Restaurant Prices by State
We read the ordering systems of 1,430 US restaurants across 5 chains and priced 528 menu entries. The same Texas Roadhouse dinner costs $60.00 in North Carolina and $70.64 in Washington.
What we found
- One Texas Roadhouse dinner for two costs $10.64 more in Washington than in North Carolina, an 18% difference on the same order.
- Prices move most at Wingstop, where the average item swings 60% between the cheapest and dearest restaurant. Its 30 Crispy Tenders runs $40.99 in South Dakota to $87.19 in Utah.
- One state can be dearer across almost the whole menu. At Steak 'n Shake, the Colorado restaurant charged the most on 131 of 162 items, while Alabama charged the least on 153.
- A national menu price is a fiction. Every chain here lets each restaurant set its own prices, so the number on a menu site is only useful with the spread attached.
The same dinner, priced in 47 states
Hand-Cut Sirloin, half slab of ribs, Chicken Critters, Cactus Blossom and two iced teas, priced at every Texas Roadhouse we read in each state, cheapest state first. The sirloin and rib columns show where the difference comes from.
| State | Restaurants | Sirloin | Half slab | Dinner for two |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 17 | $14.49 | $18.52 | $60.00 |
| South Carolina | 9 | $14.49 | $18.66 | $60.17 |
| Idaho | 6 | $14.49 | $18.49 | $60.44 |
| Kansas | 7 | $14.49 | $18.49 | $60.44 |
| Louisiana | 12 | $14.49 | $18.49 | $60.44 |
| Arkansas | 9 | $14.49 | $18.60 | $60.55 |
| Georgia | 21 | $14.49 | $18.66 | $60.61 |
| Mississippi | 3 | $14.49 | $18.66 | $60.61 |
| Tennessee | 15 | $14.49 | $18.59 | $60.61 |
| West Virginia | 7 | $14.49 | $18.85 | $60.87 |
| Indiana | 17 | $14.49 | $18.99 | $60.97 |
| Kentucky | 17 | $14.49 | $18.99 | $61.03 |
| Pennsylvania | 23 | $14.49 | $18.97 | $61.12 |
| Utah | 11 | $14.49 | $18.94 | $61.29 |
| Texas | 77 | $14.49 | $19.11 | $61.33 |
| Alabama | 13 | $14.49 | $19.07 | $61.37 |
| Wisconsin | 15 | $14.49 | $18.99 | $61.44 |
| Oklahoma | 8 | $14.49 | $19.36 | $61.50 |
| Iowa | 10 | $14.49 | $19.09 | $61.59 |
| Virginia | 18 | $14.49 | $19.21 | $61.85 |
| New Mexico | 8 | $14.49 | $19.36 | $61.87 |
| Ohio | 23 | $14.49 | $19.82 | $62.66 |
| Maryland | 12 | $14.49 | $19.99 | $62.94 |
| North Dakota | 3 | $14.49 | $19.99 | $62.94 |
| Nebraska | 4 | $14.49 | $19.99 | $62.94 |
| Wyoming | 2 | $14.49 | $19.99 | $62.94 |
| Missouri | 19 | $14.49 | $19.99 | $63.28 |
| Michigan | 24 | $14.49 | $19.99 | $63.44 |
| New Hampshire | 4 | $14.49 | $19.99 | $63.44 |
| New Jersey | 10 | $14.49 | $19.99 | $63.44 |
| Vermont | 1 | $14.49 | $19.99 | $63.44 |
| South Dakota | 2 | $14.49 | $19.99 | $63.69 |
| Illinois | 21 | $14.49 | $20.18 | $63.82 |
| Connecticut | 6 | $14.49 | $19.99 | $63.94 |
| New York | 21 | $14.49 | $20.16 | $64.21 |
| Florida | 46 | $14.49 | $20.27 | $64.26 |
| Massachusetts | 11 | $14.49 | $20.35 | $64.30 |
| Rhode Island | 2 | $14.49 | $19.99 | $64.44 |
| Arizona | 20 | $14.49 | $20.52 | $64.57 |
| Colorado | 16 | $14.49 | $20.58 | $64.72 |
| Minnesota | 7 | $14.49 | $20.49 | $64.94 |
| Maine | 3 | $14.49 | $20.16 | $65.11 |
| Nevada | 4 | $14.49 | $20.49 | $65.44 |
| Montana | 4 | $14.49 | $20.49 | $66.19 |
| California | 19 | $14.49 | $21.96 | $67.91 |
| Oregon | 2 | $14.49 | $21.99 | $70.44 |
| Washington | 5 | $14.49 | $21.99 | $70.64 |
How much prices move, chain by chain
Average gap is the difference between the cheapest and dearest restaurant for each item, averaged across the menu.
| Chain | Restaurants | Items | Average gap | Widest single item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wingstop | 115 | 66 | 60% | 30 Crispy Tenders$40.99 (South Dakota) to $87.19 (Utah) |
| Steak 'n Shake | 52 | 162 | 32% | Bitcoin$5.49 (Alabama) to $8.99 (California) |
| Outback Steakhouse | 571 | 85 | 27% | Outback Ribs$20.99 to $37.49 |
| Noodles & Company | 78 | 104 | 13% | Pasta Fresca (Small)$6.25 (Missouri) to $8.25 (California) |
How we collected this
Every price comes from the chain's own online ordering system, the same menu a customer sees after choosing a restaurant. We read up to three restaurants per state, in different cities, and kept the middle price across them.
Texas Roadhouse is the exception and the reason the state table works: we hold a full read of 614 of its restaurants across 47 states, so each state average rests on real restaurants rather than one sample.
Alcohol is missing everywhere, because ordering systems leave it out. Taxes, tips and delivery fees are not included. Prices were last refreshed on 2026-09-29.
Limits worth stating: a three-restaurant sample describes a state, not every restaurant in it, and states with few restaurants carry more noise than Texas or Florida.
For journalists and researchers
Use any figure on this page, in print or on air, with credit to USA Food Journal and a link to this page. We can pull a specific state, city or dish on request, usually the same day.
Questions or a custom cut: contact us. Full per-item prices sit on each chain page: Texas Roadhouse, Outback, Wingstop, Noodles & Company, Steak 'n Shake.
