{"id":644302,"date":"2026-05-15T08:06:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T08:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/644302\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T08:06:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T08:06:22","slug":"how-much-is-a-beer-and-hot-dog-at-wrigley-field-and-the-rate-i-did-the-math-26-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/644302\/","title":{"rendered":"How much is a beer and hot dog at Wrigley Field and The Rate? I did the math (\u201926 edition)"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHICAGO \u2014 Cubs fans will invade Rate Field this weekend, and in a bit of a surprise, they\u2019ll find a much better White Sox team, led by Munetaka Murakami<\/a>. The Sox are sniffing .500, which, in the American League, makes them a playoff contender.<\/p>\n

The crowds will be bipartisan and rowdy, as a little bit of juice has returned to the crosstown rivalry.<\/p>\n

Cubs fans will also find, as usual, a lot more food options at The Rate.<\/p>\n

At the White Sox\u2019s home ballpark, you can walk the concourse and get a Colombian-Polish fusion emparogi ($16.99), a Boricua bowl ($16.99), three kinds of Korean dogs ($10.99), a chicken chorizo \u201cMachete,\u201d which is a giant quesadilla ($13.99), the classic Cuban sandwich ($12.49), and if you\u2019re looking for something a little lighter, I prefer the chili crunch noodles ($13.99). (All prices in the story are before tax.)<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a coffee stand in the outfield section, which is new this season. You can get a cold brew or an iced matcha latte (both $6.99), or a cold brew coffee float ($9.99), or a blueberry boba matcha float ($10.99). If you want to spice up a coffee and you didn\u2019t sneak your own flask in, it\u2019s $11.99 for an Irish cream coffee.<\/p>\n

And of course, there are the viral milkshakes. It\u2019ll be $17 for the Campfire and $19 for the Celebration.<\/p>\n

At Wrigley Field, as you know, there\u2019s not as much variety. It\u2019s actually a bit disappointing considering the renovations.<\/p>\n

The bleachers have a Small Cheval (I\u2019ve had mixed results there), and there are a few interesting options in the main concourse, such as chicken and churros ($18.99), loaded pork rinds ($16.99) and loaded garlic parmesan fries ($14.99). There are plenty of hot dogs and sausages, ranging in price from $8.99 (Vienna beef hot dog) to $17.99 (Kosher pastrami dog).<\/p>\n

One thing you won\u2019t find at either park: a lot of cheap options. Aside from the White Sox\u2019s long-running $5 Tuesday promotion, prices inside the ballpark keep going up and up. It\u2019s not a Chicago problem; it\u2019s nationwide.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be interested to see\u00a0whether Justin Ishbia\u00a0introduces lower-priced menu items,<\/a> as his brother has\u00a0with the Phoenix Suns. The Cubs don\u2019t need to do it, but it might help the Sox draw more fans.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n The White Sox have a variety of food options, including Puerto Rican rice bowls. (Jon Greenberg \/ The Athletic)<\/p>\n

For the second consecutive season<\/a>, I documented all the concessions and pricing across both ballparks. I walked around the stadiums, snapping pictures of menus (and confusing or frightening the stand workers). You can check out the list here<\/a>, with 2025 and 2026 prices.<\/p>\n

Aside from hot dogs, prices are up across the board at both parks, mostly by $1. Year after year, it adds up.<\/p>\n

For instance, if you want to buy peanuts and Cracker Jack, that\u2019ll run you $15.98 (before tax) at Wrigley Field. At Rate Field, it\u2019ll be $12.58. I guess that\u2019s why the song says \u201cBuy me some\u201d instead of \u201cI\u2019ll treat.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just peanuts and Cracker Jack that are cheaper on the South Side. So is the beer. I\u2019ve buried the lede because in Chicago, the price of beer is the main story.<\/p>\n

Beer prices are probably the clearest difference between the two parks, and that adds up with the way Chicago fans drink.<\/p>\n

For example, a Bud Light from a vendor at Wrigley will cost you $14.99 before tax. At Rate, a vended Miller Lite is \u201conly\u201d $11.49. A large draft beer at Wrigley is $17.99, compared with $13.79 for a 24 oz. draft at a Sox game. (The White Sox also sell 24 oz. cans for $15.99.) A 16 oz. canned seltzer is $14.99 at Wrigley and $12.49 at Rate.<\/p>\n

Alcoholic drinks are more expensive up north \u2014 a Wrigleyville tax, as it were. We\u2019re getting to the point at which hard liquor isn\u2019t more expensive than beer at a game. At Wrigley, a top-shelf or premium cocktail is $16.99, while a premium cocktail at Rate is $13.49.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say you\u2019re not into heavy drinking, but you\u2019re still thirsty after eating peanuts, a hot dog and a pretzel. A bottle of water is actually slightly more expensive at Rate at $7.29, compared to $6.99. But a bottled soft drink is more expensive at Wrigley, $8.99 compared to $7.29.<\/p>\n

A $7 water should be outlawed, but you can bring your own sealed water bottle to the game and fill it up at a water fountain.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n The Cubs have fewer food options, but still do hot dogs and sausage pretty well. (Jon Greenberg \/ The Athletic)<\/p>\n

Back in the day, when I worked at Team Marketing Report, I compiled the Fan Cost Index (FCI) surveys<\/a> for the four major sports. The FCI price included four non-premium tickets, four hot dogs, four soft drinks, two beers, parking, hats and programs.<\/p>\n

For the Chicago FCI, I\u2019ll skip the tickets (it involves an onerous process of seat scaling and determining which seats are premium and non-premium) and instead give the combined price of some staples: the cheapest beer, comparable hot dogs, peanuts, a soft pretzel and an ice cream helmet. We\u2019ll call it the BHDPPICH. (Pronounced \u201cBad Pitch.\u201d)<\/p>\n

Now, most people don\u2019t get the cheapest anything at a game. You get the Polish or the Chicago dog, the craft beer, etc. You treat yourself. But bear with me.<\/p>\n

At Wrigley, the BHDPPICH is $47.95. That\u2019s $13.99 for a 16 oz. domestic can of beer, $8.99 for a premium beef hot dog, $7.99 each for a bag of peanuts and a soft pretzel, and $8.99 for an ice cream helmet.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, at Rate, the same combo goes for $42.05. That\u2019s $11.49 for a 16 oz. can of domestic beer, $8.49 for a premium beef hot dog (the Sox do offer a cheaper dog for $5.79), $6.29 for peanuts, $6.99 for a pretzel and $8.79 for an ice cream helmet.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re shaking your head or your fist, remember that you can bring your own food into the park. Many fans don\u2019t realize that (or don\u2019t plan ahead).<\/p>\n

Wrigleyville has more options within walking distance, including El Burrito Mexicano, which is right off the Addison red line stop.<\/p>\n

The Rate is surrounded by parking lots, though there are good spots within walking distance if you know where to look. For instance, if you don\u2019t mind a short jaunt east on 35th St., Harold\u2019s Chicken #88 is well-regarded among Harold\u2019s enthusiasts, including me.<\/p>\n

And if you\u2019re going this weekend, hit me up on X. I\u2019ll take a three-piece with mild sauce.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CHICAGO \u2014 Cubs fans will invade Rate Field this weekend, and in a bit of a surprise, they\u2019ll…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":644303,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[479,2318,363,1767,99,1794],"class_list":["post-644302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-chicago-white-sox","tag-mlb","tag-opinion","tag-sports","tag-sports-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/644302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=644302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/644302\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/644303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=644302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=644302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=644302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}