Pricele #24: Big Mac in India 🇮🇳
The puzzle for 24 July 2026 asked what one burger of big mac costs in India. Here is the answer and the context behind it.
The answer
Big Mac · India
$2.51
227 INR
About 60 minutes of the average local wage buys one.
That makes it the cheapest big mac of all 33 countries in the game.
Source: The Economist Big Mac Index, Jan 2026.
About big mac
The Big Mac is the most-quoted price in economics. The Economist started publishing its Big Mac Index in 1986 as a light-hearted way to test purchasing-power parity — the theory that a currency should buy the same basket of goods anywhere. Because the burger is close to identical everywhere it is sold, the gap between what it costs in two countries is a rough read on whether a currency is over- or undervalued.
Where India sits
Of the 33 countries priced for big mac, India ranks #33 from the top at $2.51 — 56% below the median of $5.69.
India has the cheapest Big Mac in the Economist's index — though the Indian sandwich is a Maharaja Mac, since McDonald's does not sell beef there, which is the one place the index's like-for-like premise breaks down. Local staples are inexpensive; imported and branded goods are not.
What else costs what in India
| Item | USD | Local | Work time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coca-Cola (330ml can) | $0.82 | 70 INR | 20 min |
| Cappuccino | $1.70 | 162.34 INR | 41 min |
| Milk (1 litre) | $0.64 | 61.12 INR | 15 min |
| Eggs (dozen) | $0.91 | 86.9 INR | 22 min |
| Apples (1 kg) | $1.94 | 185.26 INR | 47 min |
| Gasoline (1 litre) | $1.09 | 104.09 INR | 26 min |
Go deeper
See the full table for big mac in every country or everything priced in India.