BEIJING — After a week of eating exotic local treats like braised chicken feet and fried scorpion on a stick — both pretty good, actually — my taste buds started to crave some North American delicacies.
Oh, what I’d give for some poutine, or pizza, or Montreal smoked meat, or even a hamburger with fries, I thought to myself while crossing Beijing’s landmark Tiananmen Square with a guide named Ling, who was suggesting we try try some “thousand year old eggs for lunch.”
At that very moment, my eyes almost bulged out of my head when I spotted two golden arches standing on the opposite side of the iconic square.
“Instead of old eggs, why don’t I treat you to a Big Mac?” I suggested to Ling.
“Jù wú bà!,” exclaimed Ling, while enthusiastically shouting out the Chinese words for McDonald’s top selling hamburger.
“Can we have fries, too?” he asked.
When we entered the massive McDonald’s, which seats 700, has 29 cash registers and has served as many as 40,000 hamburgers in one day, it was crammed with lots of locals and tourists, all patiently waiting for what’s become the most popular international fast food.
You can order a McDonald’s hamburger in almost every nation in the world — there are 36,000 outlets in 118 countries — and plenty of people do — 69 million walk under the arches every day worldwide. And while we snicker at supersized Americans for eating too many Big Macs, it’s important to remember that 60 per cent of McDonald’s sales come from outside the U.S.
McDonald’s is the official meal of backpackers worldwide, but surprisingly, only one in five millennials admits to eating the fast food giant’s offerings. Millennials are apparently opting for healthier fast food options, which probably explains why Subway has grown to become the second largest restaurant chain on the planet.
While a Big Mac tastes pretty much the same wherever you buy one, what you pay for the hamburger patty smothered in special sauce and sandwiched between two sesame seed buns varies around the world.
For instance, in Canada, a Big Mac costs (on average) $6.76, but in Switzerland you’ll be charged $9.19 for the same burger — without fries!
In fact, the Swiss pay the most for Big Macs, according to a global index published recently by insurance provider hellosafe.ca.
After Switzerland, Lebanon is the second highest on the index at $7.91, followed by Sweden ($7.66), the U.S. ($7.59) and Norway ($7.38). Canada ranks sixth, followed by Israel ($6.58) and a grouping of countries, including Finland, Germany, France and Greece at $6.37.
The cheapest Big Macs, according to the hellosafe.ca index, can be found in South Africa, where you can buy one for just $2.47. Russians pay only $2.54 and Turks fork over just $2.71 for the popular burger.
So, if you’re a fan of Big Macs, you’d better check our price list before deciding which country to visit.

BIG MAC PRICE INDEX

(All prices in Canadian dollars)

1    Switzerland    $9.19
2    Lebanon        $7.91
3    Sweden        $7.66
4    United States    $7.59
5    Norway        $7.38
6    Canada         $6.76
7    Israel             $6.58
8    Austria        $6.37
8    Cyprus        $6.37
8    Estonia        $6.37
8    Finland        $6.37
8    France        $6.37
8    Germany        $6.37
8    Greece        $6.37
8    Ireland        $6.37
8    Italy        $6.37
8    Latvia        $6.37
8    Lithuania        $6.37
8    Montenegro    $6.37
8    Netherlands    $6.37
8    Portugal        $6.37
8    Slovakia        $6.37
8    Slovenia        $6.37
8    Spain        $6.37
25    Australia        $6.09
25    Denmark        $6.09
27    New Zealand    $5.79
28    Uruguay        $5.76
29    United Kingdom    $5.69
30    Singapore        $5.65
31    Thailand        $5.43
32    Costa Rica        $5.37
33    UAE                         $5.35
34    Brazil        $5.20
35    Czechia        $5.05
36    South Korea    $4.99
37    Kuwait        $4.97
38    Saudi Arabia    $4.96
39    Bahrain        $4.93
40    Sri Lanka        $4.87
41    Japan        $4.84
42    Qatar        $4.75
43    Honduras        $4.68
44    Argentina        $4.67
45    Nicaragua        $4.64
46    Chile        $4.63
47    Peru        $4.52
48    Croatia        $4.42
49    Colombia        $4.38
50    Pakistan        $4.37
51    Guatemala        $4.32
52    Jordan        $4.31
53    China        $4.12
54    Hungary        $3.84
55    Philippines    $3.82
56    Oman        $3.80
57    Vietnam        $3.79
58    Poland        $3.71
59    Moldova        $3.66
60    Hong Kong    $3.51
61    Egypt        $3.50
62    India        $3.36
63    Indonesia        $3.14
64    Malaysia        $3.11
65    Azerbaijan        $3.09
65    Romania        $3.09
67    Mexico        $2.97
68    Ukraine        $2.89
69    Turkey        $2.71
70    Russian Federation    $2.54
71    South Africa    $2.47