For Americans seeking an affordable meal out, geography plays a decisive role in what they will pay for a classic cheeseburger, fries, and soda combination.

According to DoorDash's recent State of Local Commerce report, a $15 bill remains sufficient to cover the trio in only a handful of U.S. cities. The delivery platform's so-called Cheeseburger Index — which tracks the average cost of a cheeseburger, fries, and a soda across American cities — found that just four of the cities analyzed posted an average price below $15: Austin and Laredo in Texas, Lincoln in Nebraska, and Detroit in Michigan.

Austin ranked as the most affordable at $12.94.

"The Cheeseburger Index is a really great way to distill the information into a simple, fun and relatable metric," Jessica Lachs, chief analytics officer at DoorDash, told Fox News Digital.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the same meal costs an average of $28.28 in Anchorage, Alaska — more than double Austin's price.

"There isn't one economy. There are a lot of local economies," Lachs said. "The same basket of goods, a cheeseburger, fries and a drink, costs $12.94 on average in Austin, Texas, but $28.28 in Anchorage, Alaska."

The ten best-value cities identified in the study are concentrated in the Midwest and Texas, with four cities in the Lone Star State making the list. After Austin, the next most affordable markets were Laredo, Texas ($13.39); Lincoln, Nebraska ($13.86); Detroit ($14.99); and Philadelphia ($15.41), rounding out the top five.

DoorDash noted that while prices varied significantly by region, cities in the South and Southeast tend to benefit from structurally lower operating costs, which helps the region rank among the most affordable for both restaurant meals and groceries.

The findings come as dining out continues to grow more expensive, even as prices for many grocery and household staples have stabilized. DoorDash found that the average price of a cheeseburger, fries, and soda combination climbed 3.2% over the past year. Federal inflation data has shown a similar pattern: the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index has consistently tracked food-away-from-home inflation running ahead of food-at-home inflation in recent months, a divergence that has persisted even as broader headline inflation has cooled.

While rising beef prices have attracted attention this year, DoorDash said higher restaurant prices appear to reflect broader operating costs — including labor, rent, and energy — rather than food costs alone. That assessment aligns with a period in which more than 20 U.S. states raised their minimum wages, adding to cost pressures for restaurants that operate on thin margins. Major fast-food chains have responded to consumer pushback with aggressively promoted value bundles — including McDonald's $5 Meal Deal and similar limited-time offers from competitors — signaling that price sensitivity has become a central competitive factor across the industry.

For diners, the practical implication is stark: the same $15 that covers an entire meal in Austin would barely pay for half of one in Anchorage.

The full DoorDash State of Local Commerce report is available at about.doordash.com/en-us/state-of-local-commerce.