Costco's Food Court Hot Dog Vs. Slice Of Pizza: Which Is Actually Healthier?

Against all odds, you've survived the weekend rush at Costco. You are changed, and so is your cart. Now the food court beckons, and it's as good a reward as any. The menu is large, but few items are as popular as Costco's $1.50 hot dog and the $1.99 slice of pizza. While the food court isn't exactly a temple of wellness, if you're choosing between the two and still hoping to keep your diet somewhat balanced, go with the plain hot dog.

The menu boards only list the calorie count for each item. For the full nutrition facts, you need to check a printed sheet at the register (which one helpful Redditor photographed for the internet). On it, a cheese slice has 710 calories, while a hot dog is half that at 370. There are 41 grams of protein for the pizza, whereas the hot dog only has 16. The slice also has 9 grams of fiber to the hot dog's zero, and less total fat, 27 grams versus 31. More notably, if you were to choose the pizza, you're also blowing through 77% of the 2,300-milligram American Heart Association recommended daily limit of sodium, at 1,780 milligrams per slice. Saturated fat, at 14 grams, edges past the roughly 13 grams the AHA suggests for a full day on a 2,000-calorie diet.

You can get a lighter pizza by asking for pepperoni instead of cheese. At 650 calories to the cheese slice's 710, with 24 grams of total fat instead of 27, it shaves off a little. Although, the pepperoni slide is smaller than a cheese one. 

The issue is that the $1.50 hot dog also covers a 20-ounce fountain drink (which was switched from Pepsi productes to Coca-Cola in 2025). There's no option to get just the hot dog and no discount if you skip the drink. This is where the figures get a little more contentious. For the hot dog-plus-drink combo, Costco's menu lists a calorie count of 580 to 850 — around 140 calories more than a cheese slice at its peak. You also get 2,690 milligrams of sodium, which is well past the recommended limit. Remarkably, the drink also brings 66 grams of added sugar.

Interestingly, Costco-goers have reported on Reddit that some stores now let you swap the soda for a bottle of water (still $1.50). It's worth asking the cashier if the warehouse is running a similar policy. If not, you can always skip the soda or grab a diet one to keep the meal light.