12 Fast-Food Chicken Sandwiches Hit Hardest by Inflation

With prices for everything rising more and more by the second, go-to moves for easy savings simply aren’t cutting it. Turning to fast food, for instance, is no longer a guarantee if you’re looking to save money eating out.

In fact, to see just how much our wallets are taking a hit through the drive-thru, FinanceBuzz collected pricing data from multiple fast-food restaurants over a 10-year period between 2014 and 2024.

For those of us who love a tasty chicken sandwich, here’s how much more you’re paying for the item from some of your fast-food favorites.

The sandwich with the lowest price increase since 2014 is the 6-inch Chicken Teriyaki Sub. 

In 2014, you would have spent $4.50 to purchase that sandwich, but in 2024, you will pay $5.50. That $1 increase doesn’t seem like much, but it’s 22% higher than the cost just 10 years ago.

The second-lowest price increase in the fast-food restaurants we compared was for the Subway 6-inch Chicken Bacon Ranch. In 2024, you can expect to pay $6.50 for that sub; in 2014, it would only have cost you $4.50.

Many people purchase a meal, not just a sandwich. If you chose the typical Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich Combo Meal in 2014, you would have paid $5.85 for dinner or lunch. In 2024, that price rose 46% to $8.55, nearly double.

Over at The King, prices have doubled on various menu items, including the Crispy Chicken Meal. At Burger King in 2014, that meal would have cost you $6.59, and today it comes in at an average of $9.99, just under $10. That’s more than double the cost in just 10 years.

Over at Wendy’s, you may have wanted to upscale the basic sandwich for one with a bit more flavor. In 2014, choosing the Asiago Ranch Chicken Club Combo would have cost you $7.19, a reasonable price point for many. Today, it’s $11.19, a 56% increase in a decade.

If you like spice, you’ll pay about 56% more for the Spicy Chicken Biscuit Combo, the breakfast chicken sandwich Wendy’s offers. In 2014, it would have been $6.39, but today it’s just under $10 at $9.99.

Did you decide to cut back on the calories with a grilled chicken sandwich back in the day? If so, the Chick-fil-A Grilled Chicken Club Combo with Cheese was just $7.59. In 2024, that price has risen to $11.99, making it seem much more costly.

While it’s not really a sandwich, the Chicken Quesadilla is technically a meal you can eat with one hand. That’s why it made the list.

In 2014, that quesadilla with your favorite melted cheese would have cost just $3.29. In 2024, the price has risen to $5.19.

Even early in the morning, diners line up for the Chick-fil-A chicken breakfast sandwich. In 2014, you would have paid $4.45 for the Spicy Chicken Biscuit Combo, which is a fair price. 

However, in 2024, that price has risen to $7.09, making breakfast a pretty significant chunk of your daily budget.

For those who enjoy the slightly fancy menu options at Panera Bread and, of course, the fresh-baked bread, the Frontega Chicken Sandwich may be your favorite. In 2014, stopping for lunch for this sandwich was just $7.49. Ten years later, it will cost you $12.19.

While not technically a sandwich, the Chicken Tacos are the closest hand-held you’ll get at Chipotle. In 2014, those quick bites would have cost $6.25. 

However, that cost has risen 71% to $10.70 in 2024, making it critical that you get them stuffed with toppings to stretch your dollar a bit more.

Here’s the deal. The McChicken in 2014 was just $1, a favorite and pretty filling option from their Dollar Menu. The franchise hasn’t been able to maintain that price, though.

In 2024, a McChicken will cost $2.99, a nearly 200% price increase.

When comparing the menus of the top fast-food restaurants, the FinanceBuzz study found that McDonald’s had the highest average price increase, at 100%. By comparison, Subway had the lowest average price increase at 39%.

When it comes to buying fast food, it may be easier to save money on groceries and make your own meals than grab a quick bite at a fast-food chain.