By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-18 19:32:52 | Updated at 2026-06-18 21:19:51
1 hour ago
With inflation making everything more expensive, Americans are hunting deals wherever they can - and now there's a new laureate for cheapest pizza chain in the land.
Among the ten biggest US pizza chains, the best value comes from a lesser-known classic rather than a huge national brand like Pizza Hut and Dominos.
Little Caesars, founded in 1959, offers medium cheese pies for an average cost of just $10.27, making it the least expensive plain pizza option from a big chain restaurant, according to a new study.
It's also a whopping 17 percent cheaper than the next most affordable option, Papa Murphy's, where the average medium cheese pizza costs $12.38.
At Pizza Hut, a similar pie will cost customers $19, while the menu item costs an estimated $19.33 at Domino's. The most expensive cheese pie is at Chuck E Cheese, where customers can expect to pay $20.33.
Little Caesars is the third largest pizza concept in the country, offering customers additional add-ons like their crazy bread and wings. For dessert, the restaurant has a cookie dough brownie made with mini M&M’s or Twix.
They frequently offer discounts and deals, like the $5 large pizza for Amazon Prime members. In April, the company announced it would be using ChatGPT in the Little Caesars app, so customers can use AI to help plan meals.
The budget-friendly chain also boasts making its own pizza dough, although Mashed reported that Little Caesars keeps costs down by purchasing many ingredients in their 'least expensive, long-life form' and by using relatively little cheese on each pizza.
Little Caesars is the third largest pizza chain in the US, trailing behind chains Pizza Hut and Dominos
Little Caesars boasts 'hot-n-ready' pizzas and its iconic 'Crazy Bread'
This is partially because Little Caesars has a low-cost business model.
Unlike many competitors, Little Caesars offers limited seating, helping reduce overhead expenses and then passing that savings on to customers.
And this wouldn't be the first time that Little Caesars was recognized for its affordability.
This May, the chain was named America's Value Leader honoree in the annual 2026 Datassential 500, a report that analyzes over 244,000 restaurants across the US.
'As consumer expectations evolve, we're focused on making great pizza more accessible than ever, while continuing to innovate in ways that support both our customers and our franchisees,' Little Caesars said in a statement at the time.
And while Little Caesars found a formula for value, fast food chains nationwide have been struggling to find their footing as customers search for cheaper alternatives.
Yum Brands has agreed to sell Pizza Hut after months of exploring strategic options for the struggling restaurant chain, which has faced declining sales, intensifying competition and the costly challenge of maintaining hundreds of aging locations.
The sale comes just months after Yum Brands revealed it was considering a divestiture and announced plans to close around 250 US restaurants as part of a broader turnaround effort.
Chuck E Cheese was included on Net Credit's list, though it was among the most expensive pizza chain restaurants
'Under LongRange and Yum China, Pizza Hut will be well positioned for future growth with ownership that brings deep expertise in the restaurant industry,' Yum Brands CEO Chris Turner said.
Pizza Hut already announced it would close about 250 locations due to sliding sales. The franchises that would shutter would primarily be 'underperforming' locations.
Despite Domino's closing more than 200 stores post-Covid, that pizza chain remains the largest in the world by both sales and store count.
Papa John's is still among the largest pizza chains in the US, coming in fourth after Domino's, Pizza Hut, and Little Caesars.
As of 2026, Papa John's has over 3,500 US locations and over 6,000 restaurants total across 50 countries and territories.
