The 10 Countries Where a Big Mac Costs the Most in 2026
The same burger sells for $9.04 in Switzerland and $2.38 in Indonesia. See which countries pay the most, who moved the most this year, and where the United States ranks.
Quick Answer
Switzerland has the most expensive Big Mac in the world at $9.04 (CHF 7.30), about 45% more than the US price of $6.22. Uruguay is second at $8.94 and Norway third at $8.05. The cheapest entry in the index is Indonesia at $2.38, so a Swiss Big Mac costs about 3.8 times as much. The United States ranks 12th most expensive.
The Big Mac index, published by The Economist since 1986, uses one standard product sold in more than 50 economies to compare prices and currencies. This ranking uses the July 2026 edition: the local price of a Big Mac is converted to US dollars at that month's exchange rate, and countries are ranked from the highest dollar price to the lowest. The index also includes the euro area as a single entry. It is left out of this ranking because it is not a country, and at $7.08 it would sit between Sweden and Denmark. The ranking covers burger prices only. It does not adjust for wages, taxes or differences in menus.
Why do the same burger's dollar prices differ so much?
Two things move a Big Mac's dollar price: the local menu price and the exchange rate. Switzerland's price did not change in francs between January and July 2026 (CHF 7.30), while Colombia's dollar price jumped about 29% in six months because its menu price rose about 13% and the peso strengthened about 14% against the dollar over the same period. A high dollar price therefore does not always mean a country is expensive to live in. It can partly reflect a strong currency. The Economist presents the index as a light-hearted guide to whether currencies look overvalued or undervalued against the dollar, not as a precise measure of prices.
Big Mac Price · US$ at July 2026 Exchange Rates
Source: The Economist, Big Mac index, July 2026Tap any country to jump to its full breakdown below.
Ranked #10 to #1
Türkiye
Local price: TRY 325- Big Mac price (US$):
- $6.91
- Category:
- Europe/Asia
- Revenue sources:
- About 11% above the US price
Türkiye enters the top 10 this year. The local price rose about 27.5% in six months, from TRY 255 in January to TRY 325 in July, and the lira weakened about 8% against the dollar, so the dollar price rose less, about 17%, from $5.90 to $6.91.
Türkiye had the biggest local-currency price rise of any country in this top 10, but a weaker lira kept the dollar price from rising as much.
Source: The Economist Big Mac index, July 2026
Costa Rica
Local price: CRC 3,150- Big Mac price (US$):
- $7.00
- Category:
- Central America
- Revenue sources:
- About 12.5% above the US price
A Big Mac in Costa Rica costs CRC 3,150, up about 5.4% from CRC 2,990 in January. A stronger colón, about 10% stronger against the dollar over the period, pushed the dollar price up about 16%, from $6.04 to $7.00.
Costa Rica's dollar price rose by about $0.96 in six months, the fourth-largest increase in the top 10 after Colombia, Israel and Türkiye.
Source: The Economist Big Mac index, July 2026
Denmark
Local price: DKK 46- Big Mac price (US$):
- $7.04
- Category:
- Europe
- Revenue sources:
- About 13% above the US price
Denmark's Big Mac stayed at DKK 46 between January and July. Its dollar price slipped about 1.5%, from $7.14 to $7.04, because the krone weakened slightly against the dollar.
Denmark is one of only three countries in this top 10 whose dollar price fell this year, together with Switzerland and Sweden.
Source: The Economist Big Mac index, July 2026
Sweden
Local price: SEK 69- Big Mac price (US$):
- $7.16
- Category:
- Europe
- Revenue sources:
- About 15% above the US price
Sweden's local price rose about 3%, from SEK 67 to SEK 69, but the krona weakened against the dollar, so the dollar price fell about 1.3%, from $7.26 to $7.16.
Sweden is the only country in this top 10 where the local price went up while the dollar price went down.
Source: The Economist Big Mac index, July 2026
United Kingdom
Local price: GBP 5.49- Big Mac price (US$):
- $7.40
- Category:
- Europe
- Revenue sources:
- About 19% above the US price
A Big Mac in the UK costs £5.49, up about 3.8% from £5.29 in January. The dollar price rose about 4.5%, from $7.08 to $7.40, with the pound little changed against the dollar.
The UK's dollar price is about 19% higher than the US price of $6.22, and the pound's exchange rate moved little over the period, so the rise is mostly the menu price.
Source: The Economist Big Mac index, July 2026
Israel
Local price: ILS 23- Big Mac price (US$):
- $7.67
- Category:
- Middle East
- Revenue sources:
- About 23% above the US price
Israel's Big Mac rose from ILS 20 to ILS 23, about 15%, and the shekel strengthened about 5% against the dollar. Together these lifted the dollar price about 20.5%, from $6.36 to $7.67.
Israel climbed into the top 5 this year: its January price of $6.36 was only about 4% above the US price, and it is now about 23% above.
Source: The Economist Big Mac index, July 2026
Colombia
Local price: COP 25,900- Big Mac price (US$):
- $8.00
- Category:
- South America
- Revenue sources:
- About 29% above the US price
Colombia has the biggest jump in the top 10. The local price rose about 13%, from COP 22,900 to COP 25,900, and the peso strengthened about 14% against the dollar, so the dollar price rose about 29%, from $6.21 to $8.00.
In January, Colombia's Big Mac was about 1.5% above the US price. By July it was about 29% above, the largest six-month swing of any country in this top 10.
Source: The Economist Big Mac index, July 2026
Norway
Local price: NOK 78- Big Mac price (US$):
- $8.05
- Category:
- Europe
- Revenue sources:
- About 29.5% above the US price
Norway's Big Mac rose about 2.6%, from NOK 76 to NOK 78. A krone that strengthened about 4% against the dollar lifted the dollar price about 7%, from $7.52 to $8.05.
Norway's dollar price rose faster than the other two countries in the top 3: about 7%, compared with about 2% for Uruguay and a slight dip for Switzerland.
Source: The Economist Big Mac index, July 2026
Uruguay
Local price: UYU 359- Big Mac price (US$):
- $8.94
- Category:
- South America
- Revenue sources:
- About 44% above the US price
A Big Mac in Uruguay costs UYU 359, up about 6% from UYU 339 in January. The peso weakened about 4% against the dollar, so the dollar price rose only about 2%, from $8.76 to $8.94.
Uruguay's price is only about $0.10 below Switzerland's, and it is the most expensive Big Mac of any country in the Americas.
Source: The Economist Big Mac index, July 2026
Switzerland
Local price: CHF 7.30- Big Mac price (US$):
- $9.04
- Category:
- Europe
- Revenue sources:
- About 45% above the US price
Switzerland stays at the top, with a Big Mac at CHF 7.30, the same local price as in January. The dollar price slipped about 0.5%, from $9.08 to $9.04, because the franc moved slightly against the dollar.
A Big Mac in Switzerland costs about 3.8 times as much as in Indonesia, the cheapest country in the index at $2.38.
Source: The Economist Big Mac index, July 2026
What the numbers tell us
A Swiss Big Mac costs about 3.8 times an Indonesian one. The United States, at $6.22, ranks 12th most expensive: only Mexico ($6.27) and the ten countries on this list cost more. The biggest mover in the top 10 is Colombia, whose dollar price rose about 29% in six months because of both a higher menu price and a stronger peso. The cheapest three are Indonesia ($2.38), Taiwan ($2.42) and India ($2.45).
- Data period:
- July 2026 edition (observation date July 1, 2026), with January 2026 values for comparison
- Last updated:
- October 10, 2026
- Sources:
- The Economist, Big Mac index data (open data repository, full index file); prices come from McDonald's and The Economist's reporting, and exchange rates from Refinitiv Datastream
Countries are ranked by the price of a Big Mac in US dollars: the local menu price divided by the local-currency exchange rate per dollar, as published in The Economist's July 2026 data file. The dataset contains 54 market entries, including the euro area as a single entry. The euro area is excluded from this country-focused ranking because it is not a country. Percentages above or below the US price compare each country's dollar price with the US price of $6.22. Changes since January compare the same fields in the January 2026 edition, and splitting a change into a menu-price part and an exchange-rate part is an approximation. Because the dollar price depends on the exchange rate on the observation date, the ranking is a snapshot and can change from one edition to the next. The index covers a single product and does not adjust for wages, taxes, portion sizes or local menus, and The Economist also publishes a separate GDP-adjusted version that is not used here. Prices are as published by The Economist and have not been independently re-collected from McDonald's.
Figures marked as estimates are based on publicly available information and may vary from other published sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Switzerland, at $9.04 (CHF 7.30) in The Economist's July 2026 index, followed by Uruguay at $8.94 and Norway at $8.05.