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In-N-Out vs Five Guys: Prices, Menus and an Honest Verdict
October 21, 2026 · In-N-Out Menu (unofficial fan guide)
The two cult burger chains could not be more different: one sells three burgers under $7, the other sells one burger fifteen ways for nearly double. Numbers first, verdict after.
The Price Gap Is the Story
A Double-Double — two patties, two cheese slices — typically costs about $6.35. A comparable two-patty cheeseburger at Five Guys typically costs roughly twice that, in the $11-13 range depending on the market. Fries widen the gap further: In-N-Out fries are about $2.60 for the single size; Five Guys fries are famously generous but priced several dollars higher. A full meal for two at In-N-Out lands near $21; the same two people at Five Guys commonly spend $30-38. Prices vary by city, but the ratio barely moves: Five Guys is a premium product at a premium price, and it does not pretend otherwise.
Two Opposite Philosophies
In-N-Out's menu has three burgers and one fry. Five Guys offers one burger format with fifteen free toppings and a topping checklist longer than In-N-Out's entire menu. Neither is a mistake. In-N-Out optimises for speed and consistency — the burger you get in Reno is the burger you get in Redding. Five Guys optimises for personalisation — your burger is a configuration, cooked when you order, wrapped in foil and bagged with a landslide of extra fries.
Fries divide people most. Five Guys fries are cooked in peanut oil, served in overflowing cups, and available Cajun-style. In-N-Out fries are fresh-cut, cooked once in sunflower oil, and done in five minutes if you dawdle. Ask ten burger fans to pick a fry winner and you will get a fair fight — 5-5, every time.
The Verdict, Category by Category
Value: In-N-Out, and it is not close. Customisation: Five Guys, by design. Burger consistency across locations: In-N-Out. The special-occasion, build-your-own experience: Five Guys. Availability: Five Guys — it is national and international, while In-N-Out remains a nine-state regional treasure, which is either a flaw or the point. If you live near both, the honest pattern most people settle into is In-N-Out as the weekly habit and Five Guys as the monthly event — your wallet will suggest the same.
Nutrition and the Peanut Question
On calories, the builds differ as much as the prices: a Double-Double is about 670 calories, where a Five Guys cheeseburger is commonly listed around 840 before toppings grow it further. Neither is health food, but the gap is real and consistent with the price gap — Five Guys simply puts more food in the bag.
The sharper difference is allergens. Five Guys cooks in peanut oil and serves free peanuts in the shell in the dining room — a hard no for peanut-allergy families. In-N-Out cooks its fries in sunflower oil, has no peanuts anywhere in the operation, and its fries run in their own fryer. For a meaningful slice of families, that single fact ends the comparison before taste is even discussed.
Quick Questions
Which is cheaper, In-N-Out or Five Guys?
In-N-Out by a wide margin — a comparable burger-and-fries meal typically costs about half to two-thirds of the Five Guys equivalent.
Which has better fries?
Genuinely split. Five Guys fries are richer and more generous (peanut oil, Cajun option); In-N-Out fries are fresher-tasting and lighter. Well-done is the way to order In-N-Out fries if you like them crisp.
Keep exploring
See the full menu with prices, the secret menu and prices by state.