Burger economics

A study by Texas-based company Expensivity Inc has shared how the prices of popular McDonald's menu items vary around the world. 

A Big Mac which costs US$5.82 in New Zealand (NZ$8.20) will set you back US$21.89 (roughly NZ$30) in Lebanon, or just US$1.94 in Russia. It reflects the very different markets, rents, labour costs, finance costs, inflation, ingredients and, of course, tax regimes that international franchises have to address.

Lebanon also offers the most expensive McDonald's menu item in the world, the Grand Chicken Special at US$27.19. Next down is the gourmet-sounding Signature Charolais & Sauce aux 2 Moutardes offered in France and Monaco for US$14.38. It makes New Zealand's most expensive item, the Mozzarella Beef Burger at US$7.85, sound like good value.

The survey also determined the affordability of McDonald’s in every country by calculating the cost of 100 adult meals (a Big Mac, large fries and a large Coke) as a percentage of median income. As you might expect, Lebanon has the worst affordability due to inflation - buying 100 adult meals in Lebanon would cost 74.65 percent of the average annual salary. American McDonald’s is the world’s fourth-most affordable at 1.73 percent of annual income, while New Zealanders can expect to pay 3.63 percent (Australians pay less at 2.79 percent).

Expensivity has also published a World Beer Index showing that South Africans enjoy the cheapest beer in the world, while in Qatar a 100 percent tax on alcohol imports ahead of the 2022 World Cup has made its beer the most expensive in the world. Visitors also need a special permit to drink alcohol.