This Is The Cheapest McDonald's Burger In 2026

A handful of fast food chains are raising prices this year, making it a little harder to indulge in a casual burger at places like McDonald's. All those price adjustments add up, and the dent they make in your budget grows faster than you think. When you consider what a Big Mac costs – it has more than doubled in the last 20 years – you start to think about choosing the cheapest burger on the chain's menu. Thankfully, it's a good one.

The McDouble officially joined McDonald's Under $3 menu in April 2026, with a $2.50 price tag. Users on Reddit have reported some locations bringing the cost up to $2.99, as price and availability varies by location. But this puts the popular burger at an extremely low price point. It isn't clear how long it'll stay at this discounted price, however, since it's included on the Under $3 menu for a limited time only.

It should be mentioned the McDouble may not be the cheapest burger at every McDonald's location, either. Branches price items differently, and the disparity can be pretty significant. If you order a regular hamburger near Beverly Hills, California, for example, it'll set you back $3.89. That same burger costs you just $2.29 from a McDonald's location near Flint, Michigan, making it even cheaper than the discounted McDouble. The McDouble's current spot on the Under $3 menu makes it predictably cheap wherever you go, though, and is still the most affordable burger at many locations.

Normally, the McDouble costs around $3.89 to $4.49 depending on your location, which means you can get a discount of up to 44% on the burger when it's priced at $2.50. Even if your location has bumped the price up to $2.99, that's still a 33% discount. However you slice it, it's a really good bargain.

At the same time, you're also getting one of the fast food chain's best burgers. The McDouble ranked 3rd overall in our rankings of every McDonald's burger, scoring just below the Quarter Pounder with Cheese and Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese. It scored high marks for its perfect bun-to-meat-to-topping ratio, with the dehydrated onions, in particular, taking the sandwich over the top. It's not every day when you can get one of a restaurant's best items for less than $3, so enjoy it while it's still on McDonald's value menu.

If you want more control over the cost (and ingredients) of your burger, however, you might be interested in this copycat McDonald's McDouble recipe. All that goes into it are a few kitchen staples you may already have hanging around, and it takes just around 15 minutes to make. If possible, try to get your hands on dehydrated onions (a must to make this authentic) to create your copycat McDouble.