What's The Cheapest Fast Food Breakfast Order?

In the endless hunt for affordable meals these days, finding the cheapest fast food breakfast can be the most frustrating. Nobody is happy about how expensive fast food of any kind has gotten, but there has always been this largely unspoken expectation that breakfast should be the cheapest of all meals. A filling burger or a large pizza may go up a few bucks sure, but why is a small fast food breakfast sandwich costing as much as dinner used to? Despite the stomach-churning prices, there are still a few cheap breakfast meals out there in the fast food world. We decided to hunt through the menus of the largest national fast food chains to find the single cheapest thing you can order for breakfast, and it turns out your best options are McDonald's and Dunkin'.

To find the cheapest fast food breakfast order we looked for food items that could reasonably make a small meal by themselves with a coffee, so no single hash browns or small pastries. We also looked at prices in states that are listed as having some of the most average fast food prices overall, so while the costs listed here will vary by your location, they should be pretty representative. In the end, McDonald's and Dunkin' stood out, with Dunkin' having the single cheapest breakfast item of decent size. That would be the chain's corn muffin, which came in at only $1.29. Baked goods were hit or miss depending on their size, but Dunkin's muffins are hefty enough to fill in as a small meal.

If you don't consider a muffin satisfying as a meal, or just want something savory, McDonald's is the other cheapest choice. Right now they have two breakfast sandwiches on the Extra Value Menu, a sausage McMuffin and sausage biscuit, with the McMuffin priced at only $1.50, depending on your location. With just sausage and cheese, no egg, it's also not a super filling option, but it's a decent bit of protein to keep you satiated during a quick morning meal. If you want to grab a coffee as well, McDonald's is cheaper overall, with its medium hot and cold brew coffees both priced more than a dollar less than Dunkin's. For what its worth, you won't be missing out by saving money, as McDonald's and Dunkin' both have some of our favorite fast food breakfasts overall.

While those two chains offered the best value for breakfast, there were a few other contenders very close behind them. Most surprising was Taco Bell, which no longer offers breakfast at every location, but for those that do, we found its Cheesy Toasted Breakfast Burrito options were only $1.79. Coming tied for third was Wendy's, which has its simple sausage biscuit sandwich at the same price. No other chain managed a cheap breakfast option under $2, with Sonic coming the closest at $2.19 for its Jr. Breakfast Burrito. These may not be rib-sticking full breakfasts, but if you need something quick in the morning, you can still eat pretty cheap in 2026.