The U.S. Pizza Index 2026

Pizza is a $30 billion business for America’s chain pizzerias, but pizza lovers are cutting back on toppings and extras to keep their bills down.

This preference for the plain cheese pizza also reflects the taste inclinations and health awareness of the rising generations.

But whether ordering a plain cheese or not, comparing the cost of a medium cheese pizza is a simple way to index the relative affordability of an order from one of the big pizza chains around the country (or around the world)— potentially saving you cash to put toward side or to set aside for a rainy day.

So, online personal lender NetCredit found the price of a medium cheese pizza from the top chains in every state and large city to identify the average price of pizza in each location — and the big-name pizza place that offers the best prices near you.

What we did

We found the price of a medium cheese pizza on Grubhub (or DoorDash for Domino’s) for the 10 biggest U.S. pizza chains (according to Toast) in each of America’s 100 biggest cities and the three biggest in each state. This allowed us to calculate the average price of a medium cheese pizza at major chains in each city and state.

Key findings: The cost of pizza around America

• Indiana is the most budget friendly state for pizza, with the average medium cheese costing $13.95 across the 10 biggest pizza chains.
• Hawaii ($19.70) and California ($18.85) are the states with the most expensive average medium cheese pizza.
• The three large cities with the most expensive average pizza are all in California: San Diego ($20.76), San Jose ($20.02) and Los Angeles ($19.84).
• The average medium cheese pizza in Houston, Texas, costs just $14.42, making this the most affordable large city to grab a slice.

Pizza is 41% more expensive in Hawaii than in Indiana

First, we found the average price of a medium cheese pizza in each state by looking at the top chains in that state’s largest cities.

The three states with the most expensive average pizza are Hawaii ($19.70), California ($18.85) and Alaska ($18.60). Hawaii’s average pizza is 4.5% more expensive than California’s and 41.2% more than Indiana ($13.95), the state with the most budget-friendly pizza, based on our study.

Hawaii-based pizza restaurateur Tom Iannucci recently told pizzatherapy that he attributes rising prices to shipping costs. The state imports around 85-90% of its food.

Houston is the leading capital of affordable pizza

Next, we narrowed our analysis down to 70 major U.S. cities.

Although Honolulu (average medium cheese: $19.70) makes it into the top four most expensive, the story here is in California, where five of the six most expensive cities for pizza are located. San Diego’s pizza lovers face the biggest bill, with the average pizza coming in at $20.76.

As we noted in our 2025 study into takeout prices, Californian takeout costs 20.43% more than the national average, up from 11.75% in 2023, with takeout in San Diego rising by 6.3% in a single year.

We found ten cities where the average pizza costs under $15, and three of them are in Texas. Indeed, Houston’s average medium cheese pizza costs just $14.42, the lowest among the major cities profiled. Houston has a low cost of living in general, and the big pizza chains are forced to offer competitive prices by a growing raft of independent pizzerias offering a more personal touch.

Little Caesars is leader in low-cost major pizza chain

Finally, we compared the pizza chains themselves to see which is most affordable overall and where they are most and least affordable.

Little Caesars offers America’s best value average pizza, at $10.27 for a medium cheese. This makes it a significant 17.0% cheaper than the second-cheapest Papa Murphy’s ($12.38) and 45.9% or more cheaper than Pizza Hut or Domino’s. Mashed reports that although Little Caesars makes its own fresh dough, many of the ingredients are bought in their least expensive , long-life form, and they put relatively little cheese on each pie.

The priciest major pizza chains are Chuck E. Cheese (average medium cheese: $20.33) and Godfather’s Pizza ($20.03). While Little Caesars keeps overheads down by offering limited seating, at Chuck E. Cheese, the pizza prices subsidize the games, rides and entertainment that give the nearly 50-year-old chain its unique value. It can work out better if you get a pass or membership — providing, of course, that you use it.

How to save money when ordering pizza

Life wouldn’t be the same without the occasional slice. But the ease and enjoyability of pizza can soon become a regular habit with bills to match. Here are a few ways that can help keep those bills down.

• Order bigger pizzas. Due to the weird math of circles, a 16-inch pizza is actually four times bigger than an 8-inch pizza. So figure out how much pizza you need, and always consider buying one large rather than two small pizzas when dining with others.
• Check the deals. Look out for coupons, and check the pizzeria website before you go for daily reductions and specials.
• Add your own sides. If you’re getting takeout, order just the pizza and fill up on store-bought coleslaw, antipasto and soda.
• Make your own. Homemade pizza can be affordable, fun — and you get to source your own ingredients to the freshness and nutritional standards you desire.

Methodology

We built a seed list of the top 100 U.S. cities by population and the three most populous cities in each state (totaling 180 cities). Then, we searched for the 10 biggest U.S. pizza chains (according to Toast) in each of these cities on Grubhub (except Domino’s, for which we used DoorDash) and recorded the price of a medium cheese pizza.

This allowed us to calculate the average price of a medium cheese pizza at major chains in each city and state.

Data is correct as of February 2026.

DISCLAIMER: This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, tax or legal advice.