MyIntelBrief Menu Index™, October 2026 edition, prices through October 24, 2026

How much does a burger cost? The median plain burger in 9 US cities

A plain hamburger or cheeseburger at an independent burger restaurant typically costs between $7.31 and $11.99, depending on the city: the median is lowest in Los Angeles and highest in Seattle. These are the prices restaurants post on their own menus, read from 267 menus across 9 cities. It is the lowest-priced plain burger on each menu; double, bacon and specialty burgers cost more.

Own a burger restaurant? See your street ↓ Writers: free to cite (CC BY 4.0) How we checked the data

Median plain burger across all 267 menus in the 9 cities we publish. Middle half $7.29–$12.99.

Range of city medians: $7.31–$11.99, Los Angeles (46 menus) to Seattle (17 menus). Only cities with at least 15 menus are shown.

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Burger price by city

Cheapest first. The dot is the median; the shaded band is the middle half of menus. The scale runs from $6.00 to $17.00.

• Los Angeles46 menus $7.31
• Houston21 menus $8.75
• Chicago27 menus $8.76
• Dallas-Fort Worth42 menus $9.18
• Philadelphia21 menus $9.25
• Minneapolis21 menus $10.50
• New York54 menus $10.50
• San Francisco18 menus $11.37
• Seattle17 menus $11.99

MedianMiddle half of menus

• In New York, the median plain burger on independent burger restaurants’ own menus is $10.50; the middle half of 54 menus charge $6.99–$16.61 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
• In Los Angeles, the median plain burger on independent burger restaurants’ own menus is $7.31; the middle half of 46 menus charge $6.00–$10.71 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
• In Dallas-Fort Worth, the median plain burger on independent burger restaurants’ own menus is $9.18; the middle half of 42 menus charge $7.86–$13.14 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
• In Chicago, the median plain burger on independent burger restaurants’ own menus is $8.76; the middle half of 27 menus charge $7.99–$12.00 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
• In Houston, the median plain burger on independent burger restaurants’ own menus is $8.75; the middle half of 21 menus charge $7.84–$10.89 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
• In Minneapolis, the median plain burger on independent burger restaurants’ own menus is $10.50; the middle half of 21 menus charge $7.50–$12.25 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
• In Philadelphia, the median plain burger on independent burger restaurants’ own menus is $9.25; the middle half of 21 menus charge $7.37–$12.49 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
• In San Francisco, the median plain burger on independent burger restaurants’ own menus is $11.37; the middle half of 18 menus charge $9.71–$12.09 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
• In Seattle, the median plain burger on independent burger restaurants’ own menus is $11.99; the middle half of 17 menus charge $8.24–$15.50 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).

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Why some burger price reports are higher

Many burger price reports count every burger sold, including double, bacon and premium burgers, often at sit-down restaurants. This index takes one clearly defined plate: the lowest-priced plain hamburger or cheeseburger on each independent burger restaurant’s own menu. That keeps cities comparable, and it runs lower by design. The middle half of menus shows how far prices spread: in New York, from $6.99 to $16.61.

Pricing burgers at your own restaurant?

A city median tells you what customers there are used to seeing, not what your burger costs you to make or what your beef, bun and portion are worth. Start from your own cost with the menu price calculator, then see where that price sits. A price above the middle half is fine if your burger earns it; it is a choice, not a mistake.

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How these prices are collected

• Independent burger restaurants only, found on Google Maps within a 25–50 km circle around each downtown. Chains are left out.
• Their own posted menus, including PDF menus. No delivery-app prices. Sites that block automated visitors are skipped, never worked around.
• A plain hamburger or cheeseburger, the lowest-priced plain one on each menu, matched by fixed rules, not guessed by AI. Double, bacon, specialty, veggie, chicken and combo burgers are excluded. Prices under $4 or over $30 are dropped.
• One menu, one price. A city appears only with at least 15 menus; no single burger restaurant is shown or named.

Full definitions and limits: how the MyIntelBrief Menu Index is built, and how we checked the data, including a hand check of the source lines.

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Frequently asked questions

How much does a burger cost?

On independent burger restaurants' own menus, the median plain hamburger or cheeseburger runs from $7.31 in Los Angeles to $11.99 in Seattle across the 9 US cities with enough menus (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026). Double, bacon and specialty burgers cost more.

What is the average price of a burger?

Across 267 menus in the 9 cities we publish, the median plain burger is $9.25, and the middle half of menus charge $7.29 to $12.99 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026). That is the typical price of the lowest-priced plain burger on each menu, not an average of every burger sold.

Why are some burger price reports higher than this?

Many reports count every burger sold, including double, bacon and premium burgers, often at sit-down restaurants. These numbers are the lowest-priced plain hamburger or cheeseburger on each independent burger restaurant's own menu, so they run lower by design.

Where do these prices come from?

From the menus independent burger restaurants post on their own websites, including PDF menus. Chains and delivery-app prices are excluded, sites that block automated visitors are skipped, burgers under $4 or over $30 are dropped, and a city is shown only when at least 15 menus list a plain burger. No single restaurant is shown or named.