By: Oak Berg

Breaking down the cost of each part of a McDonald’s burger will surprise you.

The main ingredient, the beef patty, is the main reason of the cost. the meat might taste good to some people and might taste bad to others, which changes the overall taste of the burger. the patty is around 15-20 cents adding up to the total price

Fresh lettuce and tomatoes also add to both the flavor and price of the burger. Some people prefer to take lettuce and tomatoes off their burgers (price doesn’t change), lettuce and tomatoes at McDonald’s averagely cost 5-10 cents.

Cheese adds to the flavor and price of the burger, some people may like hamburgers more than cheeseburgers, this doesn’t effect the price for the buyer but the average slice of cheese costs 6 cents.

The labor price is high with the workers for preparing and making the burger needing a lot of pay. With employee wages, training programs, etc, the average McDonald’s hourly wage is $15 for a new worker.

Facility price includes paying for the building, land, and food stock. All of these things add to the overall cost of making a burger.

Marketing and advertising prices also contribute to the burger’s cost. They need to make the brand big and grow their customer base. This also adds to the price of the McDonald’s burger.

Even though the cost breakdown and the components may change, the normal price of a McDonald’s burger to be manufactured is around 40 cents and to buy one it costs around $3-4 for the buyer depending on where you live in the US. McDonald’s needs to make a profit or they would go out of business, so they raise the price on their burger by many times the original price.