Chick-fil-A vs McDonald's: Menu Prices Compared (2026)

Updated August 27, 2026 7 items matched

The short answer

McDonald's is the cheaper of the two. Of the 7 directly comparable items we could match across both menus, McDonald's is cheaper on 4 of them, by an average of $0.78 per item.

Typical menu price: Chick-fil-A $5.25 · McDonald's $4.29

Matched Items, Side by Side

The same item on both menus, priced against each other. Where names differ, we matched the closest equivalent — Chick-fil-A's wording first.

Item	Chick-fil-A	McDonald's	Difference
Chicken, Egg & Cheese Biscuitvs Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit	$5.35	$4.79	$0.56 cheaper at McDonald's
Original Chicken Sandwichvs McCrispy Chicken Sandwich	$5.25	$5.69	$0.44 cheaper at Chick-fil-A
Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit	$4.25	$4.79	$0.54 cheaper at Chick-fil-A
Side Salad	$4.19	$2.49	$1.70 cheaper at McDonald's
Sweet Tea (large)	$2.79	$1.49	$1.30 cheaper at McDonald's
Soft Drink (medium)	$2.29	$1.79	$0.50 cheaper at McDonald's
Hash Browns	$1.99	$2.39	$0.40 cheaper at Chick-fil-A

Make Chick-fil-A and McDonald's at Home

Whichever of the two wins on price, cooking the favorites at home beats both. These are the sauces, mixes and kitchen tools that get closest to the real thing.

Chick-fil-A Sauce (16 oz Bottle) The signature dipping sauce in a 16 oz bottle. Check price on Amazon McCafé Premium Roast K-Cups The same medium roast McDonald's pours, in Keurig pods. Check price on Amazon Chick-fil-A Polynesian Sauce The sweet-and-sour sauce, bottled. Check price on Amazon Copycat Restaurant Recipes Cookbooks that recreate chain-restaurant favorites. Check price on Amazon

Chick-fil-A vs McDonald's at a Glance

	Chick-fil-A	McDonald's
Typical menu price	$5.25	$4.29
Average menu price	$5.56	$4.97
Cheapest item	Icedream Cone — $1.85	Apple Slices — $1.29
Most expensive item	Nuggets (30 pc.) — $18.49	Bundle Box (family) — $24.99
Items priced	43	51
Menu sections	6	6
Price range	$$	$
Founded	1967	1955
Headquarters	College Park, Georgia	Chicago, Illinois
Locations	More than 3,000 restaurants across the United States	More than 13,500 restaurants in the United States

Which One Should You Order From?

McDonald's has the lower typical menu price of the two — $4.29 against $5.25 — but a typical price only tells you where the middle of the menu sits. At the value end, McDonald's gets you in cheaper at $1.29.

Chick-fil-A is strongest on Original Chicken Sandwich, Chick-fil-A Nuggets, Waffle Potato Fries; McDonald's on Big Mac, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, 10 pc. Chicken McNuggets. Neither chain's app prices match the counter, and both discount heavily through their loyalty programmes, so the deals below usually matter more than the few cents between the two menus.

Deals Worth Knowing at Both

Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A One is one of the few genuinely strong fast-food loyalty programmes: points on every order, a free item at low thresholds and frequent app-only offers.
A 12-count of Nuggets at $7.79 works out to $0.65 per piece against $0.79 for a 5-count — the sensible order size for anyone eating properly.
An Icedream cone at $1.85 is the cheapest dessert at any major chain, and a large sweet tea at $2.79 undercuts most drive-thru drinks.

McDonald's

The $5 Meal Deal is the single best value on the menu — the same four items ordered separately run close to $12.
The McDonald's app gives a free item on many orders and runs a points programme worth roughly 5% back; app prices are frequently below counter prices for the same item.
20-piece McNuggets at $9.99 cost about $0.50 per nugget against $0.65 for a 4-piece — the best per-unit price on the menu.

About these prices: menu prices are set by individual franchise owners and change without notice. The figures on this page are researched estimates for 2026 and are provided for reference only. Confirm the current price with the restaurant before ordering. Menu Price Book is not affiliated with this chain.

Chick-fil-A vs McDonald's — FAQ

Is Chick-fil-A cheaper than McDonald's in 2026?

McDonald's is cheaper on most matched items — 4 of 7. Across the whole menu McDonald's is the lower-priced of the two, at $4.29 for a typical item against $5.25 at Chick-fil-A.

What is the price difference between Chick-fil-A and McDonald's?

On matched items the average difference is $0.78, or about 11% overall. Chick-fil-A averages $5.56 across 43 priced items; McDonald's averages $4.97 across 51.

Which has the cheaper entry price, Chick-fil-A or McDonald's?

Chick-fil-A starts at $1.85 (Icedream Cone) and McDonald's at $1.29 (Apple Slices).

Are these prices the same at every location?

No. Both chains let franchise owners set prices, so figures move by a dollar or more between markets and run highest at airport, stadium and highway locations. Treat these as the typical U.S. price, not a quote.