If you’re trying to set a budget for yourself or decide whether or not you want to purchase a good or a service, it might be helpful to conceptualize how much work you would have to complete in order to do so. For example, is buying that McChicken really worth the 30 minutes you spent working at your current job?

In a recent TikTok video, creator Arnie Martinez (@slowarnie) sparked a viral debate about how much he was earning per hour for him to need to work 30 minutes in order to be able to afford a McChicken sandwich.

@slowarnie Its a tough economy #fyp #mke #construction #roofingjobs #guttercleaning ##jokes #economy ♬ sonido original – R P D 🔥

Martinez writes in the video: “Once you start working you start realizing that McChicken ain’t $1, it’s 30 minutes of your life.”

According to Hot Menu Price, McDonald’s McChicken, on average in the U.S. costs about $2.08 per sandwich, which means that Martinez would have to be earning $4.16 an hour, on average, for his statement to be true. The last time the Federal minimum wage was that low was on April 1st, 1991 when it was set at $4.25 per hour “for all covered nonexempt workers,” according to the US Department of Labor.

Many commenters who saw Martinez’s clip joked that he was lying about how little he earned. The Daily Dot has reached out to Martinez via TikTok comment and McDonald’s via email for further information.

“Bro working at the chum bucket,” someone wrote, while someone else also added a Spongebob Squarepants reference of their own: “Mr. Krabs’ best employee.”

Another quipped, “bro makes $730 a year.”

“Bro getting 1970 minimum wage

While it’s very possible that Martinez’s comment was intended to be hyperbolic, inflation is a very real issue Americans have been battling throughout 2023. Various goods and services, including food, have skyrocketed in price since 2021, with inflation reaching a 40-year record high in the summer of 2022.

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Source: https://www.dailydot.com/news/mcchicken-cost-30-working-minutes/