The Fast Food Chain That Sells The Absolute Cheapest Chili

Chili is a comforting, hearty dish that makes for an easy lunch or dinner — and if you grab it from your local fast food joint, you can eat it right in its to-go bowl or even add it to a burger. But when looking for a cheap meal, it's important to compare fast food prices to ensure you're getting the best deal. For the cheapest chili, you'll want to hit the Wendy's drive-thru.

While there could be smaller-scale, localized fast food chains with less expensive chili, you can almost guarantee that wherever you are in the United States, Wendy's chili is your most affordable option. Depending on your location, the chili costs around $1.79 for a small side, making it the cheapest one we could find. If you want to upgrade to a large, you'll spend $2.49, which is still substantially less expensive than other fast food chain prices. (Wisconsin-based Culver's, for example, offers a large chili for $5.69.) Chili has been a Wendy's staple for decades, so it's not exactly a bad place to order it.

Even though it's inexpensive, you should know what you're getting for your money. Wendy's chili is pretty basic; its base is made from tomatoes, sugar, chili peppers, and various spices and seasonings. Onions, celery, and green peppers make up the vegetables in the dish, and ground beef and pinto and kidney beans round out the rest of the main ingredients. If you want more flavor, there are plenty of ways to upgrade Wendy's chili.

The chili, which is one of the chain's original menu items from its opening in 1969 as a way to prevent wasting fresh beef, has certainly stood the test of time. Wendy's customers generally agree that for the cost and convenience, the chili is worth it. "Baked potato and chili with a Frosty from Wendy's [is] the greatest 3 course cheap meal in all of American fast food," one person wrote on a Reddit forum all about the fast food side dish. While not everyone was quite as excited about it, others said that, for a quick and cheap meal option, it's good — especially when you want something filling on short notice but don't want fried food.