education
Regional Pricing Methodology: Big Mac Prices vs Platform Prices
How our regional pricing calculators turn one US price into a Big Mac price per country, compare it with Steam's recommendations, round it, and where the method breaks.
Blog
Insights, analysis, and stories from the world of Big Mac economics.
analysis
Big Mac Price in Australia 2026: A$8.50, 4% Under the US
A Big Mac in Australia costs A$8.50 ($5.95) in the July 2026 index — just 4.3% cheaper than the US, down from 15.9% eighteen months ago. App prices, the history, and what it costs in minutes of work.
analysis
Big Mac Price in Egypt 2026: E£145 on Paper, E£170 on the Menu
A Big Mac in Egypt costs E£145 ($2.87) in the July 2026 index — Egypt's highest dollar price in 42 surveys since 2003. A month later the delivery menu said E£170. Here's what both numbers mean.
analysis
Nobody at McDonald's Headquarters Sets the Price of a Big Mac
45,356 restaurants, 95% franchised, and the annual report says franchisees keep control of pricing. So who decides what a Big Mac costs in Chicago, Shanghai or Dijon — and what does that do to an index built on those prices?
analysis
Big Mac Index 2025: All 54 Countries, and What Changed
Both 2025 releases of The Economist's Big Mac Index — January and July, all 54 markets, local and dollar prices in one copyable table — plus a split of what moved since: the menu or the currency.
analysis
What Four Years of War Did to Ukraine's Big Mac
Ukraine's Big Mac went from $2.43 to $3.34 across four and a half years of full-scale war. On the index that is a 5-point move — twelfth most stable of 54 markets. The war left one trace, and it isn't a price.
analysis
Should You Charge Less for Your App in Poorer Countries?
My app is cheaper in low-income markets, so I checked the receipts: China outsold the US 1.59x at half price, Saudi refunds hit 0%, the Nordics barely sold.
news
McDonald's in Iran: A Correction, and How an Unsourced Claim Spread
We published a claim that McDonald's operated in Tabriz around 1971. It had no source, and one article we cited never said it. A reader with family in Iran stopped it. Here is the whole chain, including our link in it.
analysis
PPP Pricing for Digital Products: A 175-Market Case Study
Exchange rates are not purchasing power. I checked a paid product across 175 markets against PPP: a 4.25x fairness gap, and China outselling the US 1.59x.
analysis
Big Mac Price in Denmark 2026: DKK 46 Lands 0.6% Under the Euro Area
Denmark's Big Mac is DKK 46 / $7.0373 in the July 2026 index — 0.592% below the euro-area aggregate, the closest of all 53 non-euro countries. A pegged krone on a frozen menu board.
analysis
Big Mac Price in Switzerland 2026: CHF 7.30, the World's Priciest
CHF 7.30 is $9.04 in the July 2026 edition, 45.4% above the US. But the menu has moved four times in eleven editions, and sat at CHF 6.50 from 2008 to 2022. The franc did the climbing.
analysis
Big Mac Price in the UK 2026: £5.49 Buys Danish Prices on British Income
Britain's Big Mac is £5.49 ($7.40) in the July 2026 edition — dearer than Denmark's, on income 28% lower. That mismatch opens a 14-point gap between the raw and adjusted index.
analysis
How to Price an App by Country (Beyond Apple's Default)
Apple auto-converts one US price into 175 stores. Mine landed at 0.40 Big Macs in Turkey and 1.70 in Vietnam — a 4.25x gap I never chose. Here is what I do instead.
news
A Receipt from a Town of 11,000 Beats the Entire Euro Area
A reader sent a till receipt from Saint-Martin-Boulogne: Big Mac €6.40. That is 3.4% above The Economist's euro-area figure — from a commune of 11,000 in France's second-poorest department.
travel
Asia Did Not Get Cheaper This Year. Half of Asia Did.
The dollar bought 7% more baht in July than in January — but 3% fewer yuan. Asia split down the middle in the July 2026 Big Mac Index, and it matters for where you travel.
analysis
Big Mac Price Changes by Country: Thailand Once in 5 Years, Argentina 11x
In 21 of 54 countries the Big Mac price did not move at all this edition. That is not unusual — it is the normal state of menu prices, and the exception tells you where inflation is real.
analysis
Big Mac Index Colombia 2026: 4th Most Expensive in the World
Colombia's Big Mac went from $3.29 to $8.00 in four and a half years — a 144% rise. The peso is back where it was in 2019. Both facts are true, and together they explain the climb.
analysis
Big Mac Index July 2026: What Changed in Six Months
The Economist's July 2026 Big Mac Index is out. In 21 of 54 countries the burger cost exactly the same in local money — yet dollar prices moved up to 29%. Here is what actually changed.
news
A Reader in Egypt Emailed Us. The Index Said E£125. The Menu Said E£170.
How one reader's price report exposed the gap between a semi-annual index and a live menu board — and what we changed. Plus: how to send us a correction.
analysis
Big Mac Price in Portugal 2026: €4.60–€5.20 across Lisbon & Porto
Portugal's Big Mac at €4.90 (USD 5.68) may be Western Europe's cheapest. 213 stores, €920 RMMG, 13% IVA, and 2024-2025 tourism inflation on the Lisbon menu board.
analysis
Big Mac Price in Greece 2026: €4.80–€5.40 in Athens & Thessaloniki
Greece's Big Mac costs about €5.10 (USD 5.92), the cheap-end of the eurozone. 33 stores, €920 minimum wage, 13% ΦΠΑ, Premier Capital Hellas math for 2026.
analysis
Big Mac Price in Ireland 2026: €4.95–€5.65 by City
Ireland's Big Mac is €5.20 (USD 6.03), with a €14.15/hr minimum wage and a July 2026 VAT cut from 13.5% to 9% on hospitality food — the currency-adjacent case.
analysis
Big Mac Price in Austria 2026: €5.30–€5.90 by City
Austria's Big Mac is €5.50 (USD 6.38), with NO statutory minimum wage — collective Kollektivvertrag ~€11/hr, 10% MwSt on food, and a Vienna-vs-Salzburg spread.
analysis
Big Mac Price in Belgium 2026: €5.30–€5.85 by City
Belgium's Big Mac lands at €5.50 (USD 6.38), with a €2,189.81 RMMMG floor, a 12% dine-in TVA, and a March 2026 takeaway VAT shock reshaping the receipt.
analysis
Bulgaria Big Mac Price 2026: 10.70 лв / €5.47 (Eurozone Joined 2026)
Bulgaria adopted the euro on Jan 1, 2026. A Big Mac in Sofia now prints 10.70 лв / €5.47, dual-priced through August. Minimum wage €3.74/hr — 87 min per burger.
analysis
Why There's No McDonald's in Iraq (2026)
Iraq has no McDonald's — not in Baghdad, not in Erbil. MaDonal in Sulaymaniyah and Burger King in Erbil are the closest shadow proxies. Corporate never granted a franchise.
analysis
Why There's No McDonald's in Libya (2026)
Libya has oil wealth, 758 fast-food shops and a fake McDonald's the police shut down in 2021 — but no real one. Gaddafi, the war, the dinar split.
analysis
Why There's No McDonald's in Syria (2026)
Damascus had KFC from 2006 until war shut it in 2013. McDonald's never opened at all — Caesar Act sanctions, 15 years of war, and now the HTS transition.
analysis
Why There's No McDonald's in Kazakhstan (2026)
McDonald's exited Kazakhstan in early 2023 after Russian beef supply collapsed. The 24 stores rebranded to I'm. Here's the full story and what the I'm Double Big Burger says about prices in Almaty in 2026.
analysis
Big Mac Price in Uzbekistan 2026: Why Tashkent Still Has No McDonald's
Uzbekistan has no McDonald's in 2026 despite an 8-year run of announcements. Reach Impex's trademark, the Burger King precedent, and what Tashkent actually pays for a burger.
analysis
Is There a McDonald's in Belarus? (2026)
McDonald's left Belarus in 2022 after the Ukraine war. The 25 stores rebranded to Mak.by in 2023, then the state seized the chain in 2024. Here's the full story.
analysis
Is There a McDonald's in Mongolia? (2026)
Mongolia has no McDonald's not from sanctions or politics — KFC arrived first in 2013, Burger King followed in 2015, and Ulaanbaatar's local burger scene crowded out the gap.
analysis
Why There's No McDonald's in North Macedonia (2026)
All seven McDonald's in Macedonia closed overnight on May 14, 2013 after the corporate franchise was terminated. Thirteen years later, the chain hasn't returned.
analysis
Why There's No McDonald's in Turkmenistan (2026)
Turkmenistan has never had a McDonald's. The Türkmenbaşy cult, Rukhnama, Permanent Neutrality and a dual-rate manat keep every Western brand out of Ashgabat.
analysis
Big Mac Price in the Netherlands 2026: €5.95–€8.10 by City
Netherlands' Big Mac is €6.10 (USD 7.08), but the menu combo €13.30 tops the eurozone. €14.71/hr wage floor and Amsterdam rent on the receipt.
analysis
Big Mac Price in Spain 2026: €5.10–€5.70 by City
Spain's Big Mac costs €5.40 (USD 6.26), the cheapest Eurozone heavyweight. SMI €1,221, 10% IVA, coastal-tourism premium, and a Madrid-vs-Sevilla spread.
analysis
The Eurozone Big Mac Aggregate Is a Fiction: Inside a 25%+ Spread
Five Eurozone Big Mac deep-dives (DEU/FRA/ITA/ESP/NLD) show The Economist's single EUZ data point hides a 25%+ intra-currency spread. Bruegel thesis on the menu board.
analysis
Why There's No McDonald's in Bhutan (2026)
Bhutan has never had a McDonald's — not by sanctions or war, but by design. GNH state policy, a $100/day tourism fee, and a country that protects its own kitchen.
analysis
Is There a McDonald's in North Korea? (2026)
North Korea has never had a McDonald's — not under Kim Il-sung, not under Trump-Kim. The Juche doctrine, the Furlanis pizza story, the data black hole.
analysis
Why There's No McDonald's in Yemen (2026)
Yemen has KFC in Sanaa and a Houthi boycott of US brands — but McDonald's has never opened a store. The war, the split currency, the Big Mac data gap.
analysis
Big Mac Price in Italy 2026: €6.20 to Order, €8 Delivered
A Big Mac in Rome costs €6.20 ordered in McDonald's own app and €7.70 on Glovo — a 24% delivery premium. Italy isn't in The Economist's index at all. Here's what the observed prices say, city by city.
analysis
Big Mac Index 2026: The Complete Country-by-Country Breakdown
The Economist's January 2026 Big Mac Index release — walk-through of 52 countries, region by region. Refreshed July 17, 2026 against the actual Jan 2026 CSV (an earlier draft was inadvertently running on Jan 2025 numbers).
analysis
Big Mac Price in France 2026: €4.45 (Vincennes) – €6.90 (Dijon)
France's Big Mac costs €6.35 (USD 7.31), but intra-country spread hits 55% — Vincennes €4.45 to Dijon €6.90. One country hides more PPP variation than two.
analysis
Big Mac Price in Germany 2026: €6.09–€7.79 by Franchise
Germany's Big Mac costs €6.30 (USD 7.31), with 16% franchise spread across cities. Why Germany is the EUZ's hidden Big Mac anchor, plus VAT and SMIC math.
analysis
Why Doesn't Bolivia Have McDonald's? (2026)
Bolivia is the only democratic country to lose all McDonald's and never get them back — eight stores 1997-2002. Not a ban; Bolivians didn't buy enough burgers.
analysis
Is There a McDonald's in Cuba? (2026)
One McDonald's exists in Cuba — inside Guantánamo Bay US Naval Base, restricted since 1986. Embargo backstory, the one exception, and what Havana eats instead.
analysis
Is There a McDonald's in Iceland? (2026)
All three Icelandic McDonald's closed October 31, 2009 after the 2008 crisis doubled import costs. The last burger still sits mold-free in a Þykkvabær glass case.
analysis
Is There a McDonald's in Iran? (2026)
Corrected August 2026: we found no evidence McDonald's ever traded in Iran. A 1994 Tehran attempt was destroyed within days. Why sanctions keep the chain out — and what Mash Donald's offers.
analysis
Why Doesn't Russia Have McDonald's? (2026)
McDonald's opened in Moscow 1990 and exited in 2022 after Ukraine. What happened to 850+ stores, what replaced them, and why the Big Mac Index lost a key data point.
education
Why PPP Theory Fails: The Hidden Limits of the Big Mac Index
Why the Big Mac Index — and PPP broadly — does not measure what most readers think. Seven structural limits with specific 2026 country examples.
analysis
Big Mac Price in Japan 2026: ¥500, Half the US Price
Japan's Big Mac is ¥500 — $3.08, or 50% below the US. Two forces did that, and only one of them is the weak yen. What it means, and who it is actually cheap for.