MyIntelBrief Menu Index™ · October 2026 edition ·
How much is a slice of pizza? The median cheese slice in 13 US cities
A plain cheese slice at an independent pizzeria typically costs between $3.12 and $5.00, depending on the city: the median is lowest in Philadelphia and highest in San Francisco. These are the prices pizzerias post on their own menus, read from 927 menus across 13 cities. Topped and specialty slices cost more, and dollar-slice shops are not counted.
$3.50
Median plain cheese slice across all 927 menus in the 13 cities we publish. 543 of those menus are in New York, so this number mostly reflects New York. Middle half $3.00–$4.00.
$3.12–$5.00
Range of city medians: Philadelphia (97 menus) to San Francisco (22 menus). Only cities with at least 15 menus are shown.
Cheese slice price by city
Cheapest first. The mark is the median; the shaded band is the middle half of menus. The scale runs from $2.36 to $6.99.
- In New York, the median plain cheese slice on independent pizzerias’ own menus is $3.50; the middle half of 543 menus charge $3.00–$4.00 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
- In Philadelphia, the median plain cheese slice on independent pizzerias’ own menus is $3.12; the middle half of 97 menus charge $2.95–$3.62 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
- In Boston, the median plain cheese slice on independent pizzerias’ own menus is $3.60; the middle half of 51 menus charge $2.99–$4.25 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
- In Los Angeles, the median plain cheese slice on independent pizzerias’ own menus is $4.50; the middle half of 43 menus charge $3.99–$5.00 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
- In Dallas-Fort Worth, the median plain cheese slice on independent pizzerias’ own menus is $3.62; the middle half of 38 menus charge $3.00–$4.00 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
- In Chicago, the median plain cheese slice on independent pizzerias’ own menus is $4.75; the middle half of 26 menus charge $3.74–$6.04 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
- In Miami, the median plain cheese slice on independent pizzerias’ own menus is $3.99; the middle half of 22 menus charge $3.69–$6.12 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
- In San Francisco, the median plain cheese slice on independent pizzerias’ own menus is $5.00; the middle half of 22 menus charge $4.52–$5.99 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
- In Baltimore, the median plain cheese slice on independent pizzerias’ own menus is $3.65; the middle half of 20 menus charge $2.99–$4.43 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
- In Tampa, the median plain cheese slice on independent pizzerias’ own menus is $3.79; the middle half of 18 menus charge $3.27–$4.00 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
- In Phoenix, the median plain cheese slice on independent pizzerias’ own menus is $3.99; the middle half of 17 menus charge $3.25–$4.00 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
- In Orlando, the median plain cheese slice on independent pizzerias’ own menus is $3.50; the middle half of 15 menus charge $2.95–$4.79 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
- In Washington, the median plain cheese slice on independent pizzerias’ own menus is $4.00; the middle half of 15 menus charge $3.50–$6.99 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026).
How much is a slice of pizza in New York?
New York has by far the most pizzerias posting menus: 543 independent menus list a plain cheese slice. The median is $3.50, and the middle half of those menus charge $3.00 to $4.00. Philadelphia’s median ($3.12, 97 menus) is lower. The famous dollar slice is real, but it sits below the $1.50 floor we use to keep topping add-ons out, so it is not in these numbers.
How much is a large cheese pizza?
Only 3 cities have enough menus for a fair median so far. In Boston, the median plain large cheese pizza is $15.99 (29 menus, middle half $14.49–$18.12). In Philadelphia, the median plain large cheese pizza is $16.24 (18 menus, middle half $15.99–$16.99). In New York, the median plain large cheese pizza is $17.95 (43 menus, middle half $16.00–$20.00). More cities appear as more menus qualify; see the full Menu Index.
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Pricing slices at your own pizzeria?
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For agencies →How these prices are collected
- Independent pizzerias 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 cheese slice, matched by fixed rules, not guessed by AI. Pepperoni, specialty, Sicilian, grandma, square and topped slices are excluded. Prices under $1.50 or over $10 are dropped.
- One menu, one price. A city appears only with at least 15 menus; no single pizzeria is shown or named.
Full definitions and limits: how the MyIntelBrief Menu Index is built.
Frequently asked questions
- How much is a slice of pizza?
- On independent pizzerias' own menus, the median plain cheese slice runs from $3.12 in Philadelphia to $5.00 in San Francisco across the 13 US cities with enough menus (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026). Topped and specialty slices cost more.
- How much is a slice of pizza in New York?
- The median plain cheese slice on independent New York pizzerias' own menus is $3.50; the middle half of 543 menus charge $3.00 to $4.00 (MyIntelBrief Menu Index, October 2026). Dollar-slice shops are not counted, so the cheapest end is under-represented.
- Are dollar slices included?
- No. To keep add-on toppings and misread lines out, slice prices under $1.50 are dropped, which also leaves out true dollar-slice shops. The medians here describe the regular cheese slice at independent pizzerias that post a menu online.
- Where do these prices come from?
- From the menus independent pizzerias post on their own websites, including PDF menus. Chains and delivery-app prices are excluded, sites that block automated visitors are skipped, and a city is shown only when at least 15 menus list a plain cheese slice. No single pizzeria is shown or named.