McDonald's "Dollar Menu" Pricing Leaves Low-Income Families Behind

As of November 2025, McDonald's, once a go-to for low-income families, has become too expensive for many of its core customers. The fast-food giant introduced its "Dollar Menu" in the early 2000s, catering to households with limited budgets. However, over the years, the menu evolved into the "Dollar Menu & More," and prices continued to swell, eventually pricing out the chain's original customer base.

According to the report, the average price of a McDonald's menu item has risen 40% from 2019 to 2024, with a Big Mac now costing $5.29 compared to $4.39 in 2019. Even the iconic Happy Meal has become "prohibitively expensive for some people," as analyst Adam Josephson noted. This trend reflects a broader economic shift, where wealthier Americans are spending more freely, while those on tighter budgets are forced to tighten their purse strings.

Despite the price hikes, McDonald's chief executive Christopher Kempczinski stated that the chain has gained nearly as much traffic from high-earning customers as it has lost from low-income households. This shift in customer demographics underscores the growing divide between the haves and the have-nots in the current economic climate.