This Is One Of The Cheapest Deals You Can Get At McDonald's In 2026 So Far

We've all been feeling the pressure from rising food costs at the grocery store and in restaurants. Prices for all food (grocery and restaurant) are expected to increase by nearly 3% in 2026, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Fortunately, at least for fast food, you can still get a good deal. In January of 2025, McDonald's launched a $5 meal deal to drive sales by targeting those of us looking for a bargain. Though the price does vary according to the location, with some McDonald's charging $6 for the meal deal. 

It comes with your choice of a McChicken sandwich or a McDouble burger (which we ranked middle of the pack in our ranking), a small fry, 4-piece chicken nuggets with sauce, and a small soda, sweet tea, or coffee. That's a good amount of food that should leave you feeling full for $5 to $6. Getting a decent-sized meal for less than $10 is difficult to find these days. Half that? Such a steal.

It's not the healthiest meal out there, but it is one of the cheapest deals you can get just about anywhere. McDonald's value menus have changed over the years, but deals like this are part of its ongoing effort to keep budget-friendly options on the menu.

While the $5 meal deal is a good bargain, maybe you don't like the McChicken sandwich or McDouble burger. That's cool. McDonald's has plenty of other deals to offer. If you're getting breakfast, you can get a $4 meal deal with your choice of a sausage biscuit or sausage McMuffin sandwich, a hash brown, and a small coffee, soda, or sweet tea. It's a delicious and cheap breakfast option, but note that it's only available for a limited time.

McDonald's also recently launched its $3 menu, offering some breakfast or lunch options. It's not as good a deal as the $4 and $5 breakfast and lunch deals, because these are not meals; you only get one item for $3, but it's still a cheap alternative. Breakfast options include a sausage biscuit, sausage McMuffin, sausage burrito, hash brown, or a medium coffee. At lunch, you can choose a McDouble, McChicken, or 4-piece chicken nuggets, plus small fries and a medium drink like soda, sweet tea, or coffee.

Another way to get good deals is by mastering the McDonald's app and signing up for the MyMcDonald's rewards program. Whether you're ordering pickup or delivery, you can earn points with every purchase. You can also use your rewards code through the app at the counter or drive-through and still earn points. You can redeem your points for free burgers, fries, McNuggets, ice cream, Frappes, coffees, apple pies, and even Happy Meals.