmacindex.app); Daily Mail and Fortune (July 2022).
That is almost three times the 2000 price. If the Big Mac had only risen in line with general inflation, it would cost about £3.72 today, Pounds and Pennies calculated, using the January 2026 price. In 2022, McDonald’s UK told customers it had delayed and minimised price rises for as long as it could, and prices have climbed fastest since then.
Is a Big Mac dearer in the UK than in America?
Yes. In July 2026 an American Big Mac cost $6.22 on average, while the British £5.49 works out at more than $7 at current exchange rates, according to Big Mac Index figures. That makes a UK Big Mac roughly 17% to 19% more expensive than a US one, and one of the dearest in the world, although well behind Switzerland.
McDonald’s UK menu prices 2026
McDonald’s does not publish a nationwide price list, as one tracker points out, because prices are set restaurant by restaurant. So rather than give one figure that may be wrong for your local branch, this table shows the range we found across five independent price-tracking sites updated in October and November 2026.
| Item | Typical UK price | Notes |
| Big Mac | £5.49 to £6.29 | The Economist: £5.49 (July 2026) |
| Big Mac meal (medium) | £7.99 to £8.39 | Large meal about £1 more |
| Double Big Mac | £7.09 | Same on the trackers that list it |
| Big Arch | £8.79 to £9.99 | Launched in 2026, now permanent |
| Quarter Pounder with Cheese | About £5.49 | Now the same price as a Big Mac at many restaurants |
| McSpicy | About £6.19 | |
| 6 Chicken McNuggets | About £5.19 | Spicy McNuggets (6) about £5.79 |
| Double Cheeseburger | £2.29 to £3.19 | One of the best-value burgers |
| Cheeseburger | £1.59 to £2.29 | Was 99p until July 2022 |
| Hamburger | £1.39 to £1.69 | Usually the cheapest burger |
| Mayo Chicken | About £1.99 | |
| Medium fries | About £2.19 | |
| Happy Meal | £4.29 to £4.79 | |
| Meal Deal Plus | £5.59 | Cheeseburger, fries, Coke Zero and a mini McFlurry |
Ranges from allmenus.uk, mcdonaldsmenu-prices.co.uk, mcdonaldsmenuprices.uk, themenuhub.co.uk and macmenuprices.co.uk (October to November 2026), none of which is affiliated with McDonald’s. Your local price may be outside these ranges.
What’s on the McDonald’s limited-time menu right now?
The current promotion is the World Menu Heist, which brings items from McDonald’s menus in other countries to the UK. The first wave arrived on 22 September and a second on 20 October, including Chicken McWings, the first time McDonald’s has sold wings in the UK. These are the prices trackers have recorded:
| Limited-time item | Price | Wave |
| McExtreme burger | £8.99 (£11.09 as a medium meal) | Second (from 20 October) |
| Chicken McWings | From £3.49 for three | Second (from 20 October) |
| Mac & Cheese Triangles | £2.89 (sharebox £7.09) | First (from 22 September) |
| Paprika McShaker Fries | £2.29 medium, £2.69 large | First |
| S’mores McFlurry | £2.89 | First |
| Chicken & Egg McMuffin (breakfast) | £4.69 | First |
| Chicken & Bacon McMuffin (breakfast) | £4.89 | First |
| Szechuan Dip | 70p | First |
Item list from mcdonalds.com; prices from mcdonaldsmenuuk.com and mcdonaldsmenu-prices.co.uk (October to November 2026).
How long will it last? Trackers report that the first-wave items run until Monday 16 November. McDonald’s lists the second-wave items, including the McExtreme and McWings, simply as limited time only, with no confirmed end date. Expect them to make way for the Christmas menu.
When does the McDonald’s Christmas menu start?
McDonald’s has not announced its 2026 festive menu at the time of writing. In each of the last three years it launched between 20 and 26 November. Some websites are already quoting “Wednesday 20 November” as confirmed, but 20 November 2026 is a Friday, so treat that date with caution until McDonald’s confirms it. See our McDonald’s Christmas menu 2026 guide for what to expect.
Why McDonald’s prices are different at every restaurant
- Franchising: most McDonald’s UK restaurants are run by franchisees, who set their own prices. Two branches a few miles apart can charge different amounts for the same burger.
- Location: motorway services, airports, stations and central London usually cost more. One tracker estimates motorway services can add about 20% to the bill, according to The Menu Hub.
- Delivery apps: prices on delivery apps are usually higher than at the counter, before delivery and service fees. A delivery Big Mac was about £6.38 in late September, one tracker found, against The Economist’s £5.49.
How McDonald’s prices moved in 2026
Price-monitoring firm Getplace tracked McDonald’s UK listings between April and July 2026 and found that prices did not all rise together, its analysis shows:
- Big Mac meal held steady: 83% of the 90 restaurants it monitored did not change the price of a medium Big Mac meal.
- Drinks went up almost everywhere: a large Coca-Cola rose at 97% of about 1,276 restaurants, by about 20p on average. A medium rose by about 8p.
- Upgrading cost more: the extra for going from a medium to a large Coke widened from about 47p to 59p.
So the price of the best-known meal barely moved at most restaurants, while drinks went up almost everywhere. Getplace notes its figures come from samples, not every restaurant, and do not show why prices changed.
How to pay less at McDonald’s
- Use the app and MyMcDonald’s Rewards. You earn 1 point for every penny you spend, McDonald’s says, and can swap points for free food and drinks. The app also shows your restaurant’s actual prices and any deals before you order.
- Go for the bundles. The Meal Deal Plus (£5.59) gets you a cheeseburger, fries, a Coke Zero and a mini McFlurry for less than buying them separately.
- Stick to a medium drink. Large drinks have gone up faster than mediums this year, so upsizing is worse value than it used to be.
- Collect instead of delivering. Ordering in the app and collecting avoids both the higher delivery menu prices and the fees.
- Avoid motorway and airport branches if you can. They are usually the most expensive.
- Look at the cheaper burgers. A double cheeseburger costs around half the price of a Big Mac, or less, at most restaurants.
McDonald’s prices UK 2026: your questions answered
How much is a Big Mac in the UK in 2026?
About £5.49, The Economist’s July 2026 UK price, but many restaurants charge £5.99 to £6.29, and delivery apps more.
How much is a Big Mac meal?
A medium Big Mac meal costs roughly £7.99 to £8.39, depending on the restaurant. A large is about £1 more.
What is the cheapest thing at McDonald’s UK?
Dips and sauces aside, the hamburger is usually the cheapest item, from about £1.39, followed by the cheeseburger from about £1.59.
Why are McDonald’s prices different in different places?
Most UK restaurants are franchises that set their own prices, and branches in motorway services, airports and central London charge more.
Did McDonald’s put its prices up in 2026?
Yes, on some items. The Big Mac rose from £5.29 to £5.49 between January and July in The Economist’s figures, and drink prices rose at almost every restaurant Getplace monitored. The medium Big Mac meal stayed the same at most of them.
Is McDonald’s cheaper on the app?
The app shows your restaurant’s menu prices, and app-only deals and MyMcDonald’s Rewards points can make orders cheaper. Delivery through apps usually costs more.
How much was a Big Mac in 2022?
£3.69, after a 20p rise in July 2022. The cheeseburger went from 99p to £1.19 at the same time.
When does the McDonald’s Christmas menu 2026 start?
McDonald’s has not confirmed it yet. In recent years it has launched between 20 and 26 November.