The price of a Big Mac meal in Serbia has doubled in a decade. It is true that average wages have also doubled, but what does the price of a Big Mac tell us about inflation, purchasing power, living standards, and the daily life of citizens who believe that Serbia is an "economic tiger"
Winter day 2015. Two friends enter McDonald's and order two Big Mac meals for less than 800 dinars with a discount coupon. Ten years later, that same amount of money does not cover a single meal. Accommodation and dinner are included. of one small Big Mac meal in June 2025 amounts to 900 dinars in the store, that is, 1.170 dinars through the food delivery application.
The price of two Big Mac meals without coupons in December 2015 was 920 dinars, which means that one cost 460 dinars.
The price of the same meal at McDonalds 10 years ago (price for 2 pcs) and now (price via Glovo)‼️ pic.twitter.com/k18RxQaoG6
- Consumer Association EFEKTIVA (@UBKEFEKTIVA) June 12, 2025
We took a look at Big Mac prices then and now and compared them to see how things stand.
What do the statistics say and does it match your personal feeling?
While the Serbian politicians in power are bragging month after month about increasing wages, reducing unemployment and promising to increase the minimum wage to 500 euros from October, citing everything in support of how well we are doing, prices are skyrocketing.
In December 2015, the average salary in Serbia was 51.485 dinars, while the size of the average consumer basket was about 67.000 dinars, and the minimum was 34.826 dinars. At the same time, the minimum wage was 22.264 dinars.
More than nine years later, according to the latest available data, the average salary in February 2025 was 103.519 dinars, while the minimum net salary in the same month was 49.280 dinars.
The average consumer basket for the month of February 2025 was 106.691 dinars, and the minimum was 55.421 dinars. Therefore, neither the average nor the minimum wage can cover the average or minimum consumer basket for a decade.
It should be kept in mind that in the same month, the median net salary was 80.732 dinars, which means that 50 percent of employees earned up to the stated amount.
If you compare the statistical data from December 2015 and the current one, it comes to the fact that the price of Big Mac has risen in line with the increase in wages, even if they are minimal and average.
Why is the Big Mac important?
Whether you're a fan of fast food and McDonald's or not, the price of a Big Mac sandwich is an important global economic indicator.
"The Economist" magazine created the "Big Mac Index" back in 1986.
The "Big Mac Index" is an informal indicator of purchasing power parity (PPP). Its basic idea is simple: to compare how much a Big Mac sandwich costs in different countries of the world, in order to determine whether the currencies of those countries are realistically overvalued or undervalued in relation to the US dollar.
The price of Big Macs in other countries can be used to see if a currency has more or less purchasing power than expected. This is done by dividing the local Big Mac price, in local currency, by the US Big Mac price to calculate the implied exchange rate.
That implied exchange rate is then compared to the actual exchange rate between the two currencies; if the implied exchange rate is higher than the actual, the local currency is "overvalued", and if it is lower, the local currency is "undervalued".
Switzerland has the world's most expensive Big Macs, priced at US$7,99, according to the January 2025 Big Mac Index. At the same time, the price of a Big Mac was $5,79 in the US and $5,95 in the Eurozone.
The price of a Big Mac burger in Serbia is 540 dinars, or about 5,3 US dollars, which is a price similar to that in the USA and the EU, and it is known that wages there are much higher than wages in Serbia.
The Big Mac is not a staple of life, of course, but its price speaks volumes. Not only about the economy, but also about everyday life.
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