The dollar menu is long gone. With all the rising prices, a dollar won’t get you very far. Now, if you think about it, we tend to glorify many things. And the dollar menus are one of them.

It is true that they were cheap, but if you wanted to have a real and fulfilling meal, you still needed to spend a few more bucks and add a little bit of extra cheese and bacon.

We took a look at the menus of the most popular fast-food restaurants, and we tried to find the best items you can buy to get a good meal for a price of around $5.

Read on and find out how to buy the perfect fast food meal at the most affordable price.

1. Wendy’s

Wendy’s is one of the few restaurants where you can still buy a burger, a small order of fries, and a drink for $5. And that is a great advantage for us. It seems like Wendy’s is a good first place where you can cobble together a cheap and tasty meal.

What you have to do if you want to make the most without spending more than $5 is to order two Jr. Cheeseburgers. They come for an amazing price of only $1 each. Then, you can add a small order of fries ($1.39) and some chocolate Frosty ($1). Hear us out: You must try to dip your fries in the ice cream. The taste is incredible!

Also, one thing that you should always consider when buying from a chain fast-food restaurant is downloading their app. Occasionally, they have great deals and discounts, and you can get more food for less money. This also applies to Wendy’s, so note that down.

2. Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A is a good place to go if you want to eat well for an acceptable price. It will be a little more expensive than other fast food restaurants, but the meals are more nourishing.

The best choice and also the most obvious one is their chicken sandwich, which you can buy for $3.89. It is delicious, and you won’t regret buying it.

If you are not in the mood for a chicken sandwich, you can buy their chicken nuggets. They are also really tasty, and you will get those fantastic sauces that you have been craving for a while. The good part is that the nuggets will keep you in the same price range, and you will still have some money left for a medium order of waffle fries that costs $1.65.

Sometimes the classics are a good idea. You will get a great meal for $5.54. That’s a deal!

3. Subway

This restaurant is known for its customizable sandwiches. If you are on the go and want to eat something healthier than most fast foods, you can always choose Subway.

They used to have an amazing promotion that was a smash hit. Their jingle was everywhere. The $5 Footlong was their calling card and made the company billions.

Unfortunately, the Footlong is not available anymore because, with the rise of inflation and many other economic reasons, it became unprofitable to keep the promotion alive.

Nowadays, if you want to eat at Subway for $5, there is only one way to do that. You’ll want to go with the Cold Cut Combo at $5.19. It is great; it has Black Forest Ham, Genoa salami, and spicy pepperoni, and it also has fewer calories than the Italian BMT.

It is true that if you buy this instead of the Italian BMT ($3.89), you will not have any cash left for chips, but we still think that the Cold Cut Combo is a better choice.

4. Jimmy John’s

If you want a cheap and delicious lunch, Jimmy John’s is always a good place to go. Their cheapest sandwich used to be the Slim 5 ($3.99), but after 2019, the Little John sandwich replaced it. This is a smaller sandwich that you can buy for only $3.

As you would expect, Little John is what we are looking for to build our cheap and tasty menu. And there is not only one Little John; there are actually seven varieties from which you can choose.

Our recommendation, if you want to get the most out of this rather small sandwich, would be #6, the vegetarian Little John. It has avocado, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, provolone, and mayo. It is a better choice because, surprisingly, you will get more calories than with the other Little John varieties.

Since you now have some money left, you can choose to buy some Jimmy Chips for $1.29 or, if you’re thirsty, grab a fountain drink for $1.75. The total for the whole meal will be $6.04.

5. Arby’s

Arby’s is an appealing choice if you want to get some delicious food for a great price. At first sight, you might think that there is no way you can buy something from this restaurant for $5, but take a deep breath, stop for a moment, and think outside the box.

The best choice you can make is to go with the classic Greek Gyro. It costs $3.99, and you will get enough calories to not feel hungry anymore. More than that, you will still have some cash left, and you can buy some of the best fries available on the market, the Curly Fries ($1.89).

One more thing that you can do is to check if they have any promotions available. From time to time, if you sign up for Arby’s email list, there is a chance to get a free gyro or sandwich. It is best not to miss an opportunity like this.

6. Dunkin’

If you want a big caloric intake, you can go to Dunkin’ and grab their Sausage Egg, and Cheese on a croissant. This sandwich has 710 calories! On the other hand, if calories are not what matters to you and maybe you want something tastier, you can try the Bacon Egg and Cheese on a bagel. This one costs $3.59 and is actually a pretty popular choice at Dunkin’.

Even if they changed their name, and now it is just Dunkin’ instead of Dunkin’ Donuts, they are not fooling anybody. You can still buy donuts from them. Take one donut for $1.09, add some hashbrowns ($.99), and your meal will be complete.

If you buy these items, you will get 880 calories for only $5.67. If you ask us, this is a fair price.

7. Starbucks

If you choose Starbucks from all the other restaurants, you should know that here you can’t get a full meal for $5. Yet, you can still have a more than decent breakfast.

We don’t advise you to blow all of your budget on their crazy-sweet frappucinos. We know that you probably want it, but this is not a meal.

Instead, you can buy a normal coffee for $2.45 and also take something to eat. They have a wide range of sandwiches and beagles, but the best choice is clearly the Bacon, Gouda, and Egg Breakfast Sandwich.

One thing to keep in mind is to always check the Rewards app. Every time you buy from Starbucks using the app, you will get some points that you can use later to get various discounts. Also, if there is a Happy Hour or something, we are sure that you will get your breakfast for a lower price.

If you are not a fan of fast food, this book can help you cook some amazing $5 meals.

You should also read: Get These Nutritious Costco Foods for Less Than $10