US EditionFast Food Is Becoming Less Affordable for Americans: A Look at Which US Cities Have the Highest Prices
- A 2025 study reveals that rising meal prices have made eating fast food more difficult for many consumers in various U.S. Cities, with costs particularly high in San Francisco and still reaching double digits even in more affordable locations like Columbus.
- This trend follows inflation-driven food price increases and a decade-long rise in fast food costs, which have outpaced general inflation rates.
- The average fast-food meal now costs $11.56 nationwide, with San Francisco averaging $13.88 and Columbus among the cheapest but still in double digits.
- Fast-Food workers earn $15.07 an hour but must work 46 minutes to afford a typical meal, nearly twice the 21.2 minutes needed by average wage workers, costing those employees 40.3% of salary if they ate all meals at work.
- Increasing prices have led to a decline in fast-food sales, with McDonald's reporting a 3.6% drop in store sales in early 2025 as customers with lower and middle incomes reduce their spending; experts warn that this trend is unlikely to reverse soon.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Fast-food workers must work nearly an hour to afford meals they serve
Fast-food employees are continuing to afford necessities as prices remain elevated. To afford fast-food meals at the places they work, it requires more than double the number of hours of the average worker, according to a recent report. It underscores a broader economic issue: "The affordability crisis has reached every corner of the food economy, including those working within it," Sylvain Charlebois, professor and senior director of the Agri-F…
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Fast food is becoming less affordable for Americans: A look at which US cities have the highest prices
Rising costs have also pushed some consumers away, with nearly 80% of Americans considering fast food a luxury, according to a new report.
Fast-Food Workers 'Can't Afford To Eat the Meals They Serve,' Study Says - RetailWire
Fast-food workers are tasked with a myriad of responsibilities, from manning the grill or fryer to being the smiling face greeting customers at the counter or the drive-thru window. Despite this, however, it appears that the pay being offered in exchange for their services may not be meeting the increasingly expensive cost of living, including the ability to eat the very meals they produce, according to a recent LendingTree study. “Even working …
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