The Hands Down Cheapest Pizza Chains Of 2026

The question of how much a pizza should cost has no easy answers, since it depends on the pizza. You can pay under $5 for a cheap frozen pizza, or you can shell out over $40 at New York City's oh-so-exclusive Ceres Pizza. With a time machine and big bucks to burn, you could even go back to the 2010s and drop $10,000 on the world's most expensive pizza. If you're looking at chain pizzerias, however, the answer is ... still probably more than you're hoping. Then again, in a world where a food truck burrito costs $15, dropping $20 on a pizza big enough for two (or maybe three) isn't such a bad deal. There are a few chains out there that can feed you for even less than that.

We've listed the prices of a standard, 14-inch cheese pizza with a hand-tossed or original crust from each chain. Since prices vary by region, we chose locations in the Chicago area (or as close as we could get). We've also provided the prices for similarly sized pepperoni pizzas, since pepperoni is America's favorite pizza topping. As certain chains are constantly offering coupons and promos that will save you more money, we've noted any significant savings that don't appear to be time-limited to help you score the cheapest deal possible.

If there were a competition for cheapest chain pizza, Little Caesar's would win in a landslide. Both the large classic cheese and pepperoni pizzas only cost $5.99, which is less than what a lot of frozen pizzas cost. Even the most expensive item on the menu, a Detroit-style deep dish veggie pizza, is just $15; making it less expensive than many other budget-priced pies. Little Caesars' pizza may not be topping popularity polls, but if you share the philosophy that there's no such thing as bad pizza, this chain's always a best bet.

If you get takeout pizza from Papa Murphy's, it's going to be the opposite of hot and ready since the chain built its rep around take and bake. As it's spared the cost of pizza ovens, you might expect the pizzas to be priced even lower than Little Caesars, but that isn't the case. A large cheese or pepperoni pizza purchased at the Bloomington, Illinois Papa Murphy's will cost you $10.00, which is still a bargain even if you do have to do the cooking. That same low price also applies to any of Papa Murphy's specialty pizzas, like Hawaiian, Garden Veggie, or Cowboy. (The last-named is topped with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, black olives, and cheddar.)

Cici's Pizza is known for its all-you-can-eat buffet, but it also offers reasonably priced takeout and delivery. At the Naperville, Illinois CIci's, large cheese and pepperoni pizzas both cost $12.99. The chain also has the distinction of offering one of the most expensive pizzas: the $49.99 Piezilla. Of course, to give this sizable pie its due, it measures 28 inches across. The way pizza math works, that's slightly more than four times the amount of pizza you'd get from a 14-inch pizza at slightly less than the cost of four pies. Novelty factor aside, it makes a pretty unwieldy entree, so you're probably better off sticking with smaller pizzas.

Hungry Howie's has been around for over half a century, and in honor of its founding year, the chain offers a pizza called the '73 Classic topped with 73 slices of cupped pepperoni. In South Bend, Indiana (the closest location to Chicago), it sells for $12.99, which is a penny less than a large cheese pizza and $2 less than a large pepperoni. The cheapest large pizza here is found on the so-called "Secret Menu" (which is listed right on the website, thus making it the worst-kept secret ever). The $11.99 Tie Dye Pizza has a cheese topping sprinkled with concentric circles of green, yellow, and blue edible glitter.

Toppers Pizza is a mid-sized restaurant chain concentrated in the Midwest, although it has no Illinois locations. (Kind of odd, seeing as how it was founded by a former University of Illinois student.) Kenosha, Wisconsin is considered to be more or less Chicagoland, and it's there you can purchase a large cheese pizza for $14.49. There's a $2 upcharge for pepperoni, but smart shoppers know not to order either option. Instead, they go straight to the deals section of the website or use the ubiquitous coupons that come in the mail. It's there they'll find offers like BOGO Tuesdays and one-topping carryout pizzas for $8.99.

Domino's may not be the largest pizza chain in the United States, but it's the biggest one that delivers (Hunt Brothers primarily sells its pizzas at gas stations and convenience stores). At Domino's, it pays to keep an eye on any special offers going. A plain cheese pizza (which must be ordered from the build-your-own section of the menu) costs $15.49, while pepperoni is $18.24. If you check the website's deals section, however, you can find a large three topping carryout pizza for $9.99 or a large specialty or one topping delivery pizza for $13.99.

Marco's Pizza may not yet be a household name, but it seems to be well on the way. It's one of the fastest growing pizza chains in the country and ranked number two in a 2025 Newsweek reader's poll for best pizza chain. The price of a large cheese pizza is $17.99 and a large pepperoni is $20.39. There are, however, a few deals that will net you an upgraded pizza for a lower price, like the Pepperoni Magnifico with its Old World (cupped) pepperoni and garlic sauce crust for $12.99 or the 16-inch three-cheese Big Cheese for $16.99.

Pizza Hut has been struggling in recent years but is actually on the comeback trail now with nostalgia-themed Pizza Hut Classic restaurants and a revival of the beloved Book It! program. Pizza Hut's large cheese pizza costs $18.99, while a large pepperoni sells for $21.48. There are also deals that will make your pizza less pricey, with one of the cheaper ones being a large one-topping stuffed crust pizza for $17.99. If stuffed crust's not your thing, that same amount can also get you a 16-inch Big New Yorker.

Papa John's is a pretty polarizing pizza brand, in part due to the antics of the founder "Papa" John Schnatter, who stepped down as CEO after using racist language in a 2018 conference call. More recently, the chain has irked customers by printing an acknowledgment on its boxes that the delivery fee doesn't go to drivers. If you pick up your own order it's still pretty affordable; without add-on fees or tips, a large cheese, pepperoni, or sausage pizza will cost $20.99. A look at the deals section can save you a fairly significant sum as well, since you can score a large one-topping stuffed crust pizza for $13.99.

Michigan-based Jet's Pizza is known for its rectangular, Detroit-style pies, but in the interest of providing an apples-to-apples comparison, we've researched the prices for the round, New York-style ones instead. A large cheese is $21.99, while a large pepperoni is $24.17. In fact, the latter price applies to any single topping pizza, whether meat or veggie.

Godfather's Pizza was founded in 1973, just a year after Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" paved the way for a million mob-related movies and TV series. Long after Tony Soprano ate his last cannoli, the chain is still thriving. At the Elk Grove Village, Illinois location a large cheese pizza is priced at $22.99 and pepperoni for $24.99. Deals aren't available to any old Fredo, though — if you want to score serious savings, you have to join the Godfather's Loyalty Club.