McDonald's Is Planning New Budget-Friendly Deals As It Tries To Remind Diners It's Cheap
Everything feels so expensive these days. From gas prices to grocery shopping, the cost of living seems to be creeping up in all aspects of life. This includes once-affordable value meals from fast food joints, and some of us are wondering if fast food dollar menus are a thing of the past. However, McDonald's seeks to offer a bit of a respite from sky-high price increases with a rollout of more reasonably priced menu items in 2026, which comes as good news for many.
According to The Wall Street Journal, McDonalds plans to offer menu items at lower price points this April, including some options that cost $3 and under and a breakfast meal deal for $4. For its $3 and under menu, McDonald's is including options like 4-piece chicken McNuggets and its sausage biscuit, as well as other fast food offerings that will likely to be added upon the official rollout. Additionally, the $4 breakfast value meal will include chain mainstays like McMuffins, along with McDonald's signature crispy hash brown and coffee.
Lower prices should appease customers
These new value menu offerings will replace the buy-one-add-one-for-a-dollar menu that McDonald's introduced just last year. The chain's menu costs vary by city, but currently, depending on your location, a sausage biscuit will run you up to about $4.79, with the ability to add another item like a hash brown for just $1. Compared to the new $4 breakfast meal deal, the current price for an egg McMuffin meal with a coffee and hash brown will cost you up to about $8.19, so the new pricing system should prove to be less expensive for customers.
But the breakfast offerings aren't the only McDonald's items that will bring customers back to the Golden Arches for more. Presently, a 4-piece box of chicken McNuggets can cost upwards of $4 at the chain, so the new $3 cost will certainly be a reprieve for those looking to spend less at the fast food giant. If you're looking to keep your belly and wallet full, check out our list of the most affordable fast food chains in 2026.