What secrets does the price of a hamburger in the world reveal? / The price of Big Mag in Turkey is more expensive than in America

The price of a hamburger sandwich or Big Mag in Switzerland is $10.67 and in Indonesia $2.77. The price of Big Mag in Türkiye is even higher than in America. But what message does this strange price difference for the same product contain?

According to Ambassador Arjan's report in the daily index of Big Mac or hamburger, the same sandwich has completely different prices in different countries, and this difference tells interesting stories about money.

If you order a Big Mac in Zurich today, you'll pay about 8.86 francs, which is $10.67. That same money would buy you about four Big Macs in Jakarta, as the price there is 49,500 rupiah, or $2.77. The sandwich is the same, but the money behind it is different.

These figures come from the October 13, 2026 ranking of 21 Mehr independent websites. This site is not affiliated with The Economist or McDonald's, but it follows an idea the Economist published in 1986: price the same product in different countries and see what the currencies say. The difference with the Economist version is that the prices are collected every day from food ordering applications.

The most expensive hamburger in the world is in these countries

Switzerland is the most expensive with 47.5% higher than the global index of the site (BMDI). The presence of Turkey in fifth place, higher than Britain (8.44) and Germany (8.32) and even America (7.46), may be a surprise for many. Costa Rica is ahead of Ireland and Australia with $8.15.

The cheapest hamburger in the world is in these countries

Japan is also 720 yen or 4.55 dollars, about 37% below the global standard. This is less common for a rich G7 economy.

There are nine Eurozone countries in this ranking and they all buy and sell with the same currency, but the prices are not the same. Big Mac is 6.50 euros in Portugal and 9.15 euros in Luxembourg; It means about 41% more expensive. This means that without currency fluctuations, rent, wages and local taxes alone can move the price.

Is a cheap hamburger cheap for the people of that country?

Cheap BigMac does not necessarily mean "cheap for the people of that country". If the prices are adjusted based on the income, it will be clear if the cheapness of the hamburger means the cheapness of the hamburger for the people of that country or not? This proposition also applies to expensiveness. An example makes this clearer. In South Africa, the price of a hamburger is $4.21, which is 41.8 percent below the global benchmark, but after adjusting for income, it becomes clear that the sandwich is about 27.6 percent more expensive than people's income would predict.

This situation does not apply to Japan and Malaysia. In these two countries, hamburgers are cheap, but they remain cheap after adjustment. In Switzerland, where the most expensive Big Mac hamburger is sold, even considering the high income of its people, the price of this sandwich is 39% more expensive than expected.

In the birthplace of Big Mac, which is America, this sandwich is available for $7.46, which means it is about 3% higher than the global standard. Surveys show that the price of this sandwich in Turkey is higher than in America. The reason for this is local laws, economic situation, labor cost, rent price, fuel price, tax rate, etc. These issues cause the same product to have different prices in different countries.

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