The Price Of A Big Mac When It Debuted In 1967 Is Laughable Today

As big McDonald's fans, we're pretty obsessed with the history of the Golden Arches, from poring over pictures of old PlayPlaces — we've seen an '80s version on social media that included an Officer Big Mac jail cell for kids — to checking out lists of vintage Happy Meal toys currently worth a small fortune. Speaking of Officer Big Mac, the iconic McD's sandwich that gave him his name has been around for quite a while. Jim Delligatti, the owner of a Pennsylvania McDonald's franchise, invented the double-decker burger in 1967. Corporate was encouraged by his success, and the Big Mac hit McDonald's menus across the nation the next year.

In 1967, the Big Mac debuted at the princely sum of 45 cents. That seems like a joke to us by 2020s pricing standards, but McDonald's execs actually fretted over the sum, since, at the time, a basic drive-thru hamburger cost just 18 cents. As of this writing, the average price for a modern Big Mac varies by state, with diners in Austin, Texas paying $4.36, and Big Mac lovers in Seattle paying $7.06. Driven by inflation, the average price of a Big Mac has swelled by 141% in the last five years, which is extra disappointing when you consider that, if it were adjusted for inflation, the 1967 price tag of 45 cents translates to just $4.23 in today's dollars. Unless you grab a Big Mac on the lowest end in the Lone Star State, you are likely paying significantly more for it today.

McDonald's may not have invented the chicken nugget, but it's true that no other place on earth sells a genuine Big Mac. These burgers, which consist of two all-beef patties, lettuce, pickles, special sauce, and melted cheese, may have started at 45 cents, but they didn't stay at that price point. By 1974, a New York City Big Mac had ballooned to 85 cents ... almost double! In 1986, the "Big Mac Index," created by British news journal The Economist, listed the sandwich as costing $1.60 as a national average. In 1998, it was up to $2.50, then $3.21 in 2008. As you can see, the last 48 years have shown us that time does nothing but drive up the price of Big Macs, which is a serious bummer for fans of the inimitable, irresistible burger.

If that price increase has you steamed, we previously covered the method to hack a cheaper McDonald's Big Mac by modifying either a McDouble or a Double Cheeseburger with a few simple customizations. Of course, the finished product isn't a 1:1 replica of the OG burger, and you additionally risk irritating the McDonald's employee taking your order, which is rarely a good thing. Like you, we'll be heaving a resigned sigh next time we bust out our wallets to order a Big Mac, with our only comfort coming from the knowledge that, no matter what it costs now, it will probably be cheaper than next year.