That's what a homemade cheeseburger costs today — ground beef, cheese, bun, lettuce, tomato — tracked monthly from Bureau of Labor Statistics retail prices.
National Cheeseburger Cost
Full history →How Does Homemade Compare?
Full comparison →Your $3.29 homemade burger vs. every major chain and restaurants. Savings range from 9% to 78%.
Price by Region
Compare regions →What's In the Price?
All ingredients →Current Ingredient Prices
| Ingredient | Price | Per Burger | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground Beef (80% lean) | $6.74 | $2.224 | ↑ +19.8% |
| American Cheese | $5.99 | $0.377 | ↑ +8.2% |
| White Bread | $1.85 | $0.231 | ↓ -3.9% |
| Iceberg Lettuce | $3.56 | $0.224 | ↑ +24.3% |
| Tomatoes | $1.90 | $0.238 | ↑ +2.9% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI Average Price Data (public domain). February 2026.
Explore
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Cheeseburger Index?
The Cheeseburger Index tracks the cost of making a single homemade cheeseburger using real ingredient prices from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It's an informal economic indicator — like The Economist's Big Mac Index, but for home cooking and with U.S. regional granularity.
How much does a homemade cheeseburger cost?
As of February 2026, a homemade cheeseburger costs $3.29 using national average retail ingredient prices from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ground beef accounts for about 60% of the cost. A comparable Big Mac costs $5.91 and a median restaurant burger costs $14.64.
Is it cheaper to make burgers at home or buy fast food?
Making burgers at home is significantly cheaper. A homemade cheeseburger costs $3.29, while a Big Mac costs $5.91 (1.8x more), a Five Guys cheeseburger costs $9.69 (2.9x more), and a median restaurant burger costs $14.64 (4.4x more). See our full comparison.
Where does the data come from?
All ingredient prices come from the BLS Consumer Price Index Average Price Data program, which tracks retail prices for approximately 70 food items at the national and regional level. This is U.S. government public domain data, updated monthly. Fast food prices are from published menus and price aggregators. Restaurant median from Toast POS data across 164,000 locations.
What regions are tracked?
We track the four U.S. Census regions: Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. These are the geographic breakdowns provided by the BLS for average price data. The cheapest region is typically the Midwest and the most expensive is the South.
How often is it updated?
The BLS releases new average price data monthly, typically 2-3 weeks after the reference month. We update the index as soon as new data is available, usually by the third week of each month.