At some point, most Americans have tried the iconic Big Mac hamburger from McDonald's. Whether it's a staple of your diet, or a meal you're forced to pick up on a road trip, we all recognize two beef patties, three sesame seed buns, cheese, pickles, iceberg lettuce, onions and "special sauce" (McDonald's version of Thousand Island dressing) as the classic Big Mac. McDonald's reports that the Big Mac contains 540 calories, 28 grams of fat and 950 milligrams of sodium. The Big Mac is often hailed as the best burger McDonald's has to offer.
While McDonald's began as a humble burger joint in 1955, the golden arches have made their way around the globe -- from Russia to New Zealand, McDonald's are everywhere. Of course, prices for the same meal fluctuate greatly around the world. How much does the price of a Big Mac change?
Experts at MooseRoots, a research site by Graphiq, used 2017 data collected by The Economist to find out how much Big Macs cost around the world (as of January 2016), and how many Big Macs someone is able to purchase with $50 USD. Countries are ranked from the least to most expensive Big Mac, and exchange rates are from January 2016. While McDonald's has popped up in 119 countries, data was available for 54 countries (and one territory) for this story.
Only 10 countries around the world offer Big Macs for under $2, and the most expensive Big Mac is nearly $7. The price of this well-known meal reflects costs of other goods throughout these 55 countries and territories. Can you guess where the U.S. ranks in relation to other countries?
NOTE: In India, where consuming beef is illegal in most states, the Big Mac is made from chicken. Every other country's Big Mac is made with beef.
