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A McDonalds hamburger costs $2.69 and carries 250 calories. It is the lightest burger on the menu, the lowest in sodium, and one of only two items still sold from the 1949 board.
A McDonalds hamburger contains 250 calories, 12g of protein and 9g of fat, and costs $2.69 at the national midpoint. One beef patty, pickles, chopped onions, ketchup and mustard on a toasted bun. No cheese.
This is the simplest thing McDonald's sells and one of the two original 1949 menu items, alongside the cheeseburger. Almost nothing about it has changed in seventy-five years. It is also the lightest burger on the board and carries less sodium than anything else in the range, which makes it a more sensible order than its reputation suggests. Prices for the rest of the range are on our McDonald's burgers menu, and the full board is on the McDonald's menu with prices.
Our surveyed national midpoint is $2.69, which makes this the cheapest sandwich McDonald's sells. It has anchored the bottom of every value menu the company has run, and participating restaurants often list it well below three dollars on the McValue board.
| HOW YOU ORDER IT | PRICE | CALORIES | PROTEIN |
|---|---|---|---|
McDonalds hamburgerThe national midpoint | $2.69 | 250 | 12g |
In a Happy MealWith kids fries, apple slices and a drink | $5.49 | 465 | 14g |
Two hamburgersCheaper than a McDouble at some boards | $5.38 | 500 | 24g |
Value mealMedium fries and a medium drink | $7.19 | 780 | 18g |
Rural and small townLowest recorded band | $2.19 | 250 | 12g |
Airport and highwayHighest recorded band | $3.49 | 250 | 12g |
250 calories with 12g of protein. Two numbers on this label are the best in the entire burger range: it is the lightest sandwich McDonald's sells, and at 510mg it carries less sodium than anything else on the board.
| NUTRIENT | AMOUNT | % DV | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|
CaloriesLightest burger on the menu | 250 | 13% | Best in range |
Protein | 12g | 24% | 4.8g per 100 cal |
Total fatLowest of any sandwich | 9g | 12% | Best in range |
Saturated fat | 3.5g | 18% | Very low |
Carbohydrate | 31g | 11% | Mostly the bun |
Sugars | 6g | — | Bun and ketchup |
SodiumLowest sodium burger McDonald's sells | 510mg | 22% | Best in range |
Cholesterol | 30mg | 10% | Low |
Without the bun it comes to roughly 100 calories with 5g of carbohydrate, keeping 11g of protein. Holding the ketchup removes most of the remaining sugar. Both changes are free and are handled more reliably through the app or kiosk than at the counter.
Five things, and the recipe has barely moved since 1949. A 1.6oz beef patty seasoned with salt and pepper only, two dill pickle slices, rehydrated chopped onions, ketchup and mustard, on a toasted bun. No cheese and no sauce beyond the two condiments.
| COMPONENT | COUNT | ALLERGEN | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|
Beef patty1.6oz, salt and pepper only, 100% beef | 1 | — | Frozen, not fresh |
Dill pickle slicesThe only artificial preservative on it | 2 | — | See below |
Rehydrated onionsChopped, not slivered | 1 | — | Removable |
Ketchup and mustardNot in New York. See the next section | 2 | — | Most of the sugar |
Toasted bunPlain, no sesame seeds | 1 | Wheat | ~150 calories |
CheeseNone. Add one and it becomes a cheeseburger | 0 | — | +50 calories |
The hamburger and the cheeseburger were both on the first menu, which makes them the oldest things McDonald's still sells. Nothing else comes close: the Big Mac arrived in 1967 and the Quarter Pounder in 1971. Several overseas markets sold it for years as the Junior Burger.
Contains wheat and soy. No dairy unless you add cheese. Full ingredient detail on McDonald's own product page.
Everything above this on the board adds a patty, a cheese slice or both. The steps are remarkably even, and the hamburger is the baseline all of them build from.
| BURGER | PRICE | CALORIES | SODIUM |
|---|---|---|---|
McDonalds hamburgerOne patty, no cheese | $2.69 | 250 | 510mg |
CheeseburgerAdds one cheese slice | $2.99 | 300 | 720mg |
McDoubleTwo patties, one cheese slice | $3.49 | 390 | 850mg |
Double CheeseburgerTwo patties, two cheese slices | $4.19 | 440 | 1,110mg |
Big MacTwo patties, sauce, three bun pieces | $6.49 | 590 | 1,050mg |
This is one of the two burger options McDonald's puts in a Happy Meal, and it is also subject to the same regional quirk as the cheeseburger: in most of the New York City area it arrives without mustard by default.
| SITUATION | WHAT CHANGES | OFFICIAL? | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|
In a Happy MealWith kids fries, apple slices and a drink | 465 cal | Yes | $5.49 |
New York City areaServed without mustard as standard | No mustard | Yes | Ask if you want it |
Overseas, historicallySold in several markets as the Junior Burger | Name only | Historic | Same build |
Everywhere else in the USThe standard build | Nothing | — | Ketchup and mustard |
Prices are a national midpoint recorded from restaurant menu boards in August 2026 and vary by location. Nutrition figures are McDonald's published US data. Every item's calorie count is on our calorie list, and the full board with current pricing is on the McDonald's menu with prices.
250 calories, with 12g of protein, 9g of fat and 31g of carbohydrate. That is McDonald's own published figure and the lowest of any burger on the menu.
$2.69 at the national midpoint, which makes it the cheapest sandwich McDonald's sells. Rural restaurants run closer to $2.19 and airport locations to $3.49.
A 1.6oz beef patty seasoned with salt and pepper, two dill pickle slices, rehydrated chopped onions, ketchup and mustard on a toasted bun. No cheese and no sesame seeds.
One slice of American cheese. Everything else is identical. The slice adds 50 calories, 3g of protein, 210mg of sodium and about 30 cents. Full detail on our cheeseburger page.
On calories, fat and sodium, yes. At 250 calories, 9g of fat and 510mg of sodium it beats every other sandwich in the range. A Double Cheeseburger carries 1,110mg of sodium by comparison. The trade-off is only 12g of protein.
It was on the original 1949 menu alongside the cheeseburger, making the two of them the oldest items McDonald's still sells. The Big Mac did not arrive until 1967.
Yes. Across most of the New York City area McDonald's serves the hamburger and cheeseburger without mustard as standard. It is a long-standing regional default, so ask for mustard if you want it.
12g, which is 24% of the daily value. That works out at 4.8g per 100 calories. If protein is the goal, a McDouble gives 22g for $3.49 and is the better order.
Roughly 100, with carbohydrate dropping from 31g to about 5g while keeping 11g of protein. McDonald's will serve it in a container at no charge. Order through the app or kiosk for a more reliable result.
Yes. It is one of two burger options, alongside the cheeseburger. With kids fries, apple slices and a drink the Happy Meal comes to about 465 calories at $5.49.
Prices shown are based on typical U.S. McDonald’s menu prices as of August 2026 and may vary by location. Check your local restaurant or McDonald’s app for the latest prices.
Priya has tracked fast food pricing since 2019. Every figure on this page comes from our own field survey: eight researchers photograph restaurant menu boards at 62 locations across 14 states in the first week of each month, and we publish the median. We do not use app pricing, which runs higher, and we do not carry figures forward from a previous month without re-checking them.