Cost/Pricing
Big Mac Index by Country 2025
Big Mac Index
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5 Countries with the Highest Big Mac Index
Country | Big Mac Index 2025↓ | Difference from US 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Switzerland | $7.99 | 38.04% |
 | Argentina | $6.95 | 20.08% |
 | Uruguay | $6.91 | 19.35% |
 | Norway | $6.67 | 15.28% |
 | Costa Rica | $5.90 | 1.93% |
 | United States | $5.79 | |
 | United Kingdom | $5.73 | -1.11% |
 | Sweden | $5.67 | -2.09% |
 | Denmark | $5.49 | -5.23% |
 | Canada | $5.43 | -6.23% |
 | Lebanon | $5.36 | -7.42% |
 | Turkey | $5.32 | -8.18% |
 | Poland | $5.21 | -10.01% |
 | Colombia | $5.17 | -10.63% |
 | Singapore | $5.17 | -10.72% |
 | Saudi Arabia | $5.07 | -12.51% |
 | United Arab Emirates | $4.90 | -15.36% |
 | Australia | $4.87 | -15.88% |
 | New Zealand | $4.77 | -17.55% |
 | Israel | $4.71 | -18.57% |
 | Mexico | $4.60 | -20.53% |
 | Czechia | $4.56 | -21.21% |
 | Chile | $4.55 | -21.45% |
 | Kuwait | $4.54 | -21.52% |
 | Peru | $4.53 | -21.78% |
 | Bahrain | $4.51 | -22.12% |
 | Nicaragua | $4.48 | -22.66% |
 | Venezuela | $4.45 | -23.08% |
 | Honduras | $4.12 | -28.78% |
 | Qatar | $4.12 | -28.85% |
 | Brazil | $4.03 | -30.47% |
 | Thailand | $4.01 | -30.8% |
 | Guatemala | $4.01 | -30.66% |
 | Oman | $3.97 | -31.36% |
 | South Korea | $3.84 | -33.63% |
 | Pakistan | $3.77 | -34.97% |
 | Azerbaijan | $3.67 | -36.61% |
 | Hungary | $3.65 | -37.02% |
 | Jordan | $3.53 | -39.1% |
 | China | $3.52 | -39.24% |
 | Moldova | $3.52 | -39.15% |
 | Romania | $3.43 | -40.77% |
 | Japan | $3.11 | -46.29% |
 | Hong Kong | $3.08 | -46.77% |
 | Vietnam | $3.03 | -47.66% |
 | Malaysia | $3 | -48.13% |
 | Philippines | $2.89 | -50.05% |
 | Ukraine | $2.86 | -50.65% |
 | South Africa | $2.78 | -52.04% |
 | Egypt | $2.69 | -53.6% |
 | India | $2.62 | -54.79% |
 | Indonesia | $2.54 | -56.22% |
 | Taiwan | $2.38 | -58.84% |
- The Big Mac Index is a price index, first introduced by The Economist in 1986, that tracks the price of a McDonald’s Big Mac cheeseburger in each country, thereby offering a quick and easily digestible country-to-country comparison of purchasing power parity (PPP) and currency values all over the world.
- For example: If, according to the BMI, a Big Mac cost £4.19 in Britain and US$5.58 in the United States, it would lead to an implied exchange rate of 0.75. If the actual exchange rate at the time was .78, it would suggest that the British pound was 3% undervalued.
The Big Mac Index, a real and recognized metric developed by The Economist magazine in 1986, initially served as a light-hearted tool to measure purchasing power parity between countries. Today, it has evolved into a significant indicator of the global economy and currency valuation. This index compares the price of Big Macs in various countries to the price in the United States, offering insights into economic conditions.
In the United States, as of 2025, the average cost of a Big Mac is around $5.79, though prices vary regionally. The index includes data from 78 countries, with only five countries exhibiting a higher Big Mac price than the US. These countries are Switzerland, Argentina, Uruguay, Norway, and Costa Rica. Switzerland leads the index with a Big Mac costing $7.99, about 38% more than in the US, attributed to factors like higher labor costs, lower purchasing power, and taxes. Argentina, Uruguay, Norway, and Costa Rica follow with varying degrees of price differences.
Conversely, countries like the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, and Lebanon have slightly lower Big Mac prices than the US, with the UK selling the sandwich for $5.73. Much of Central and Eastern Europe enjoys far cheaper Big Macs than the United States. Prices in countries such as Poland (-10%), the Czech Republic (-21%), and Romania (-41%) reflect a broader regional trend—where lower costs of living and currency values make the same sandwich feel like a bargain.
The ten countries with the lowest Big Mac Index in 2025 are Taiwan ($2.38), Indonesia ($2.54), India ($2.62), Egypt ($2.69), South Africa ($2.78), Ukraine ($2.86), Philippines ($2.89), Malaysia ($3.00), Vietnam ($3.03), and Hong Kong ($3.08)—roughly 46%–56% cheaper than the U.S. price of $5.79. This shows just how currency valuation, local input costs, and overall price levels shape the Big Mac Index across countries.
The Big Mac Index, while initially a more whimsical approach to economic analysis, now serves as a practical gauge of economic health, currency strength, and the purchasing power of consumers in different countries.
