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{{short description|Economic index published by The Economist}}
{{pp-sock|small=yes}}
[[File:01 The-Price-of-McDonalds-Big-Mac World-Map.png|thumb|Big Mac index, November 2022|350px]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}

The '''Big Mac Index''' is a [[price index]] published since 1986 by ''[[The Economist]]'' as an informal way of measuring the [[purchasing power parity]] (PPP) between two [[currency|currencies]] and providing a test of the extent to which market [[exchange rate]]s result in goods costing the same in different countries. It "seeks to make exchange-rate theory a bit more digestible."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/1998/04/09/big-maccurrencies|title=Big MacCurrencies|newspaper=The Economist|date=9 April 1998|access-date=27 November 2013|archive-date=27 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227100228/http://www.economist.com/node/159859|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Index (economics)|index]] compares the relative price worldwide to purchase the [[Big Mac]], the flagship [[hamburger]] sold at [[McDonald's]] restaurants.

== Overview ==
[[File:BigMacCroatia.jpg|thumb|upright|A McDonald's Big Mac hamburger]]
The Big Mac index was introduced in ''[[The Economist]]'' in September 1986 by Pam Woodall<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/mediadirectory/pam-woodall |title=Pam Woodall |newspaper=The Economist |date=9 June 2011 |access-date=30 August 2013 |archive-date=16 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016175719/http://www.economist.com/mediadirectory/pam-woodall |url-status=live }}</ref> as a semi-humorous illustration of PPP and has been published by that paper annually since then. Although the Big Mac Index was not intended to be a legitimate tool for exchange rate evaluation, it is now globally recognised and featured in many academic textbooks and reports.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |title=The Big Mac index |url=https://www.economist.com/big-mac-index |access-date=2022-04-28 |newspaper=The Economist |language=en |archive-date=5 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170505094252/https://www.economist.com/big-mac-index |url-status=live }}</ref> The index also gave rise to the word ''burgernomics.''<ref>{{cite news
  | last1 = Daley
  | first1 = James
  | title = Burgernomics: Why the price of a Big Mac may hold the key to better investment returns
  | newspaper = [[The Independent]]
  | date = 6 September 2008
  | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/money/invest-save/burgernomics-why-the-price-of-a-big-mac-may-hold-the-key-to-better-investment-returns-920726.html
  | location = London
  | access-date = 24 August 2017
  | archive-date = 25 February 2009
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090225065427/http://www.independent.co.uk/money/invest-save/burgernomics-why-the-price-of-a-big-mac-may-hold-the-key-to-better-investment-returns-920726.html
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref>

The theory underpinning the Big Mac index stems from the concept of PPP, which states that the exchange rate between two currencies should equalize the prices charged for an identical basket of goods.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What Is the Big Mac index? |url=https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/09/big-mac-index.asp |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=Investopedia |language=en |archive-date=29 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220429001140/https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/09/big-mac-index.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> However, in reality, sourcing an identical basket of goods in every country provides a complex challenge. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), over "3,000 consumer goods and services, 30 occupations in government, 200 types of equipment goods and about 15 construction projects" are included in the current PPP calculations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Purchasing Power Parities - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - OECD |url=https://www.oecd.org/sdd/prices-ppp/purchasingpowerparities-frequentlyaskedquestionsfaqs.htm |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=www.oecd.org |archive-date=23 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220423225832/https://www.oecd.org/sdd/prices-ppp/purchasingpowerparities-frequentlyaskedquestionsfaqs.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In an effort to simplify this important economic concept, The Economist proposed that a single McDonald's Big Mac could be used instead of a basket of goods. A McDonald's Big Mac was chosen because of the prevalence of the fast food chain worldwide, and because the sandwich remains largely the same across all countries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Big Mac Index |url=https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/economics/what-is-big-mac-index/ |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=Corporate Finance Institute |language=en-US |archive-date=29 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629195517/https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/economics/what-is-big-mac-index/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Although a single sandwich may seem overly simplistic for PPP theory, the price of a Big Mac is derived from the culmination of "many local economic factors, such as the price of the ingredients, local wages, or how much it costs to put up billboards and buy TV ads".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Big Mac Index |url=https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-the-big-mac-index-1978992 |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=The Balance |language=en |archive-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522200832/https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-the-big-mac-index-1978992 |url-status=live }}</ref> As a result, the Big Mac index provides a "reasonable measure of real-world purchasing power".<ref name=":1" />

The purpose of the Big Mac index is to calculate an implied exchange rate between two currencies. In order to calculate the Big Mac index, the price of a Big Mac in a foreign country (in the foreign country's currency) is divided by the price of Big Mac in a base country (in the base country's currency).<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=What is the Big Mac index? |url=https://www.ig.com/au/trading-strategies/what-is-the-big-mac-index-180905 |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=IG |language=en-au |archive-date=4 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504100936/https://www.ig.com/au/trading-strategies/what-is-the-big-mac-index-180905 |url-status=live }}</ref> Typically, the base country used is the United States.

For example, using figures from July 2023:<ref name=":0" />

# In Switzerland, a Big Mac costs 6.70 Swiss francs.
# In the U.S., a Big Mac costs US$5.58.
# The implied exchange rate is 1.20&nbsp;francs per dollar, that is 6.70&nbsp;francs/$5.58 = 1.20.

Consistent with PPP economic theory, the Big Mac index also provides a method to analyse a currency's level of under/over-valuation against a base currency.<ref name=":2" /> In order to calculate whether a currency is under/over-valued, the implied exchange rate (as defined by the Big Mac index) must be compared to the actual exchange rate. If the implied exchange rate is greater than the actual exchange rate, then the analysed currency is overvalued against the base currency. If the implied exchange rate is less than the actual exchange rate, then the analysed currency is undervalued against the base currency.<ref name=":2" />

For example, using figures for July 2023:<ref name=":0" />

# The implied exchange rate according to the Big Mac index is 1.20&nbsp;francs per dollar
# The actual exchange rate is 0.87&nbsp;francs per dollar
# The Swiss franc is overvalued by 38.5% against the U.S. dollar, that is (1.20-0.87)/0.87 = 38.5%

== Variants ==
* [[File:Big Mac index 50USD 2columns.png|thumb|right|How many burgers do you get for $50? (January 2012)]]''The Economist'' sometimes produces variants on the theme.  For example, in January 2004, it showed a ''Tall Latte index'' with the Big Mac replaced by a cup of [[Starbucks]] [[coffee]].<ref>{{cite news
 | url = https://money.cnn.com/2004/01/16/news/funny/latteindex/
 | title = The price of latte in Lucerne
 | last =  Max
 | first =  Sarah
 | publisher = CNN/Money
 | date = 30 January 2004
 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080506165740/https://money.cnn.com/2004/01/16/news/funny/latteindex/| archive-date= 6 May 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>
* In 2007, an Australian bank tried a variation the Big Mac index, being an "[[iPod]] index": since the iPod is manufactured at a single place, the value of iPods should be more consistent globally. However, this theory can be criticised for ignoring shipping costs, which will vary depending on how far the product is delivered from its "single place" of manufacture in [[China]].<ref>{{cite news
 |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/ipod-index-trumps-the-bigmac-one/2007/01/18/1169095897045.html
 |title=iPod Index trumps the BigMac one
 |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald
 |date=18 January 2007
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411002225/http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/ipod-index-trumps-the-bigmac-one/2007/01/18/1169095897045.html
 |archive-date=11 April 2008
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref>
* [[Bloomberg L.P.]] introduced the Billy index where they convert local prices of [[IKEA]]'s [[Billy (bookcase)|Billy bookshelf]] into U.S. dollars and compare the prices.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.svd.se/naringsliv/nyheter/artikel_3499675.svd|title=Ikea-Billy utmanar Big Mac|newspaper=Svenska Dagbladet|date=10 September 2009|last1=Braconier|first1=Fredrik|access-date=10 September 2009|archive-date=11 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090911224046/http://www.svd.se/naringsliv/nyheter/artikel_3499675.svd|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thelocal.se/21998/20090910/ |title=The Local: Billy bookshelf does battle with Big Mac Index |access-date=11 September 2009 |archive-date=12 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912075106/http://www.thelocal.se/21998/20090910/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dagenshandel.se/dh/DagensH.nsf/0/C78C108458A0ED4DC125762D00334236?open|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912051519/http://www.dagenshandel.se/dh/DagensH.nsf/0/C78C108458A0ED4DC125762D00334236?open|url-status=dead|title=Dagens Handel: Billy-index utmanar Big Mac|archive-date=12 September 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ikea Billy Bookshelf Index Shows Lowest Price in U.A.E. (Table) |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a.K4T4ypP9ko|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151010000227/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a.K4T4ypP9ko|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 October 2015|website=Bloomberg.com}}</ref>
* Gold-Mac-Index: The value of the purchasing power for 1 g of gold (Gold.de:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gold.de/artikel/gold-mac-index/|title=Big Mac Index? Hier kommt der Gold Mac Index: Der GMI von Gold.de|website=Gold.de|language=de|access-date=15 August 2017|archive-date=14 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814134152/https://www.gold.de/artikel/gold-mac-index/|url-status=live}}</ref> calculation of the gold price average of the corresponding year), how many burgers one got for 1 g gold.
* A Swiss bank has expanded the idea of the Big Mac index to include the amount of time that an average local worker in a given country must work to earn enough to buy a Big Mac.<ref name="ubs">{{cite journal |author=Hoefert, Andreas |author2=Hofer, Simone |year=2006 |title=Prices and Earnings: A Comparison of Purchasing Power Around the Globe |url=https://www.ubs.com/1/ShowMedia/ubs_ch/wealth_mgmt_ch?contentId=103982&name=eng.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=[[UBS]] |version=2006 Edition |publisher=UBS AG, Wealth Management Research |page=11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216015122/http://www.ubs.com/1/ShowMedia/ubs_ch/wealth_mgmt_ch?contentId=103982&name=eng.pdf |archive-date=16 February 2008}}</ref>
* In 2017, the comparison platform Versus did a version called The Chai Latte Global Index, comparing [[Starbucks]] Chai Latte prices worldwide, by first converting the local prices into U.S. dollars.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://versus.com/en/news/chai-latte-origin-economic-implications-and-global-index|title=Chai Latte: Origin, Economic Implications and Global Index|website=VERSUS|date=8 March 2017 |access-date=27 March 2020|archive-date=27 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327023408/https://versus.com/en/news/chai-latte-origin-economic-implications-and-global-index|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Global personal finance comparison website, Finder.com, released a more comprehensive Starbucks Index in 2019, which analyzed coffee prices for a tall latte in 76 countries and autonomous regions around the world. The report included a Latte Line, which measured the correlation between the price of coffee and a country's GDP.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.finder.com/starbucks-index|title=Finder's Starbucks Index 2019|first=Susannah|last=Binsted|date=25 September 2019|access-date=8 October 2019|archive-date=8 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008080330/https://www.finder.com/starbucks-index|url-status=live}}</ref>
* In 2022, Trusaic, a provider of equal pay compliance software, unveiled a new online tool called The Big Mac Pay Gap Index, which shows how much more a Big Mac would cost you, after adjusting the menu price of a Big Mac to reflect whatever pay gap you may face.<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Connell |first=Brian |date=14 June 2022 |title=McDonald's Big Mac Used to Measure 'Pay Gap' |url=https://www.thestreet.com/latest-news/mcdonalds-big-mac-used-to-measure-pay-gap |access-date=26 July 2022 |archive-date=26 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726083948/https://www.thestreet.com/latest-news/mcdonalds-big-mac-used-to-measure-pay-gap |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Limitations ==
While economists widely cite the Big Mac index as a reasonable real-world measurement of purchasing power parity,<ref>{{cite book | last1 = McConnell | first1 = Campbell | last2 = Brue  | first2 = Stanley | title = Microeconomics, 16th ed.|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hObpeG6v1VsC  | page = 473  | publisher = [[McGraw Hill]]| year = 2004  | isbn = 978-0-07-287561-4  }}</ref>{{r|ec20110127}} the burger methodology has some limitations.
[[File:McDonaldsWorldLocations.svg|300px|thumb|right|Map of countries with at least one McDonald's restaurant, showing the lack of restaurants in Africa (2022)]]
The Big Mac Index is limited by geographical coverage, due to the presence of the [[McDonald's]] franchise. For example, in [[Africa]] McDonald's is only present in [[Morocco]], [[Egypt]], [[South Africa]] and [[Mauritius]] (there has been a similar index created solely for Africa called the "[[KFC Index]]": as the name suggests, instead of using a [[Big Mac]], this index uses [[KFC]]'s Original 15-piece bucket to compile its data).<ref name="SagaciSondos">{{cite web |last1=Faramawy |first1=Sondos |title=The KFC Index Report by Sagaci Research |url=https://www.sagaciresearch.com/kfcindex/ |website=sagacireserch.com |date=27 July 2016 |publisher=Sagaci Research |access-date=20 August 2019 |archive-date=10 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710162454/https://www.sagaciresearch.com/kfcindex/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In many countries, eating at international fast-food chain restaurants such as McDonald's is relatively expensive in comparison to eating at a local restaurant, and the demand for Big Macs is not as large in countries such as [[India]] as in the United States. Social status of eating at fast food restaurants such as McDonald's in a local market, what proportion of sales might be to expatriates, local taxes, levels of competition, and import duties on selected items may not be representative of the country's economy as a whole.

In addition, there is no theoretical reason why non-tradable goods and services such as property costs should be equal in different countries: a pound of American beef used in the Big Mac's patties is not the same price as a pound of beef in China. This is the theoretical reason PPPs differ from market exchange rates over time. The relative cost of high-[[profit margin|margin]] products, such as essential pharmaceutical products or cellular telephony, might compare local capacity and [[willingness to pay]] as much as relative currency values.

Nevertheless, McDonald's is also using different commercial strategies which can result in huge differences for a product. Overall, the price of a Big Mac will be a reflection of its local production and delivery cost, the cost of advertising (considerable in some areas), and most importantly what the local market will bear&nbsp;– quite different from country to country, and not all a reflection of relative currency values.

In some markets, a high-volume and low-margin approach makes most sense to maximize profit, while in others a higher margin will generate more profit. Thus the relative prices reflect more than currency values. For example, a hamburger costs only {{€|1}} in [[France]], and {{€|1.50}} in [[Belgium]], but overall, McDonald's restaurants in both countries cost roughly the same.<ref name="NationMaster">{{cite web |title=McDonalds meal: Countries Compared |url=https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Cost-of-living/Restaurant-prices/McDonalds-meal |website=nationmaster.com |publisher=NationMaster |access-date=20 August 2019 |archive-date=20 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820023803/https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Cost-of-living/Restaurant-prices/McDonalds-meal |url-status=live }}</ref> Prices of Big Macs can also vary greatly between different areas within a country. For example, a Big Mac sold in [[New York City]] will be more expensive than one sold at a McDonald's located in a rural area.<ref name="BLSRural">{{cite web |last1=Hawk |first1=William |title=Expenditures of urban and rural households in 2011 |url=https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-2/expenditures-of-urban-and-rural-households-in-2011.htm |website=bls.gov |publisher=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |access-date=20 August 2019 |archive-date=20 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820023804/https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-2/expenditures-of-urban-and-rural-households-in-2011.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

One other example is that Russia had one of the cheapest Big Macs at its time in 2019, despite the fact that Moscow was then the most expensive city in the world.<ref name="Moscow">{{cite web |title=Big Mac Index Counts Ruble as Most Undervalued Currency |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/07/16/big-mac-index-counts-ruble-as-most-undervalued-currency-a66422 |website=themoscowtimes.com |date=16 July 2019 |publisher=Stichting 2 Oktober |access-date=20 August 2019 |archive-date=16 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716132858/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/07/16/big-mac-index-counts-ruble-as-most-undervalued-currency-a66422 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="AMA">{{cite web |title=Moscow Is Now the World's Most Expensive City |url=https://www.amanet.org/articles/moscow-is-now-the-world-s-most-expensive-city/ |website=amanet.org |publisher=American Management Association |access-date=20 August 2019 |archive-date=20 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820023805/https://www.amanet.org/articles/moscow-is-now-the-world-s-most-expensive-city/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Standard food ingredients are cheap in Russia, while restaurants suitable for business dinners with English speaking staff are expensive.

=== Manipulation ===
Critics of the [[presidency of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner]] in [[Argentina]] and many economists believe that the government has for years falsified consumer price data to understate the country's true inflation rate.{{r|politi20111124}} ''The Economist'' stated in January 2011 that Big Mac index "does support claims that Argentina's government is [[cooking the books]]. The gap between its average annual rate of burger inflation (19%) and its official rate (10%) is far bigger than in any other country."<ref name="ec20110127">{{cite news | url=https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2011/01/27/lies-flame-grilled-lies-and-statistics | title=Lies, flame-grilled lies and statistics | newspaper=The Economist | date=27 January 2011 | access-date=10 June 2012 | archive-date=14 January 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114184425/http://www.economist.com/node/18014576?story_id=18014576 | url-status=live }}</ref> That year the press began reporting on unusual behavior by the more than 200 Argentinean McDonald's restaurants. They no longer prominently advertised Big Macs for sale and the sandwich, both individually and as part of [[value meal]]s, was being sold for an unusually low price compared to other items. [[Guillermo Moreno]], Secretary of Commerce in the Kirchner government, reportedly forced McDonald's to sell the Big Mac at an artificially low price to manipulate the country's performance on the Big Mac index.{{r|sanguinetti20120608}}<ref name="politi20111124">{{cite news | url=http://latitude.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/24/argentinas-big-mac-attack/ | title=Argentina's Big Mac Attack | work=The New York Times | date=24 November 2011 | access-date=10 June 2012 | author=Politi, Daniel | archive-date=21 June 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621081114/http://latitude.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/24/argentinas-big-mac-attack/ | url-status=live }}</ref> In June 2012, the price of the Big Mac value meal suddenly rose by 26%, closer to that of other meals, after ''The Economist'', ''The New York Times'', and other media reported on the unusual pricing. A Buenos Aires newspaper stated "Moreno loses the battle".<ref name="sanguinetti20120608">{{cite news | url=http://www.cronista.com/economiapolitica/Moreno-pierde-la-batalla-el-Big-Mac-sale-del-freezer-y-aumenta-26-su-precio-20120608-0012.html | title=Moreno pierde la batalla: el Big Mac sale del freezer y aumenta 26% su precio | language=es | work=El Cronista | date=8 June 2012 | access-date=15 June 2012 | author=Sanguinetti, Andrew | location=Buenos Aires, Argentina}}</ref>

=== Comparison issues ===
The Big Mac (and virtually all sandwiches) vary from country to country with differing nutritional values, weights and even nominal size differences.

Not all Big Mac burgers offered by the chain are exclusively beef. In India&nbsp;– which is a predominantly [[Hindu]] country&nbsp;– beef burgers are not available at any McDonald's outlets. The Chicken [[Big Mac#Variants|Maharaja Mac]] serves as a substitute for the Big Mac.

There is a lot of variance with the exclusively beef "Big Mac": the Australian version of the Big Mac has 22% fewer calories than the Canadian version, and is 8% lighter than the version sold in Mexico.<ref>{{cite news |title=Big Mac? Not really, as Australian version of burger downsized |newspaper=[[The Advertiser (Adelaide)]] |date=13 June 2009 |url=http://www.news.com.au/national/big-mac-not-really-as-australian-version-of-burger-downsized/story-e6frfkp9-1225734286785 |access-date=3 November 2016 |archive-date=29 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151229210243/http://www.news.com.au/national/big-mac-not-really-as-australian-version-of-burger-downsized/story-e6frfkp9-1225734286785 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 1 November 2009, all three of the McDonald's in [[Iceland]] closed, primarily due to the chain's high cost of importing most of the chain's meat and vegetables, by McDonald's demands and standards, from the [[Eurozone]]. At the time, a Big Mac in Iceland cost 650 krona ($5.29), and the 20% price increase that would have been needed to stay in business would have increased that cost to 780 krona ($6.36).<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iceland-says-bye-to-the-big-mac/ Iceland Says Bye to the Big Mac], CBS News, 26 October 2009</ref><ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/vAij2T2wXZ0 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20131016212600/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAij2T2wXZ0 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAij2T2wXZ0|title=McDonalds leaves Iceland. Golden arch removed from Reykjavik restaurant. – YouTube|website=[[YouTube]] }}{{cbignore}}</ref> Fish and lamb are produced in Iceland, while beef is often imported (but also exported).

== Figures ==

'''Six most expensive''' (July 2023) This statistic shows the most expensive places to buy a Big Mac.<ref name="2023index">{{Cite news|title=The Big Mac index|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|date=3 August 2023|url=http://www.economist.com/content/big-mac-index|access-date=7 May 2013|archive-date=29 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629235924/https://www.economist.com/content/big-mac-index|url-status=live}}</ref>

# {{flag|Switzerland}} – $7.73 (6.70 [[Swiss franc|CHF]])
# {{flag|Norway}} – $6.92 (70 [[Norwegian krone|NOK]])
# {{flag|Uruguay}} – $6.86 (259 [[Uruguayan peso|UYU]])
# {{flag|Argentina}} – $5.99 (1,650 [[Argentine peso|ARS]])
# {{flag|EU}} – $5.82 (5.28 [[Euro|EUR]])
# {{flag|Sweden}} – $5.74 (60.27 [[Swedish krona|SEK]])

'''Six cheapest''' (July 2023) This statistic shows the least expensive places to buy a Big Mac.<ref name="2023index" />
# {{flag|Taiwan}} – $2.39 (75 [[New Taiwan dollar|TWD]])
# {{flag|Indonesia}} – $2.52 (38,000 [[Indonesian rupiah|IDR]])
# {{flag|India}} – $2.54 (209 [[Indian Rupees|INR]])
# {{flag|Egypt}} – $2.62 (81.00 [[Egyptian pound|EGP]])
# {{flag|South Africa}} – $2.81 (49.90 [[South African rand|ZAR]])
# {{flag|Philippines}} – $2.82 (155 [[Philippine peso|PHP]])

'''Six fastest earned''' (July 2015) This statistic shows the average working time required to buy one Big Mac in selected cities around the world in 2015.<ref name="2015index">{{Cite web |url=https://www.ubs.com/microsites/prices-earnings/edition-2015/_jcr_content/mainpar/gridcontrol_0/col2/teaser_0.501532191.file/bGluay9wYXRoPS9jb250ZW50L2RhbS91YnMvbWljcm9zaXRlcy9wcmljaW5nZWFybmluZ3MvdWJzLXByaWNlc2FuZGVhcm5pbmdzLTIwMTUtZW4ucGRm/ubs-pricesandearnings-2015-en.pdf |title=Prices and earnings 2015 |publisher=[[UBS]] |date=September 2015}}{{dead link|date=June 2020|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} [https://www.scribd.com/document/351876775/Prices-and-earnings-2015 Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112005459/https://www.scribd.com/document/351876775/Prices-and-earnings-2015 |date=12 November 2020 }}</ref>
# {{flag|Hong Kong}} – 8.6 min
# {{flag|Luxembourg}} – 10.3 min
# {{flag|Japan}}, [[Tokyo]] – 10.4 min
# {{flag|Switzerland}}, [[Zürich]] – 10.6 min
# {{flag|United States}}, [[Miami]] – 10.7 min
# {{flag|Switzerland}}, [[Geneva]] – 10.8 min

'''Six slowest earned''' (July 2015) This statistic shows the average working time required to buy one Big Mac in selected cities around the world in 2015.<ref name="2015index" />
# {{flag|Kenya}}, [[Nairobi]] – 172.6 min
# {{flag|Philippines}}, [[Manila]] – 87.5 min
# {{flag|Mexico}}, [[Mexico City]] – 78.4 min
# {{flag|Indonesia}}, [[Jakarta]] – 66.7 min
# {{flag|Egypt}}, [[Cairo]] – 62.5 min
# {{flag|Ukraine}}, [[Kyiv]] – 54.7 min

== See also ==
{{Portal|Economics}}
* [[Banana equivalent dose]]
* [[Christmas Price Index]]
* [[Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention]]
* [[Li Keqiang index]], another index by ''The Economist''
* [[List of countries by price level]]
* [[List of humorous units of measurement]]
* [[List of unusual units of measurement]]
* [[Recession index]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons}}
* [https://www.economist.com/big-mac-index The Big Mac Index index page]&nbsp;– contains Big Mac Index data dating back to 1997 {{subscription required}}
* [http://econblog.aplia.com/2006/06/itunes-index-for-exchange-rates_16.html Big Mac versus iTunes] Aplia
* [http://bigmacindex.org/bmi-data-text-format.html Big Mac Index in text format for analysis]

{{Authority control}}

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