Burger King vs Carl's Jr.
Price & calories · 2026
Charbroiled burgers at a higher price, with a West Coast history
Dataset compiled 28 August 2026 79 Carl's Jr. items tracked
Burger King wins on
Cheaper across the board, and far easier to find
Carl's Jr. wins on
Charbroiled flavour and a bigger, more indulgent flagship
Burger King and Carl's Jr. compared across 2 matched items: Burger King is cheaper on 1 of the 1 rows where both chains have a tracked price, and carries fewer calories on 1 of 2. On the headline comparison the Whopper is 670–710 cal at $6.19–$8.04, against The Big Carl - Single at 670 cal and $7.49. In short: Cheaper across the board, and far easier to find, while Carl's Jr. wins on charbroiled flavour and a bigger, more indulgent flagship.
Both chains are overwhelmingly franchised, so prices are ranges rather than fixed figures, and rows our sources do not cover are marked not tracked rather than estimated - Carl's Jr. price coverage is 12 of 79 tracked items. Competitor figures come from the same sources and the same checks as our Burger King data, so this comparison is like for like.
Product images are illustrations of the food type, generated for this site or openly licensed. They are not photographs of Burger King products, and the item you are served may look different.
The signature burgers side by side
The Whopper carries 40 more calories than the The Big Carl - Single. Calories use the upper bound where our two nutrition sources disagree.
Carl's Jr and Burger King are the two big open-flame burger chains in American fast food, and that shared cooking method is most of what they have in common. Carl's Jr charbroils, prices its burgers noticeably higher and builds them larger, while Burger King flame-grills, costs less and, for most of the country, is far easier to reach. Our Burger King Whopper menu covers the BK side of the flagship comparison in full.
On our tracked figures the pattern is consistent: the priced Carl's Jr burgers sit above their Burger King equivalents, sometimes by several dollars. The Big Carl and the Western Bacon Cheeseburger are signatures with real character, but you pay for them. If value is the priority, Burger King wins this clearly; if you want the heavier charbroiled build, Carl's Jr earns its premium.
How do Burger King and Carl's Jr. compare on price and calories?
2 matched items
| Item role | Burger King | Carl's Jr. | Price diff | Calorie diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signature burger | Whopper $6.19–$8.04 · 670–710 cal | The Big Carl - Single $7.49 · 670 cal | ranges overlap | BK +40 |
| Basic cheeseburger | Cheeseburger $1.89 · 300 cal | Big Cheeseburger $5.07 · 540 cal | BK cheaper by $3.18+ | BK -240 |
| Fries (largest tracked) | French Fries - Large price not tracked · 440 cal | not tracked | - | - |
| Crispy chicken sandwich | Royal Crispy Chicken $5.99–$7.79 · 600 cal | not tracked | - | - |
| Chocolate shake | Chocolate Shake $3.39–$5.29 · 590 cal | not tracked | - | - |
Price comparisons use the tracked RANGES, not their midpoints. Where two ranges overlap the table says so rather than naming a winner, because at some pairs of restaurants either chain can be the cheaper one. A direction is claimed only where the ranges do not overlap at all, and the figure shown is then the gap between the nearest bounds, which is a minimum rather than an estimate. Calories use the upper bound where our sources disagree, so nothing is understated. See how we source prices and calories.
Who wins at what?
Burger King is better for
- Cheaper on every burger we hold a tracked price for on both sides
- Many more US locations, so it is usually the reachable option
- A tighter core menu that is quicker to order from
Carl's Jr. is better for
- Charbroiling, a distinct heavier char that some prefer to a griddle or a thinner flame-grilled patty
- Larger, more indulgent flagships like the Western Bacon Cheeseburger
- A stronger hand-breaded chicken line and hand-scooped shakes
Charbroiled against flame-grilled
Both chains cook over an open flame, which sets them apart from the griddle chains, but the results are not identical. Carl's Jr charbroils a thicker patty for a heavier char; Burger King flame-grills a thinner quarter-pound patty on a moving chain. Which you prefer is a taste question the numbers cannot settle.
What the numbers do settle is price. Where both chains carry a tracked price for a comparable burger, Carl's Jr is the dearer one, and the gap is wide enough that a local promotion rarely closes it.
Where our price coverage stops
Our sources price the Carl's Jr burgers well but do not carry a clean standalone figure for its fries or shakes, which appear mostly inside combo bundles. Those rows are shown as not tracked rather than filled with a bundle price split by guesswork. The burger rows, which are the point of the comparison, are the complete ones.
Burger King vs Carl's Jr. FAQs
Is Carl's Jr more expensive than Burger King?
On our tracked figures, yes. Every Carl's Jr burger we hold a price for sits above its Burger King counterpart, often by a few dollars. Both chains are franchised, so the exact gap moves by location, but the direction is consistent.
What is the difference between charbroiled and flame-grilled?
Both cook over an open flame rather than a flat griddle. Carl's Jr charbroils a thicker patty for a heavier char; Burger King flame-grills a thinner quarter-pound patty on a moving chain. It is a real flavour difference, and which one you prefer is personal.
Sources
- Carl's Jr. calories - FatSecret (96% of values are multiples of ten, our label-value check)
- Carl's Jr. prices, thirstybear.com
- Carl's Jr official site (corporate information
- Burger King figures come from the same sources and the same checks, so this comparison is like for like) see our sourcing and editorial policy.