Is Taco Bell Expensive?


Instructing us to “Live Mas”, Taco bell is a favorite fast food place for many. Their tacos, nachos, and burritos are full of Tex-Mex flavor that satisfy your cravings. 

The limited Grilled Cheese Burrito is a great choice as well as their famous Doritos Locos Taco. 

Taco Bell is fast food and that means fast service (sometimes). Most of the time you can start enjoying your meal within minutes after ordering. 

However, if you feel you are paying more for less food at Taco Bell recently, you are not alone. Many have asked the question, is Taco Bell expensive?

Taco Bell has gotten much more expensive recently especially for what you get. Compared to other fast food restaurants, it is sort of pricey for the amount of food you receive. 

Several things factor into why Taco Bell is considered expensive for a fast food restaurant not the least of which is that they used to have tons of options for a dollar or so and now you can’t hardly get anything for that price. 

Its lunchtime and you are hungry for some tacos. Deciding on Taco Bell comes to mind and you pull into the drive-thru to order some food. 

After getting your food you think the price may have been a little high for what you got and you could be right, It seems that other fast food restaurants give you more food then Taco Bell does in their meals. 

Sometimes you may even need to get a couple tacos to fill you up resulting in a higher cost for your midday meal. What used to be a few dollars for a meal has now turned into $6-$8 for a meal. 

Although that doesn’t mean that Taco Bell is necessarily expensive, they also aren’t near the cheap place to grab a few tacos that they used to be. 

Why Is Taco Bell So Expensive?

Taco Bell is unique in what food they serve customers. Instead of burgers and fries, it’s tacos and burritos on the menu. After you have eaten your burrito and taco you might still be a little hungry but you feel like you shouldn’t be for the price you paid. 

Why is Taco Bell so expensive?

The reason why Taco Bell is more expensive than other fast food places is because of several things. Everything from the type of food they serve to what they pay their employees factor into the prices of their Tex-Mex cuisine.

Maybe it’s the lawsuits on the quality of beef they serve that Taco Bell spends money fighting that makes their prices higher. Or perhaps it’s the paychecks to their employees sometimes being above minimum wage that cause your tacos to cost more. 

Along with these, things like environmentally friendly menu options also cost Taco Bell money. These all make the price of your burrito go up, along with many other reasons why Taco Bell is so expensive. 

How Expensive Is Taco Bell?

Taco Bell is just one of your favorite fast food places to grab a quick bite to eat. Their Doritos Locos Taco is your go-to snack. 

Since we have been talking about it being pricey it may prompt you to ask, just how expensive is Taco Bell?

For the amount of food you get in an order at Taco Bell, the prices are somewhat high. Still, compared to other sit down places, it is a lower priced restaurant to eat at because it is fast food. 

The meals at Taco Bell average about 5 to 7 dollars. While that’s cheap in comparison to many restaurants it’s far more than what they used to charge even just a few years ago. 

At first it may seem relatively cheap with their $1 and $2 tacos, but once you receive your food you realize that you are paying for less food. 

While you used to be able to get a decent sized burrito for only a dollar, now the only items you can get for a dollar are tiny tacos (which you will need to eat multiples of). 

A simple $5 meal can leave you still hungry while $5 spent somewhere else can get you a sufficient amount of food. Though, the price of their food is determined by how much money they need for all of those advertisements, etc. 

Overall though, Taco Bell is a cheaper option than some restaurants… just not the cheapest in the fast food world. 

Is Taco Bell More Expensive Than McDonalds?

Sometimes you are on the go and need a quick meal. If you’re wanting a quick burger you most likely will stop by McDonalds. If you want a quick taco, your fast food choice is probably Taco Bell. 

Is Taco Bell more expensive than McDonalds?

Taco Bell’s value menu is a better deal than McDonalds in price with everything costing $1. However, Mcdonalds gives their customers more food making Taco Bell a little more expensive and leaving you wanting more tacos.

Then there’s the fact that while it may seem you are paying a low price for your food, you may need multiple to fill you up because of the amount of it. 

The Cold Wire mentions some more while also stating that, You can go to a more high-end fast-food restaurant, pay just a little more and get a much higher quality of food.” So, yes, Taco Bell is more expensive for the amount of food you receive in your order.

What Is The Cheapest Meal At Taco Bell?

You don’t want to have to pay a lot of money for lunch today. Tired of eating burgers and fries, Taco Bell seems like a good option. 

Glancing over the menu, you try to find the cheapest menu item you can for your quick meal. So, what is the cheapest meal at Taco Bell?

Currently the cheapest meals available at Taco Bell are their $5 boxes. Current ones available for $5 include: 

  • Cheesy Gordita Crunch Box 
  • Chalupa Supreme Box
  • Crunchwrap Supreme Box 
  • Black Bean Chalupa 
  • Black Bean Crunchwrap Supreme

Overall, value meal menu items are the cheapest thing to get at Taco Bell. Everything on this value menu is $1. But keep in mind that you will probably need a few of the items to satisfy your hunger.

So, if you want the cheapest, the value menu is the way to go. A chicken chipotle melt is only $1. Or there are some burritos that are cheaper like the bean burrito costing $1.39 or cheesy bean and rice burrito which costs $1. 

These are cheaper since they don’t have any meat in them. If you are looking for a dessert, Taco Bell’s cinnamon twists are only $1. 

You can check out these great deals and see current prices on Taco Bell’s website

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, Taco Bell is a little pricier compared to other fast food places because of several reasons. While it may seem to cost the same or lower than McDonalds it is actually costing you more because of the amount of food you are getting. 

Sure their value menu items are only $1 but you may need 3 or 4 of them to fill you up resulting in you paying more for your food. 

Because of everything the company has to pay for including ads, lawsuits, employees paycheck, etc. Taco Bell’s meals are considerably more expensive than they used to be. 

Hannah R.

Hey, I'm Hannah and I'm the founder of Get Eatin'.

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