CostInflation Burger Index July 2026: Jackson Stayed High
CostInflation Burger Index July 2026 put North Jackson at $6.68 and San Jose at $4.88, a $1.80 gap led mostly by buns, lettuce, and beef.
CostInflation Burger Index July 2026 kept North Jackson at the top of the 12-market burger basket. The retail ingredients for one double-patty burger cost $6.68 there on July 5, while San Jose’s Blossom Valley came in at $4.88.
That put Jackson $1.80 above San Jose, wider than the $1.55 difference in the June report. Almost every market rose from June 13, but San Jose edged lower, so the July table split into a clear top tier and a softer bottom.
Buns, lettuce, and beef carried most of that distance. Those three ingredients added about $1.69 of the Jackson-San Jose gap.
Jackson stayed first while East St. Louis moved closer
Jackson remained the expensive outlier, but East St. Louis narrowed the distance. The July 5 basket put East St. Louis at $6.46, only 22 cents below Jackson, after sitting about 40 cents behind it in the June 13 report.
| Rank | Market | Postal code | July basket | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jackson, MS - North Jackson | 39206 | $6.68 | 670 |
| 2 | East St. Louis, IL | 62201 | $6.46 | 674 |
| 3 | Clayton, MO | 63105 | $6.06 | 675 |
| 4 | New York, NY - Ridgewood/Glendale | 11385 | $5.65 | 742 |
| 5 | Jacksonville, FL - Westside | 32210 | $5.51 | 744 |
| 6 | San Antonio, TX - West San Antonio | 78228 | $5.39 | 764 |
| 7 | Houston, TX - Midtown | 77004 | $5.33 | 750 |
| 8 | Philadelphia, PA - South Philadelphia | 19145 | $5.11 | 744 |
| 9 | Chicago, IL - North Center/Avondale | 60618 | $5.10 | 759 |
| 10 | Seattle, WA - Rainier Valley | 98118 | $4.99 | 771 |
| 11 | Los Angeles, CA - Mid-City | 90019 | $4.92 | 765 |
| 12 | San Jose, CA - Blossom Valley | 95123 | $4.88 | 769 |
The July 5 comparison drew on 8,827 observed retail listings across the 12 market areas. The strongest month-to-month movers were New York, East St. Louis, San Antonio, and Houston; San Jose was the only market in this comparison that moved lower.
Buns and lettuce made the city gap visible
The July spread was not a mystery spread across every ingredient. Buns and lettuce did most of the visible work, and beef added a smaller third leg.
| Ingredient | Jackson | San Jose | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamburger buns | $1.62 | $0.77 | +$0.85 |
| Lettuce | $0.93 | $0.33 | +$0.60 |
| Beef patties | $2.81 | $2.58 | +$0.24 |
Those three components added about $1.69 of the $1.80 city gap. The smaller condiments and toppings barely changed the ranking by themselves.
Readers can check the ingredient lines directly on the hamburger bun, lettuce, and beef patties pages.
How to cite the July report
Use this citation line for the report:
CostInflation, “CostInflation Burger Index, July 2026,” observed retail listings for July 5, 2026, https://costinflation.com/blog/costinflation-burger-index-july-2026.
The Burger Index covers the retail ingredients for one double-patty burger: buns, beef, American cheese, lettuce, onions, pickles, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, and relish. It tracks store-bought ingredients across the 12 market areas currently published by CostInflation; it is not a restaurant menu-price index.
The latest live series is on the Burger Cost by City history. To request the next monthly issue by email, use Get the monthly Burger Index report. For media questions about this report, email media@costinflation.com.