Chicago: a US Big Mac price closer to the national mean
Chicago's Big Mac price sits closer to the US national average than any of the coastal megacities. Illinois' minimum wage rose to $15 in 2025 — meaningful, but below the California fast-food $20 floor — and Chicago commercial rent is far below Manhattan or LA. The combined effect is a burger price that tracks the broad US benchmark with only a small urban premium.
Within the metro, Loop and River North Big Macs run higher than the South Side or far-suburban locations. The spread is narrower than NYC's borough-to-borough range — a function of Chicago's flatter rent gradient. For analysts watching whether US Big Mac inflation is broad-based or coastal-driven, Chicago is the cleanest reference point: a major US city where the price still sits in tight orbit around the national mean.