A trip to McDonald’s in the 1950s looked very different from what it does today. Not only was the food of better quality, but the menu was smaller, the prices seemed unreal, and a few coins were enough to buy a whole meal. Over the decades, inflation, new ingredients, and rising operating costs have steadily transformed what customers pay at the counter.
Seeing old menu boards beside modern ones puts the difference into real perspective in a way that numbers alone never could. Whether it makes you nostalgic or just plain angry, these photos are a real reminder of how much the cost of a fast food meal has changed over time.
1950s
The bare bones McDonald’s menu from the 1950s was heavy on the dimes. Of its nine menu items, six of them cost only 10 cents. The priciest thing you could order was a milkshake (chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla), which would cost you two FDR coins.
1960s
In the ’60s, McDonald’s welcomed more menu items with higher prices. The cost of a cheeseburger went up 6 cents and the shakes made their way to a full quarter. But the real steal of a deal was the 20-cent hot apple pies!
1970s
Prices saw a modest increase from the ’60s to the ’70s. Big Macs made their way to the menu at just 65 cents each, with the O.G. cheeseburger hanging out at nearly half the cost of a Mac at 33 cents.
1980s
Most menu items stayed beneath $1 each in the early ’80s, but the bigger burgers like Big Macs and Quarter pounds went north of $1. The most expensive menu item was a 20-piece McNugget at $3.90.
1990s
Ahh, the Extra Value Meals of the 1990s. You could even “supersize” them for 39 cents, upgrading to a giant fry and a large drink.
Trending on Wealth Gang
2001
The early 2000s McDonald’s menu was a lot to digest (literally), with an assortment of menu items from the Big ‘N Tasty to the McRib Jr. and Extra Value Meals galore. Each purchase was sort of like an investment though, since McDonald’s started their Monopoly game, providing patrons the promise of a potential fortune if they won.
2007
McDonald’s, if you’re reading this, please don’t merely bring our beloved Snack Wraps back. Please also offer them at the price they were in 2007. $1.29 each sounds like a dream.
2011
Remember in 2011 when McDonald’s started touting Angus beef options with flashy, almost-seven-dollar price tags? So uppity of them.
Sign up for our newsletter
2017
Pre-COVID McDonald’s prices kept the Big Mac at just under $4, and you could grab two sausage burritos at breakfast for under $2.50. Not too shabby!
2025
Somehow, in less than ten years, the price of a Big Mac a la carte costs what a Big Mac Meal used to cost. You could go to a decent diner and order a meal for about the same price as hitting the Golden Arches’ drive-thru.
