U.S. retail ground beef $6.79/lb▲ 7.4% y/yUSDA wholesale 81% $3.42/lbNortheast $7.02Midwest $6.75South $6.50West $6.93Providence median burger $16.48Boston median burger $17.50Sarasota–Tampa median burger $14.95New York median burger $16.75Los Angeles median burger $10.25Chicago median burger $16.95Dallas–Fort Worth median burger $9.99Houston median burger $10.00Miami median burger $14.50Washington, DC median burger $16.49Atlanta median burger $14.00Philadelphia median burger $12.25Seattle median burger $13.99
October 2026 · Independent restaurants · Updated monthly
What indies charge for a burger. What the beef actually costs.
We checked 166 independent restaurant menus in 13 U.S. metros, from New York to Seattle. The median burger is $14.00, and U.S. retail ground beef is $6.79/lb. Here's how the two compare, metro by metro.
Median indie burger$14.00166 independents · 13 metros
$14.00
Median indie burger · 166 restaurants, 13 metros
$6.79
U.S. retail ground beef/lb · Sep 2026 (BLS)
▲ 7.4% vs. a year ago
$3.42
Wholesale 81% ground beef/lb · Oct 2026 (through Oct 15) (USDA)
▲ 0.3% vs. a year ago
2.1 lb
of U.S. retail ground beef costs the same as one median indie burger
01 · The snapshot
Burger prices by metro
The cheapest standard beef burger on each independent restaurant's own menu or ordering page. Chains are excluded, and we only record prices we actually saw. The lowest in the index is $3.10 (Mikie's, Everett WA) and the highest is $34.00 (Red Hook Tavern, Brooklyn NY).
The Price Pulse compares each restaurant's burger price with its previous check. It runs from −100 (every re-checked restaurant lowered its price) to +100 (every one raised it). It uses only prices we actually re-checked, so it stays blank until a second check exists.
Pick a metro to see the most local public beef data BLS publishes for it.
Ground beef, $/lb
Local meat prices (metro CPI)
03 · The tool
Should I raise my burger price?
Enter your patty weight, beef cost and target food cost. The calculator shows the menu price that hits your number, and what each beef move does to it.
How much does a burger cost at an independent restaurant?
In our October 2026 check of 166 independent restaurants in 13 metros, the median burger was $14.00. For context, Toast's Menu Price Monitor put the national median restaurant burger at $14.80 in September 2026 (source). That figure covers all Toast restaurants, chains included.
Which metro has the most expensive burgers in the index?
Boston has the highest median at $17.50, and Dallas–Fort Worth the lowest at $9.99. See the Boston and Dallas–Fort Worth pages for every restaurant.
How much is ground beef per pound right now?
The BLS U.S. average retail price for 100% ground beef was $6.79 per pound in September 2026, +7.4% from a year earlier. More on the ground beef price page.
How should a restaurant price a burger when beef goes up?
Divide your plate cost by your target food-cost percentage, then round. Every $0.50/lb on beef adds about $0.19 to a 6 oz patty. Try it with your own numbers in the burger price calculator.
Where do these numbers come from?
Burger prices come from each restaurant's own menu, checked by hand. Beef prices come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and USDA Market News. See the methodology.