The Best Fast Food Meals That Still Cost Less Than $10

$10 certainly doesn't seem to go very far anymore — even at a fast food restaurant. BuzzFeed found some old fast food menus, and it is sort of depressing seeing how inexpensive everything used to be. From a 70-cent Quarter Pounder with Cheese at McDonald's in the 1970s, a 99-cent Chili Cheese Burrito at Taco Bell in 1999 to a full Grilled Chicken Sandwich Meal at Wendy's for under $5 in 2004. Even when you adjust these prices for inflation, we're still paying a lot more today for fast food than we did in the past ... but why? According to The Cold Wire, there are several reasons fast food has become more expensive. As with other price increases we've seen recently, inflation has been playing a big role in price jumps. However, other factors, such as labor shortages, higher wages for workers, increased demand from consumers, and rising beef costs, are also contributing to the higher prices.

While it is getting more difficult to order a full meal in a fast food restaurant for under $10, there are still many options to choose from. Continue reading to see how you can best put your $10 to use to enjoy a delicious breakfast, lunch, or dinner. However, as Insider shares, prices can vary depending on where you live or even which local franchise you choose.

According to Fast Food Menu Prices, several Burger King Meals are still available for under $10. One of the top options to consider when you're looking to eat on a budget is the classic Whopper Meal. For $8.31 in California or as little as $6.49 in Alabama, you'll receive a Whopper sandwich, a small french fries, and a small drink. For an additional $0.69, you can upgrade to a medium fry and drink. If you're feeling really hungry, spending an additional $1.20 will give you a large fry and drink — and still keep you just under $10, even in California.

According to the Gainesville Sun, the Whopper was first created in 1957. Burger King's description of its iconic burger shares that it is made with a quarter-pound beef patty and topped with mayonnaise, ketchup, lettuce, tomatoes, white onions, and pickles. Other Whopper variations, including the Double Whopper, Whopper Jr., or Impossible Whopper are also available through Burger King. You can even purchase any of these sandwiches as a meal for under $10 in most locations (with the exception of the Impossible Whopper, which costs nearly $10 for just the sandwich).

It's hard to imagine a time when Chicken McNuggets weren't a staple at McDonald's. However, they weren't added to the menu nationwide until 1983, according to History. Roy Kroc, the company's owner, was looking to add something new to the chain. With the help of Chairman Fred Turner, they decided that chicken nuggets were the winning ticket. When Chicken McNuggets made their debut, customers couldn't get enough of them, leading to long waits in the drive-thru lines. A 6-piece Chicken McNugget meal is served with fries and a soft drink.

While you'll pay more for a Chicken McNugget meal today than you would have in 1981, you can still get away with spending less than $10. Based on data from MC-Menu, the average cost of a 6-piece McNuggets meal is $6.45. If you live in a higher-cost-of-living area, you could pay more (it costs $8.95 in Alaska). However, you could also pay less if you live in a lower-cost-of-living region (just $4.89 in Florida). Chicken McNuggets from McDonald's are made without any artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors, and contain all white meat chicken.

Chick-fil-A's chicken sandwich is one of the most popular items on the menu. According to Chick-fil-A, this scrumptious sandwich is made by breading a boneless chicken breast. The chicken breast is then pressure cooked in peanut oil and placed on a toasted bun. A few dill pickle chips finish off the sandwich. Fast Food Menu Prices says that you can buy just the sandwich for about $3 to $4, depending on which state you live in.

With the relatively low cost of the sandwich, you can add fries and a drink to your order and still spend less than $10. A small french fry costs $2.06 in Hawaii and just $1.66 in Montana. A medium soft drink will cost $2.11 in Hawaii and $1.70 in Montana. Even with the higher prices in Hawaii and other similarly expensive areas, you can still buy a Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich, a small fry, and a medium drink for a little over $8.00. That would still leave you a little extra money to add some toppings to your sandwich — such as bacon, cheese, lettuce, or tomatoes.

Whataburger shares that the fast food restaurant was started in 1950 after Harmon Dobson wanted to create a burger too large to hold with only one hand. The first restaurant opened in Corpus Christi, and today there are Whataburgers in 14 states across the country. Whataburger prides itself on the fact that they still customize every burger to the customer's preferences. The company also uses never-frozen, 100% pure beef for its tasty creations.

Top Restaurant Prices shows that you can get a Whataburger combo meal — called a Whataburger Whatameal — for just $9.17. According to Whataburger, you can even choose from a large bun, small bun, brioche bun, or Texas toast bun, all for no extra charge. Pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, and grilled or diced onions can also be added as desired, for no additional charge. However, you will need to pay a little extra to add cheese, bacon, jalapeños, or avocado to your burger. Each Whatameal comes with medium french fries and a drink.

Restaurant Clicks lists Arby's Classic Roast Beef sandwich as one of the top items to order from the restaurant. In fact, while Arby's offers a rather extensive menu today, roast beef sandwiches were one of the first things the restaurant offered when it opened in 1964. According to Arby's, this classic sandwich features thin slices of roast beef on a toasted sesame seed bun. They suggest pairing it with Arby's sauce to give your mouth a real treat. Or, if you're a bit more adventurous, consider adding some of Arby's Horsey Sauce to your sandwich.

The FoodXP shares that a Classic Roast Beef Meal from Arby's costs between $7.99 and $10.18, depending on your chosen size. If you're looking to stay under $10, opt for a small or medium meal ($7.99 for a small and $9.78 for a medium). Arby's lets you choose curly fries or crinkle fries with your meal.

As Fast Food Menu Prices notes, Sonic restaurants (and Sonic Drive-Ins) can be found in 43 states across the nation with over 3,500 locations. Many of the combos on Sonic's menu cost less than $10. If you're in the mood for a burger, the Sonic Cheeseburger Combo will be the most economical option. While the combo's costs can vary based on the state, it is still under or right around $8.00, even in higher cost-of-living areas ($7.97 in Hawaii, $7.85 in New York, and $8.03 in the District of Columbia). If you live in a lower-cost-of-living area, you may be able to snag this combo for closer to $6 ($6.11 in Kansas, $5.93 in Arkansas, and $6.05 in Kentucky).

Sonic shares that their Cheeseburger Combo Meal includes ketchup, mayonnaise, a slice of cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and diced onions. However, you can customize the sandwich by removing any ingredients you do not prefer. You can add chili, bacon, jalapeño, or shredded cheddar cheese for a more unique concoction. Fries and a drink are served with all combo meals from Sonic.

If you're looking to spend less than $10, but aren't in the mood for a burger or chicken, head over to Wendy's to try their Taco Salad. Menu with Price shares that this salad costs just $7.49. According to Wendy's, this salad is a popular option at their restaurants. Customers love that they can customize the salad based on their preferences, or even save the chips and salsa to eat as a side dish. Wendy's notes that the salad comes standard with a lettuce blend, shredded cheddar cheese, salsa, diced tomatoes, chili, tortilla chips, and sour cream.

After spending $7.49 for the sandwich, you'll be left with an extra $2.51. With that money, you can add a fountain drink (a large costs just $1.79) to make it a meal and still stay under $10. The junior and small Frosties are also cheap enough to add if you prefer a sweet treat after your salad. The junior size is $0.89 and the small is $1.89.

While there aren't as many Jack in the Box restaurants as some other chains, many people frequent this fast food chain. ScrapeHero shares that the restaurant has over 2,000 locations across 21 different states and territories. Many of these locations are found closer to the West coast or in the South. The Jumbo Jack Cheeseburger Combo is one of the signature menu items. According to Jack in the Box, small, medium, and large meals all cost less than $10 ($7.99 for a small, $8.78 for a medium, and $9.08 for a large).

The burger comes topped with American cheese, ketchup, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomatoes, sliced onions, and pickles, but you can also add jalapeños, Swiss cheese, sriracha sauce, or Good Good sauce for a small added fee. Fries and a fountain drink are included with each meal. If you're not in the mood for fries, you can substitute a hash brown or egg roll for no additional costs. Onion rings, curly fries, and stuffed jalapeños can also be substituted but will cost between $0.49 and $1.70.

Craving a scrumptious breakfast without spending an arm and a leg? The Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Biscuit Meal from McDonald's should fit the bill. Per MC-Menu, you can get this breakfast meal for as little as $4.79 (Indiana) and as much as $8.69 (Maine), giving it an average price of $6.32.

McDonald's shares that the sandwich starts with a flaky buttermilk biscuit sliced in half. Sandwiched between the two halves are a folded egg, a slice of melted American cheese, and slices of crispy, thick-cut Applewood smoked bacon. According to McDonald's, a small McCafé Premium Roast Coffee and an order of hash browns are included with each meal. An Insider article ranked the items on McDonald's breakfast menu and awarded this sandwich the top spot. They noted that the combination of all the flavors was very enjoyable, though they wished the sandwich came with an extra slice of bacon.

If you're in the mood for some crispy fried chicken, you can order a delicious meal without spending more than $10 at KFC. Fast Food Menu Prices shares that the fast food restaurant's 2-Piece Chicken Combo can cost between about $6.00 and $8.00, depending on which state you live in. For that price, KFC gives you a fried chicken breast and wing, a fountain drink, and a side.

One of the benefits of ordering from KFC is that they have several side options available for no additional charge. Based on what you're craving, you can complete your meal with some warm mac & cheese, mashed potatoes (with or without gravy), french fries, green beans, coleslaw, corn, or gravy. In addition to choosing your preferred side, you'll also need to decide which recipe you want for your fried chicken breast and wing. Choose from the original recipe, extra crispy, or spicy. If you prefer, you can also choose Kentucky grilled.

According to In-N-Out Burger, the first restaurant opened in Baldwin Park in California. In the decades that followed, this fast food restaurant expanded, opening several locations in six states across the country. ScrapeHero notes that there are 387 In-N-Out Burger restaurants. More than half of the stores are located in California, the state where the chain first started.

The Double-Double Burger Meal is one of the most popular offerings from In-N-Out Burger, which is probably why it is the Combo #1 on the menu. In-N-Out Burger explains that this meal comes with two 100% beef patties, two slices of American Cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and the company's original sauce. A drink and fries are served with the burger to complete the meal. Choose your favorite In-N-Out Burger style to order the burger, including the popular "Animal Style." According to Mobile Cuisine, even with the company's recent price increase, you can still get this double cheeseburger meal for less than $10. They list the current price as $9, leaving you with $1 to spare.

If you enjoy Taco Bell, you'll find several options for under $10. For about $9, depending on where you live, you can get either the 3 Crunchy Tacos Supreme Combo or the 3 Soft Tacos Supreme Combo. Each of these combos comes with a large fountain drink and allows you to individually customize each taco. Seasoned beef, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, and sour cream come standard if no customizations are made, but you can remove any of these ingredients if you'd prefer not to have them on your tacos.

For a small upcharge, you can add a variety of ingredients to some or all of your tacos to ensure they perfectly hit what you're craving. Some of the optional add-ons include black beans, seasoned rice, jalapeño peppers, potatoes, steak, chicken, and a three-cheese blend. A wide range of sauces — such as avocado ranch, chipotle, guacamole, nacho cheese, spicy ranch, and creamy jalapeño — can also be added to your customized creations.

According to Popeyes, the fast food restaurant — named after Popeye Doyle, not Popeye the Sailor Man, as many believe — was first called Chicken on the Run after founder Alvin C. Copeland opened the restaurant in a New Orleans suburb in 1972. The menu offered traditional southern fried chicken. However, Chicken on the Run was not very successful, so the founder decided to rebrand it with both a name and recipe change. Rather than serving traditional fried chicken, he decided to take a different approach and started offering spicy fried chicken (New Orleans-style). This rebranding was apparently just what was needed to revitalize the restaurant.

Today, ScrapeHero shares that there are nearly 3,000 Popeyes locations spread out over 49 states in the United States. Those looking to enjoy some tasty New Orleans-style chicken without breaking the bank can grab a 2-Piece Bonafide Chicken Combo Meal for under $10. According to Fast Food Menu Prices, this meal costs just $6.99 in Indiana. While it will run you more in higher cost-of-living areas, such as the District of Columbia, it still costs right around $9. Popeyes shares that each combo meal comes with a fountain drink, a biscuit, and a signature side, such as mashed potatoes, Cajun fries, or coleslaw.

While breakfast meals at fast food restaurants often cost less than lunch or dinner combos, it can still be challenging to stay under $10. Fortunately, Carl's Jr. has you covered. Even in higher cost-of-living areas, Fast Food Menu Prices shows that the Monster Biscuit Breakfast Combo Meal from Carl's Jr. (and sister restaurant Hardee's) costs less than $10 in all states. One of the highest menu prices can be found in The District of Columbia, where the sandwich costs just over $8. But in some other areas around the country, you can get the sandwich for about $2 less, such as in West Virginia, where it costs just $6.05.

This breakfast sandwich isn't called a monster for nothing. Carl's Jr. shares that this behemoth of a sandwich is made with a sausage patty, bacon, two eggs, and two slices of cheese, all layered inside a sliced biscuit. Each Monster Biscuit Combo comes with a small coffee and small hash rounds. While Hardee's doesn't list the Monster Biscuit on its menu, according to Fast Food Menu Prices, it is one of the secret menu items that customers can still order. After all, all of its ingredients are used on other menu items, so Hardee's should always have them in stock.