Fast Food Prices Are Surging in These 15 Metro Areas

Fast food isn't as cheap as it used to be. Long gone are the days of value menus and cheap, inexpensive deals. Who remembers when you could spend just $1 on a burger, fries, or even a drink? Try to find that today, and it's nearly impossible. (if not entirely).

The average cost of a fast food meal now is $11.56. While that might not seem like a lot, in 2014, that same meal cost only around $5.39. Even with this sudden change, people are still eating fast food at record highs. For instance, on any given day, a report noted that 36.6% of U.S. adults consume fast food. That's a big portion of the population.

If you live in a state like Ohio, eating fast food constantly doesn't hurt much. Columbus, Ohio, is the city with the cheapest average fast food cost at $10.01, and it's still above single digits! Of course, the cost of fast food can be high if wages are even higher. In Columbus, this isn't the case. The average hourly wage for a fast food worker in Columbus is $14.24. Ready to find out which metro areas are seeing the highest fast food prices? For this slideshow, we used data from Lending Tree's study on fast food workers and meals.

California is one of the most expensive states in the country, especially for fast food. It's why you'll see it mentioned a few times throughout our slideshow. San Francisco is home to the most expensive average fast food cost at $12.73. The wages in California, though, may make up for this surge as the average fast food worker in San Francisco earns $20.67.

Are you even slightly surprised to see that New York City tops the charts for expensive fast food? An average fast food meal in New York City is $12.25. Wages are a little lower than in San Francisco at $17.50. Honestly, it's cheaper to shop local at a mom and pop shop than it is to eat fast food in the City That Never Sleeps.

The second California city to make our list is Los Angeles. While here, you can get a meal for an average of $12.24. The cost, though, will depend on where you go. In-N-Out is still a tightfisted option with meals starting at about $10. Fast food spots like Five Guys and Shake Shack are a lot more expensive.

Not all expensive fast-food metros are in California. Washington also gets a shoutout with Seattle. In Seattle, the average fast food meal costs $12.22. Now, the average hourly wage for a fast food worker is a steep $19.74.

In Sacramento, it's hard to find a fast food meal, which includes a side and a drink, for anything under $13. The average meal in this city is about $12.19.

Following Sacramento is another large California City, San Diego. The prices here are also high. According to the study, the average cost of a fast food meal is $12.10, only nine cents shy of Sacramento's average.

In Fresno, finding a meal, even fast food, under $20 can feel impossible. Fast food meals are about $11.97, a little better than the average cost in San Francisco.

Riverside isn't too far from Fresno when it comes to fast food prices. It's only about one cent cheaper on average at $11.96. Interestingly, the average fast food worker makes more hourly in Riverside compared to Fresno.

Also on our list of expensive metros for fast food is San Jose, California. The average cost of a fast food meal is five cents cheaper ($11.91) than in Riverside.

Leaving California, we have a Connecticut city. In the Hartford metro area, the average fast food meal drops about 30 cents to $11.66. The average hourly wage for a fast food worker in Hartford is also a lot lower at $16.78.

Massachusetts is another relatively expensive state, especially in a city like Boston. As you can only imagine, buying fast food is not for the weak here. The average fast food meal within Boston is $11.45. Eating this once every two weeks isn't too bad. But every day? In one week, you can spend over $60.

Portland, Oregon, might be a city where you want to skip your fast-food run. The average cost of a meal, without an upgrade, is $11.34.

While Buffalo is nowhere near as expensive as New York City, fast food isn't worth it. Instead, you are better off grabbing a slice of pizza or delicious wings at a small business. The average cost of a fast food meal in Upstate New York is $11.17.

Chicago is another big city where it is better to skip fast food. Instead, go for a Chicago deep dish pizza rather than a small burger made with frozen ingredients for an average of $11.17.

Lastly, there is Washington, DC, where the average cost of a fast food meal is also $11.17. The average hourly wage of a fast food worker in the area is $16.65.