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Burger Cost by City Reversed a Weekly Dip, Rising 13 Cents
Burger cost by city rose an average 13 cents from September 10 to 17 across 12 areas, reversing the prior week's 5-cent dip as buns led the move.
Burger cost by city rose an average 13 cents from September 10 to 17, lifting CostInflation’s 12-city mean from $5.23 to $5.36 for one double-patty grocery burger.
That reversed the prior week’s 5-cent dip. The rebound was also broad: 11 of 12 city areas moved higher, with Houston gaining the most and Jacksonville the only city to decline.
The Burger Cost by City combines beef, buns, American cheese, produce, pickles and condiments in fixed serving quantities. Buns supplied the largest share of the latest weekly move.
The rebound reached 11 of 12 city baskets
Houston’s indexed basket rose about 31 cents, the largest increase. Jackson gained 24 cents, while East St. Louis, San Antonio and Los Angeles each rose by 18 to 19 cents.
Philadelphia, Seattle and San Jose also rose, though only by two to three cents. Jacksonville moved the other way, falling about six cents.
| City area | September 10 | September 17 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | $4.70 | $5.01 | +$0.31 |
| Jackson | $6.36 | $6.60 | +$0.24 |
| East St. Louis | $6.30 | $6.50 | +$0.19 |
| San Antonio | $4.79 | $4.97 | +$0.18 |
| Los Angeles | $4.70 | $4.88 | +$0.18 |
| Clayton | $6.24 | $6.41 | +$0.16 |
| Chicago | $4.67 | $4.83 | +$0.16 |
| New York | $4.95 | $5.06 | +$0.10 |
| Philadelphia | $4.85 | $4.88 | +$0.03 |
| Seattle | $4.85 | $4.87 | +$0.03 |
| San Jose | $4.83 | $4.85 | +$0.02 |
| Jacksonville | $5.50 | $5.44 | −$0.06 |
Buns supplied nearly two-thirds of the increase
The mean hamburger bun price index rose 7.8% across the 12 city areas. For one bun in the basket, that change added about 8.1 cents—roughly 63% of the 12.9-cent unrounded increase.
American cheese and lettuce each added about 2.3 cents. Beef added another 2.0 cents. Together, those four components added about 14.7 cents before smaller ingredients offset part of the increase.
| Ingredient group | Index change | Basket contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Hamburger bun | +7.8% | +$0.081 |
| American cheese | +3.5% | +$0.023 |
| Lettuce | +6.5% | +$0.023 |
| Beef patties | +0.7% | +$0.020 |
| Other six ingredients | Mixed | −$0.018 |
That result extends the ingredient hierarchy seen on September 10, when beef, buns and American cheese made up at least 81% of every city basket. A movement in the bun component can matter more to the total than a larger percentage change in a lightly weighted condiment.
Smaller ingredients softened the rebound
Onions, pickles, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and relish reduced the mean basket by about 1.8 cents in combination. Ketchup had the largest percentage decline among them at 8.0%, yet its small serving weight limited its basket effect to less than half a cent.
The comparison uses the same 12 city areas at both seven-day endpoints. The index represents the qualifying products observed on each date, so the result is a basket-index reversal; it does not imply that every unchanged item became more expensive.
Watch whether the rebound lasts beyond one weekly interval. The live Burger Cost by City index shows each city total daily, while the hamburger bun price history, American cheese price history and beef patty price history show which core component is moving.