Cheeseburger combo stays under $15 only in a handful of U.S. cities

DoorDash released a new metric called the Cheeseburger Index, tracking the typical price of a cheeseburger, fries and a soda in American cities. The data revealed that just four locations—Austin and Laredo in Texas, Lincoln in Nebraska, and Detroit in Michigan—averaged below $15, with Austin at $12.94. Meanwhile, Anchorage, Alaska, was the most expensive at $28.28, more than double Austin’s cost.

The report highlighted that Southern and Southeast markets tend to have lower operating costs, which helps keep restaurant prices down. Overall, the average price for the three-item combo rose 3.2% over the past year, driven by broader cost pressures such as labor, rent and energy rather than just food prices. Jessica Lachs, DoorDash’s chief analytics officer, emphasized that local economic conditions create wide price disparities across the country.