6 chains tracked in China, priced in CNY (¥). Every menu below is the full local board, not a global template.
The cheapest priced item we hold in each dish category across every China menu - A rough floor for what each kind of food costs here.
| Dish type | Items tracked | Cheapest we found | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee | 42 | ¥15 | Espresso, latte, cappuccino and cold brew, market by market. |
| Burgers | 33 | ¥8 | Beef, chicken and plant-based burgers priced side by side. |
| Combos & Meal Deals | 19 | ¥13.90 | Bundles, family boxes, promotions and value platters. |
| Pizza | 16 | ¥19 | Every pizza on every menu we track, from margherita to meat feast. |
| Breakfast | 12 | ¥3 | Muffins, pancakes, all-day eggs and breakfast cut-off times. |
| Soft Drinks, Tea & Juice | 6 | ¥9.90 | Colas, teas, juices, water and the mark-up on all of them. |
| Pasta & Noodles | 5 | ¥19 | Spaghetti, penne, mac and cheese, and noodle bowls. |
| Fried Chicken | 3 | ¥13 | Buckets, tenders, wings, nuggets and rotisserie birds. |
| Rice & Bowls | 3 | ¥23.50 | Rice plates, bowls and the localised menus built around them. |
| Shakes & Smoothies | 3 | ¥29 | Milkshakes, frappes, smoothies and blended drinks. |
| Desserts & Bakes | 2 | ¥9.90 | Cakes, cookies, pies, brownies and the sweet end of the board. |
| Sides & Fries | 1 | ¥23.50 | Fries, onion rings, dips, slaw and the upsell economy. |
Cheapest priced option on any China menu in that category, including small sizes and single-item promos.
6 brands, 6 full menus.
| CNY | USD | |
|---|---|---|
| From | 7.80 | 1.16 |
| Average | 25.21 | 3.74 |
| Dearest | 78 | 11.58 |
| CNY | USD | |
|---|---|---|
| From | 3 | 0.45 |
| Average | 24.89 | 3.69 |
| Dearest | 69 | 10.24 |
| CNY | USD | |
|---|---|---|
| From | 9.90 | 1.47 |
| Average | 38.27 | 5.68 |
| Dearest | 89 | 13.21 |
| CNY | USD | |
|---|---|---|
| From | 9 | 1.34 |
| Average | 37.66 | 5.59 |
| Dearest | 79 | 11.72 |
| CNY | USD | |
|---|---|---|
| From | 23 | 3.41 |
| Average | 32.93 | 4.89 |
| Dearest | 40 | 5.94 |
| CNY | USD | |
|---|---|---|
| From | 15 | 2.23 |
| Average | 32.33 | 4.80 |
| Dearest | 40 | 5.94 |
Products China shares with the most other markets we track, so you can see where it sits.
| Product | Brand | Markets | Cheapest | Priciest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Mac | McDonald's | 16 | $2.90 | $7.84 |
| Whopper | Burger King | 11 | $3.01 | $8.13 |
| Double Whopper Value Meal | Burger King | 6 | $5.44 | $15.71 |
| Americano Small | Costa Coffee | 5 | $1.76 | $5.66 |
China is the market where menu localisation goes furthest, and where the gap between a brand's home operation and its local one is widest. Chains that entered early and committed to building a domestic supply chain have become, in practice, Chinese restaurant companies wearing an international brand.
Breakfast is rebuilt around congee and soy milk, rice appears as a default rather than an option, and product development runs on a cycle fast enough that a menu can turn over substantially within a year. Digital ordering, delivery and loyalty are further ahead here than in most Western markets, and the menu is designed around a phone rather than a board.
Among the brands we track, Costa Coffee and Coffee World both operate in China. For Costa in particular it is one of the largest markets outside the United Kingdom.
Pick any brand that trades in both and see every shared item priced side by side.
Almost every restaurant you think of as a chain is owned by someone else entirely. What the franchisee actually buys, and why it explains the price on the board.
Localisation is not adding a novelty item. It is a staged process with a predictable sequence, and the menu data shows exactly how far each market has travelled.
Menu boards are designed documents, not lists. Where the money items sit, what the ordering of panels is doing, and how to find the price you actually want.
Menu calorie labelling is mandatory in some markets, voluntary in others and absent in most. What our data shows about how little of it reaches a published menu.
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Discussion
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