Nothing bun-ny about these prices

Ireland is one of the most expensive countries in the world to buy a Big Mac and the price of the famous burger could hit €5 before the year is out.

That’s according to research carried out by online insurance comparison platform HelloSafe who say a Big Mac will set you back €4.50 on average in Ireland today.

That puts Ireland in joint tenth place with the likes of Spain, France and Italy, however, the UK is cheaper with an average cost of £3.61 (€4.27).

Meanwhile, in the United States, home of the Big Mac, the iconic burger comes in at a heart-stopping €5.28, while south of the border, Mexico enjoys a far more reasonable €3.04. HelloSafe predicts the price of a Big Mac will go past $US7 (€6.65) by the end of 2022.

In the context of strong inflation, analysts at HelloSafe have calculated that the price of a Big Mac will hit €5 in Ireland by the end of 2022.

The Big Mac Index

The Big Mac Index was first invented in 1986 to give an idea of each countries' power purchase parity. Just like the pint of beer or the cigarette pack, the Big Mac hamburger is among the most widely distributed products in the world and can therefore serve as a reference. Same product, same brand, but different price.

Today, the top three most expensive countries to buy a Big Mac are Switzerland (€6.35), Norway (€5.81), and the United States (€5.28). The three cheapest countries are Indonesia (€2.15), Turkey (€1.69), and Russia (€1.58), although McDonald’s has recently announced it will close all branches in Russia.