Best be quick, a ‘Big Mac’ to cost 30 yen more from Jan. 24 | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis (2024)

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Best be quick, a ‘Big Mac’ to cost 30 yen more from Jan. 24 | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis? ›

McDonald's Japan announced it will raise prices of a range of popular food and drink items by up to 30 yen starting Jan. 24. A “Big Mac” that now costs 450 yen will rise to 480 yen and the five-piece “Chicken McNuggets” set (240 yen) will be priced at 260 yen.

24. Big Mac will be priced at ¥480, a ¥30 increase. Double Cheeseburger will be priced at ¥430, while Teriyaki MacBurger will be ¥400.

At 8.17 U.S. dollars, Switzerland has the most expensive Big Macs in the world, according to the January 2024 Big Mac index. Concurrently the cost of a Big Mac was 5.69 dollars in the U.S., and 5.87 U.S. dollars in the Euro area.

The Big Mac debuted at the McDonald's owned by Delligatti in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, on April 22, 1967, selling for US$0.45 (equivalent to $4.11 in 2023). It was designed to compete with Big Boy Restaurants' Big Boy hamburger. Eat'n Park was the Pittsburgh area's Big Boy franchisee at the time.

The average price of a Big Mac in 2019 was $4.39, Erlinger said. Despite the effects of the COVID pandemic, and big jumps in supply chain and labor costs, and other inflationary pressures since then, the average price of a Big Mac is now $5.29, an increase of 20.5% in five years.

The ten countries with the lowest Big Mac Index are Turkey, Hungary, Taiwan, Malaysia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Romania, and Venezuela. In Venezuela, the cost of a Big Mac is just $1.76, a reflection of the nation's ongoing hyperinflation and currency devaluation.

The survey found that an average medium Big Mac meal has risen in price from $5.69 in 2014 to $9.72 in 2024, an increase of about 70%. The price of a medium Big Mac meal ranged in price from $7.89 in Houston to $15 in Seattle.

Montpelier, Vermont is the only U.S. state capital without a McDonalds.

The first McDonald's location was opened by Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California in 1940 and demolished in 1972, although part of the sign remains. The oldest McDonald's still in operation is the third one built, in Downey, California, which opened in 1953.

Why are Big Macs so expensive now? ›

The rise in price has to not only do with the high demand for goods—like beef, which saw a price increase of 9.6% in 2022—but also with operational costs and labor. Yet even if price increases have become the norm at McDonald's, it seems customers aren't backing away from their usual go-to McDonald's run.

The chain announced it will be taking its Big Mac and multiplying the meat by two for a returning menu item. That's right: the Double Big Mac, with its four (count 'em, four) burger patties, is back after a four-year hiatus. And it only costs about $1.50 more than the regular Big Mac (though price varies by location).

Erlinger acknowledged that he and many franchisees were frustrated by a post on X last summer about a Big Mac meal in Connecticut that cost $18, calling the price “an exception.”

Japan is cheaper than you think. Way cheaper. In fact, Japan is arguably the least expensive country in the developed world, rivaled only by Portugal and South Korea. And now that the yen is at a three-decade low against the US dollar, it feels particularly cheap for those coming from the USA.

A co*ke could cost ¥150 in a vending machine, or ¥105 at a supermarket. I've seen co*ke on sale for ¥89.

From this Friday, the cost of the signature Big Mac hamburger will increase to 410 yen ($2.85) from 390 yen, McDonald's Holding Company Japan Ltd (2702. T) , opens new tab said in a statement, reflecting increases of 10 to 30 yen on many items.