15 Of The Most Expensive Fast Food Items Available Now

Fast food, in theory, should be inexpensive. In a perfect world, fast food menu items would still be cheap like they were in the good old days (the ’90s, I guess?), but, alas, we now live in a different world where everything has become significantly more expensive. While you can still get many — if not most — fast food items for a decent price, the items on this list are definitely not those.

The following menu items from all of our favorite fast food restaurants are pricey -– and they aren’t even the combo meal prices. These menu items are completely a la carte and arguably in price. Now it should be noted that while the exact prices of these items will vary from region to region — sometimes greatly –- but no matter where you buy them, you’ll likely be paying around $10 (at least).

Behold, 15 of the most expensive fast food items available now. Get ready to spend way more money than you should have to.

McDonald’s keeps it relatively inexpensive as far as most of the menu is concerned. Plus, if you’re using the McDonald’s app, you can often find ways to maximize your savings when you visit. The most expensive a la carte menu at McDonald’s is the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe. Depending on what state you’re ordering in, though, the title might also go to the Double Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese.

Honestly, the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese pricing situation at McDonald’s is the most all-over-the-place item on this list, according to the McDonald’s app (the only place you can actually see the prices of the menu items). In some states, like Arizona, the sandwich hovers around $11, whereas in most others, it hovers around $8 to $9. There are some states, however, that sell the large burger for less than $7.

Burger King has a few big burgers at huge prices, and the Texas Double Whopper is one of the priciest and biggest. This big burger channels the vastness of Texas with two grilled beef patties, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, American cheese, bacon, mayonnaise, and jalapeños. It has a few more ingredients than the regular Double Whopper, those add-ons being the American cheese, bacon, and jalapeño. This certainly explains the jump in price, which is around $2.

The median price of this burger hovers around $10. It seems to be more expensive on the East Coast, where in parts of New York, for example, it climbs to over $11. It’s slightly less expensive in California, and in Texas itself, it’s slightly under $9. One way to make sure it’s worth the steep price is to order your Burger King burger in the way that ensures you’ll get a fresh one, rather than one that’s been sitting out for a bit.

The Triple Whopper joins its sibling, the Texas Double Whopper, as being one of the most expensive a la carte menu items available at Burger King. This gargantuan burger has all of your classic Whopper toppings (lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, and onions) with the addition of two extra grilled beef patties. It’s a tower of a burger and its price is also pretty high in the sky.

Also like its sibling, the Triple Whopper varies in price depending on what region you order it in. It can cost you anywhere from around $8 to close to $12, with a median price of around $10. Truly, these Burger King burger prices are all over the place. Want to make your Triple Whopper even more expensive, but also more delicious? The Triple Whopper is the perfect burger to test out the Burger King’s Big Whopp menu hack.

No matter what part of the country you’re buying a Triple El Diablo Burger in, it’s going to be an expensive trip to Carl’s Jr. This makes sense as Carl’s Jr. famously has huge burger options, and the ones with three beef patties are guaranteed to cost you a pretty penny more than the others. This particular burger may not rank that high compared to other menu items at Carl’s Jr., but it’s quite the drama queen. It’s absolutely piled with ingredients: you’re getting three beef patties, bacon, jalapeño poppers, pepper jack cheese, more jalapeños, and habanero ranch sauce inside that toasted bun.

The price for this burger doesn’t vary as much as other menu items on this list — it will consistently cost you about $11, or sometimes a few cents less, depending on the region. Since you’re basically getting every snack from a Super Bowl party in one burger, though, perhaps it’s worth it.

The Western Bacon Cheeseburger is a fan favorite and is often deemed the best burger you can order at Carl’s Jr. It’s a simple burger with no added veggies in sight. It’s made up of a beef patty, four strips of bacon, American cheese, onion rings, and BBQ sauce, all in between a seeded bun. Naturally, the triple version of the burger has a whopping three beef patties piled inside of there.

Like the Triple El Diablo Burger, the Triple Western Bacon Cheeseburger is similar in price no matter what region you buy it in. It will cost you around $10 to $12, giving it a rounded out median price of about $11. However, when you think about the amount of protein crammed inside, you might not be hungry again for a long time, so perhaps it’s worth the high price.

Salads aren’t the first thing one might think to order at a fast food restaurant, but make no mistake: they do exist. While this salad isn’t one of the most-ordered menu items at Chick-Fil-A, it’s pretty substantial and packed with protein. The Cobb Salad with Nuggets comes topped with pieces of that classic Chick-Fil-A chicken and also includes grape tomatoes, roasted corn, bacon crumbles and sliced egg, topped with an avocado lime ranch dressing.

In some states, it’s the most expensive salad on the menu, priced anywhere from $10 to $12. In others, its sister salads take that title by a few cents, ultimately costing around $9 to $12. These include the Spicy Southwest Salad with Grilled Filet, grape tomatoes, roasted corn, a black beans and corn mix, seasoned tortilla strips, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and chili lime pepitas, and the Market Salad with Grilled Filet with blueberries, apples, strawberries, blue cheese crumbles, harvest nut granola, and roasted almonds.

If you’re looking for a $5 footlong, this isn’t where you’re going to find it. Subway’s pricing is more consistent from state to state, and a footlong of one of its premium specialty subs is going to get pretty expensive no matter what state you’re ordering it in -– most of them hover around a whopping $15.

However, there is one footlong sub at Subway that shockingly beats them all when it comes to price. The Beast is a truly frighteningly huge sandwich, packed with a half pound of meats of all kinds (pepperoni, salami, turkey, ham, and roast beef), double provolone cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mayonnaise, and Subway’s MVP Vinaigrette. Depending on where you order it, The Beast will cost you $15 to over $18. That’s right -– you can order a sandwich at Subway for nearly $20, and it’s not even the meal version; it’s just the sandwich. That said, if you or a loved one has recently ordered a $20 sandwich at literally Subway, you may … not … be entitled to compensation. Sorry.

Arby’s has long struggled to win over fast food fans over the years, despite letting everyone know that they “have the meats.” This is somewhat due to the surprising facts we’ve learned about the roast beef at Arby’s, including “liquid beef” allegations, a failing grade in 2024 for its antibiotics use in meat, and other questionable news stories. Despite the rumors, the roast beef at Arby’s is real –- and there’s a whole lot of it in this gigantic sandwich.

The Half Pound Beef ‘N Cheddar from Arby’s has got a half pound of roast beef, warm cheddar cheese sauce, and red ranch, all in between one of its singular onion buns. It’s also another monetary anomaly, as it goes for around $8 in some states and also up to over $11 in others. This doesn’t take away from the fact that, no matter where you are, it is the most expensive roast beef sandwich on the Arby’s menu.

The menu at Arby’s today looks a heck of a lot different than the first menu in 1964 that only had roast beef sandwiches, milkshakes, and soft drinks. In fact, Arby’s didn’t start selling burgers until 2022, with the addition of the (now defunct) Wagyu Steakhouse Burger. Although that burger didn’t last, there are currently six burgers on the Arby’s menu for you to choose from. The most expensive of the bunch is the Double Big Cheesy Bacon Burger, which is a tower of a menu item and is made up of two all-beef patties, bacon, Swiss cheese, American cheese, tomato, onions, pickles, lettuce, and a special burger sauce inside of a brioche bun.

If you want one of these burgers, it’ll cost you. The price of this beast of a burg climbs as high as $13 in some states, but it’s usually around $12.

Arby’s has stepped away from its signature roast beef sandwiches once again with yet another burger addition to its menu: the Double BBQ Bacon Burger. This burger consists of two all-beef burger patties, bacon, crispy onion strings, American cheese, BBQ sauce, and pickles on a brioche bun. This is a very similar burger to — and apparently Arby’s take on — the popular Triple Western Bacon Cheeseburger from Carl’s Jr. (mentioned above on this very list). The main difference seems to be that this burger has pickles.

The Double BBQ Bacon Burger is only slightly less expensive than the Double Big Cheesy Bacon Burger, and will run you, on average, around $11 to $12. This is also about the same pricing as the Triple Western Bacon Cheeseburger at Carl’s Jr (except you get more patties on the latter).

Popeyes keeps its menu relatively inexpensive when it comes to a la carte items, but there’s one single order that is higher than the rest. The 12-piece Spicy Bone-In Wings are marinated in a blend of ghost pepper spices before being breaded and fried. You’ve got a choice of two dipping sauces with the wings, and you can choose from its Buttermilk Ranch Sauce, BBQ Sauce, Bayou Buffalo Sauce, Blackened Ranch Sauce, Mardi Gras Mustard, Sweet Heat Sauce, Wild Honey Mustard, cocktail sauce, or tartar sauce.

For the a la carte version only where you just get the chicken and dips, it’s going to cost you anywhere from $13 to $16 depending on your region. The average price seems to stay around $15, however. Then again, it’s 12 pieces of chicken — more so than any other item on this list — the price does make the most sense.

Carl’s Jr. has changed quite a bit since its little-known origin story as a hot dog stand in Los Angeles. Now, the menu has got some of the biggest burgers around, as far as fast food chains go (and not a hot dog in sight).

In particular, the Triple Guacamole Bacon Burger from Carl’s Jr. is a gargantuan sandwich, made up of three charbroiled beef patties, guacamole, bacon, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and Santa Fe sauce. Although it tends to come out looking like a sloppy mess of a burger with all those ingredients — and especially the guacamole — it’s actually surprisingly very good and has a spicy kick that separates it from other burgers at the restaurant. Of the 16 states that have a Carl’s Jr., the price of the Triple Guacamole Bacon Burger is pretty consistent, costing around $11 in most regions.

Dairy Queen has so much more than Blizzards (which aren’t technically real ice cream, by the way) in that it also sells quite expensive burgers. The Triple Backyard Bacon Ranch Signature Stackburger (what a name) is just that –- three beef patties stacked on top of each other along with house-made Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, honey BBQ sauce, onion rings, applewood smoked bacon, and two slices of white cheddar cheese.

This big burger is another one of those menu items that vary greatly in price depending on where you live, going anywhere from a little under $9 all the way up to $12, with a usual price of around $11. This makes it the most expensive single item you can order at a Dairy Queen, including in Texas, where the menu is a little different. There, this burger looks slightly different with added tomatoes, Pepper Jack cheese instead of white cheddar, and a new name (the Jammin’ Bacon BeltBuster).

The Triple Flamethrower Signature Stackburger is another big burger from Dairy Queen, and it’s the second most expensive item on its menu. Well, most of the menus, that is -– some Dairy Queens only serve treats (these are labeled “Treat Only” on its website). As mentioned before, the Dairy Queen menu in Texas is different. This burger packs in a bunch of spiciness and consists of three seasoned beef patties, DQ fiery FlameThrower sauce, Pepper Jack cheese, jalapeño bacon strips, tomatoes, and lettuce on a toasted bun.

Like its huge sibling, the Triple Backyard Bacon Ranch Signature Stackburger, it also varies in price exponentially region to region -– but regardless, it’s a pretty pricey guy everywhere. If you’re thinking about picking one of these burgers up from your local DQ, expect to pay anywhere from $9 to $12 for just the sandwich. Be sure to check if your location sells burgers.

If there is a time in your life when you find yourself at a Whataburger and heavily contemplating choosing their Cobb Salad as your meal, there is nothing wrong with that. It’s an interesting choice -– fascinating, even. What you should know, however, is that it’s going to be more expensive than all of the other menu items … which is a little odd, as it’s called Whataburger and not Whatasalad.

The Cobb Salad comes with Whataburger’s classic Whatachick’n, one sliced up hard boiled egg, shredded cheese, three bacon slices, six grape tomatoes, grated carrots and a Red Roma blend of seasoning with your choice of dressing. It varies in price, going from as low as $9.99 to over $12 in some places, with a few regions also offering it for around $10 or $11. It’s a pretty steep price for a fast food salad, and its sister salad on the menu — the Apple & Cranberry Chicken Salad — is only slightly cheaper. At these prices, hopefully you’ll be saying “what a salad” when you eat it.