The cheapest fast food chains in the UK for a single meal are Greggs, Subway and McDonald’s, where a filling meal deal can still come in under £5 to £6. Prices have crept up across the board, but some chains remain noticeably cheaper than others once you compare a like-for-like meal. Here’s how the UK’s biggest fast food chains stack up on price.
Cheapest fast food UK at a glance
| Cheapest overall | Greggs (meal deal from around £4) |
|---|---|
| Cheapest burger chain | McDonald’s (saver menu from £1.19) |
| Cheapest sandwich chain | Subway (meal deal from around £5.50) |
| Best value fried chicken | KFC (meal deals from around £6) |
| Last updated | July 2026 |
How UK fast food chains compare on price
Greggs remains the cheapest way to get a hot meal on the go, with sausage rolls, pasties and meal deal bundles that stay well under £5 in most cases. McDonald’s saver menu items let you build a meal from small individual prices, though the full meal deals push closer to £6 to £7. Subway’s meal deals, a sub plus a drink and a side, sit in a similar range, while KFC and Burger King’s meal deals tend to run £1 to £2 higher once you add a drink and fries to a main item. See our Greggs menu prices, McDonald’s menu prices, Subway menu prices, KFC menu prices and Burger King menu prices pages for the full breakdown.
How to eat cheaply across UK fast food chains
App-only deals are consistently the biggest lever across every chain, since prices shown in-app or through loyalty schemes are often lower than walk-in menu board pricing. Sticking to the saver or value section of any menu rather than the flagship meal deals keeps costs down further, and ordering collection rather than delivery avoids service charges that can add several pounds to an order. Comparing meal deals rather than individual item prices gives the fairest picture, since bundled pricing is usually where the real savings are.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest fast food chain in the UK?
Greggs is generally the cheapest for a filling meal, with meal deal bundles that stay under £5 in most cases.
Is McDonald’s or Burger King cheaper?
McDonald’s saver menu tends to be slightly cheaper for individual items, though full meal deals are broadly similar between the two.
Are app deals really cheaper than in-store prices?
Yes, most major chains offer app-exclusive pricing or loyalty discounts that undercut standard menu board prices.
Is delivery more expensive than collection at fast food chains?
Yes, delivery apps add service and delivery fees on top of menu prices, so collection is usually the cheaper option.
How menu engineering affects what actually counts as “cheapest”
Comparing fast food chains purely on their cheapest listed item can be misleading, since menu engineering, the deliberate design of pricing and menu layout, often uses a very low headline price to draw attention while the realistic full meal cost sits considerably higher once sides, drinks and any necessary add-ons are included. A single saver item might cost barely more than a pound, but building an actual satisfying meal from several saver items can end up costing similarly to a mid-tier combo meal at a different chain, undermining the initial value impression. Understanding this pattern helps you compare chains more fairly by looking at realistic full-meal costs rather than cherry-picked cheapest individual items.
Comparing chains on genuine like-for-like value
Building an identical meal, a main, a side and a drink, across two or three chains and comparing the total rather than individual item prices gives a much fairer sense of genuine value. Checking whether a chain’s meal deal bundle undercuts assembling the same items individually is worth doing at every chain, since the gap between bundled and individual pricing varies. Factoring in app-exclusive pricing specifically, since this can meaningfully shift which chain comes out cheapest compared with walk-in menu board prices alone, gives the most accurate real-world comparison.
More frequently asked questions
Why can comparing the cheapest item be misleading?
Menu engineering often uses a very low headline price to draw attention, while a realistic full meal cost sits considerably higher once sides and drinks are included.
What’s the fairest way to compare fast food chain prices?
Building an identical full meal, a main, side and drink, across chains and comparing the total gives a much fairer sense of genuine value than comparing single items.