For Americans looking for an affordable meal out, geography can make a big difference in what they pay for a\u00a0cheeseburger, fries\u00a0and a soda.<\/p>\n
A $15 bill is still enough to cover a cheeseburger, fries and a soda in some US cities, but not everywhere.<\/p>\n
A recent DoorDash\u00a0State of Local Commerce report<\/a>\u00a0found that just four of the cities it analyzed had an average price below $15<\/a> for the meal: Austin and Laredo, Texas; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Detroit, Michigan.<\/p>\n Austin was the cheapest at $12.94, according to DoorDash\u2019s so-called Cheeseburger Index, which tracks the average cost of a cheeseburger, fries and a soda across US cities.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Cheeseburger Index is a really great way to distill the information into a simple, fun and relatable metric,\u201d Jessica Lachs, chief analytics officer at DoorDash, told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n Austin was found to have the cheapest cheeseburger meal at $12.94. elnariz \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n And while prices varied significantly by region, DoorDash said cities in the South and Southeast tend to benefit from structurally\u00a0lower operating costs, helping the region rank among the most affordable for both restaurant meals and groceries<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the other end of the spectrum, the same cheeseburger combo costs an average of $28.28 in\u00a0Anchorage, Alaska\u00a0\u2014 more than twice the price in Austin.<\/p>\n The 10 best-value cities in the study are concentrated in the Midwest and\u00a0Texas, with four cities in the Lone Star State making the list \u2014 Laredo, Texas ($13.39); Lincoln, Nebraska ($13.86); Detroit ($14.99); and Philadelphia ($15.41) rounded out the top five.<\/p>\n Four cities in Texas made the top 10, along with other spots like Detroit and Philadelphia. Emin \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n The rankings come as eating out continues to get more expensive, even as prices for many grocery and household staples have stabilized.<\/p>\n