The Most Expensive McDonald's Menu Item Isn't In The States

Unless you've been hiding in a cave for the past couple of years, you've noticed fast food prices spiking. In 2024, Chipotle's menu prices increased by two percent across the board. McDonald's, in particular, has drawn heat on social media sites like Reddit from consumers complaining about rising costs and declining value. McDonald's Coke tastes the best, but what ever happened to the glory days of one-dollar drinks? Inflation is hitting us hard at the drive-thru window.

But, the next time you are tempted to complain to your friends about the increasing cost of your value meal, consider that no McDonald's location in the United States comes close to the prices seen in Lebanon, where a single chicken sandwich costs the USD equivalent of $30. To be fair, the menu item in question, the Grand Chicken Special, sounds yummy, with its fried chicken patty draped in Emmental cheese and Dijon mustard sauce under a bed of shredded lettuce and tomato. The sandwich is also halal, in accordance with Muslim dietary laws. But is it worth that whopping price tag? Probably not. The entree isn't actually that pricey because of any special attributes, but because, in Lebanon, McDonald's is especially expensive overall.

While you are trying to hack the McDonald's menu for a cheaper Big Mac, Lebanese fans of the Golden Arches are paying almost $45 for a value meal after currency conversion. In 2021, Arab News quoted a study by financial aggregator Expensivity that determined Lebanon had the highest McDonald's prices on the globe. We're talking $22 Happy Meals, which any sane person would agree is patently ridiculous.

The problem is the Lebanese pound (LBP) has lost 80% of its value recently due to a nationwide economic catastrophe. Shortages of food and medicine are also occurring as part of the crisis, which puts the price of fast food burgers in stark relief as a decidedly unimportant problem.

Other than the high costs, a McDelivery menu for Lebanon looks pretty darn tasty, with familiar offerings like a Chicken Big Mac, but also curiosities like fried Cheese Pillows, chocolate-frosted donuts, and a Chicken Caesar Salad that makes us long for the discontinued American McD's version. One thing's for sure: if you want to try any of these international goodies, you'd better travel with deep pockets.