Only four cities on ‘Cheeseburger Index’ had average meal below $15: report

For Americans looking for an affordable meal out, geography can make a big difference in what they pay for a cheeseburger, fries and a soda.

A $15 bill is still enough to cover a cheeseburger, fries and a soda in some US cities, but not everywhere.

A recent DoorDash State of Local Commerce report found that just four of the cities it analyzed had an average price below $15 for the meal: Austin and Laredo, Texas; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Detroit, Michigan.

Austin was the cheapest at $12.94, according to DoorDash’s so-called Cheeseburger Index, which tracks the average cost of a cheeseburger, fries and a soda across US cities.

“The Cheeseburger Index is a really great way to distill the information into a simple, fun and relatable metric,” Jessica Lachs, chief analytics officer at DoorDash, told Fox News Digital.

And while prices varied significantly by region, DoorDash said cities in the South and Southeast tend to benefit from structurally lower operating costs, helping the region rank among the most affordable for both restaurant meals and groceries.

At the other end of the spectrum, the same cheeseburger combo costs an average of $28.28 in Anchorage, Alaska — more than twice the price in Austin.

The 10 best-value cities in the study are concentrated in the Midwest and Texas, with four cities in the Lone Star State making the list — Laredo, Texas ($13.39); Lincoln, Nebraska ($13.86); Detroit ($14.99); and Philadelphia ($15.41) rounded out the top five.

The rankings come as eating out continues to get more expensive, even as prices for many grocery and household staples have stabilized.

DoorDash found the average price of a cheeseburger, fries and soda climbed 3.2% over the past year.

While rising beef prices have drawn attention this year, DoorDash said higher restaurant prices appear to reflect broader operating costs — including labor, rent and energy — rather than food costs alone.

“There isn’t one economy. There are a lot of local economies,” Lachs said.

“The same basket of goods, a cheeseburger, fries and a drink, costs $12.94 on average in Austin, Texas, but $28.28 in Anchorage, Alaska,” she said.

For diners, that means the same $15 that can cover the entire meal in Austin would barely pay for half of it in Anchorage.