It’s through HelloSafe, an insurance broker, that a study was carried out on the prices of one of the most famous burgers in the world, the Big Mac. Thanks to its research, the company was able to establish the ranking of the most expensive Big Macs in the world, the famous Big Mac Index.
“The Big Mac Index was invented in 1986. A symbol of the globalization of our lifestyles, the Big Mac has become a meal that can be found in almost all the capitals of the world. Like a pint of beer or the packet of cigarettes, the Big Mac hamburger is one of the most popular products in the world and can therefore be used as a reference. Same product, same brand, but different prices”, indicates Hello Safe.
In Belgium, in the restaurants of the famous fast-food McDonald’s, the Big Mac costs €4.40. A price that can be found among our French, German and Dutch neighbours. This is also the case for the countries of southern Europe, particularly in Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal.
Regarding the world ranking, Belgium ranks in the top 10, in ninth place just behind Venezuela. At the top, we find without too much surprise Switzerland, with a Big Mac at 6.21 €. The podium is completed by Norway with €5.68 and the United States where you buy your burger for €5.17.
At the very bottom of the ranking we find Indonesia at 2.10€, Turkey at 1.65€ and… Russia where you can buy a Big Mac for the modest sum of 1.54€.
Expected inflation
In Belgium, inflation of the price of the Big Mac is expected for the year 2022, in particular because of the war in Ukraine. “The current Ukrainian conflict does not help inflation which continues to spread throughout Europe, and on more and more products. Thus, the price of the Big Mac in Belgium should increase significantly in 2022”, can we read in the study carried out by HelloSafe.
The inflation concerns several components of the burger. The price of chopped steaks increased by 7.91%, flour and cereals between 7 and 11% without forgetting oil and mustard up to more than 9%.
All of these price increases would increase the price of the Big Mac from $4.40 to $4.83, an increase of 9.77%. A limit never crossed in recent years.
