Footlong or two 6-inch subs? The size math on a Canadian sub menu
Verified August 6, 2026Updated September 2, 2026CAD, before taxGuide
Two people walk into a sub shop and order two 6-inch subs. It feels like the obvious thing to do, and it is the most expensive way to buy the same amount of bread and meat.
A 12-inch sub is not a different product from a 6-inch. It is two of them, cut once. So the only question that matters is whether the large costs less than two smalls, and on the one Canadian sub menu this site has verified, it is not close: a 12-inch Sub of the Day at Mr. Sub is $9.59, and two 6-inch versions of the same sandwich are $13.18. Buying the large and cutting it in half saves $3.59.
What this uses, and what it doesn't
The numbers here come from Mr. Sub's Sub of the Day board, which is the cleanest same-item size comparison on any sub menu I have verified: every featured sandwich, on every day of the week, costs $6.59 small and $9.59 large. One item, two sizes, no variation across seven days. That is a rare thing on a menu and it makes the arithmetic unambiguous.
Mr. Sub's small is a 6-inch and its large a 12-inch, so the large is exactly twice the sandwich.
This page has no Subway prices. Subway is the chain most people have in mind when they ask this question, and it has no verified price file on this site, so there is no table of ten Subway sandwiches below. What I can tell you is that the structure is the same at any sub counter that sells a 6-inch and a footlong of the same sandwich, and the test below works on whatever menu is actually in front of you.
The Sub of the Day, both ways
| Order | Sandwich | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One 12-inch large | 12 inches | $9.59 |
| Two 6-inch smalls | 12 inches | $13.18 |
| Difference | none | $3.59 |
The upsize from small to large is a flat $3.00, every day of the week. The small, meanwhile, costs $6.59 — which means the second half of a sandwich costs $3.00 if you buy it attached to the first half, and $6.59 if you buy it separately.
Put per inch:
| Size | Price | Length | Cost per inch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | $6.59 | 6 inches | $1.098 |
| Large | $9.59 | 12 inches | $0.799 |
The 6-inch costs 37.4% more per inch than the 12-inch. The large is 45.5% more expensive than the small in dollars, for 100% more sandwich.
Why the small is priced that way
None of this is a trick. It is what happens when most of the cost of making a sandwich has nothing to do with how long it is.
To build a 6-inch, someone still takes bread, slices it, lays out paper, applies ingredients, folds the sandwich and wraps it. The labour, the wrapper, the till time and the queue slot are identical to a 12-inch. Only the fillings scale with length, and fillings are the cheap part.
So the shop has to put a floor under the small price to cover the work, and that floor is what you are paying for when you buy two of them.
The reason people buy two anyway
The real objection is not arithmetic, it is toppings. One person wants mustard and pickles, the other wants mayonnaise and hot peppers, and ordering separately is the obvious way to get both.
That preference costs $3.59 at Mr. Sub prices. Before paying it, it is worth asking the counter whether they will dress the halves differently on one large — many will, and then cut and wrap the two halves separately. Where that works, the topping problem disappears and the saving stays.
Where it genuinely does not work is different fillings. If one person wants meatballs and the other wants roast beef, that is two sandwiches, and no amount of cutting fixes it. I have not verified whether Mr. Sub's till supports splitting proteins across a single large, so I am not going to tell you it does or does not — ask, and take the answer as local.
Test it on your own menu
The comparison takes ten seconds on any sub board:
- Find one sandwich sold in both sizes.
- Double the small price.
- Compare it to the large price.
If double the small beats the large, buy two smalls. It almost never does. On Mr. Sub's Sub of the Day, double the small is $13.18 against $9.59, and the large wins by more than a third.
The same test is worth running on a daily special before assuming it beats the everyday large. A promotional 6-inch has to come in under half the large price to be the better buy, and most do not go that low.
Frequently asked questions
Is a footlong cheaper than two 6-inch subs?
On the verified Canadian menu on this site, yes and by a wide margin. Mr. Sub's Sub of the Day is $9.59 for the 12-inch and $6.59 for the 6-inch, so two smalls cost $13.18 against $9.59 for the same twelve inches of sandwich.
How much more does a 6-inch cost per inch?
37.4% more. The Mr. Sub small works out to $1.098 per inch and the large to $0.799 per inch, using the Sub of the Day prices that hold every day of the week.
Why does a small sub cost so much relative to a large?
Because the assembly cost does not shrink with the sandwich. The bread handling, the wrapping, the paper and the staff time are the same for a 6-inch as for a 12-inch, so the small carries the same fixed cost on half the food.
What does it cost to upsize at Mr. Sub?
A flat $3.00 on any Sub of the Day, every day of the week. That is the cleanest upsize price on the menu, and it is less than half what the same six inches costs bought as a separate small.
Can I get different toppings on each half of one large?
Usually, if you ask before it is assembled. Different fillings are a harder question and the answer depends on the location's till, so ask rather than assuming. The saving only holds if you actually get the one large.
What about Subway's prices?
This site has no verified Subway price file, so there are no Subway figures on this page. The structure of the question is identical at any counter selling the same sandwich in a 6-inch and a footlong: double the small price and compare it to the footlong.
Methodology and disclaimer
Sub of the Day and category prices come from the verified menu file behind this site's Mr. Sub page, recorded August 6, 2026. Mr. Sub does not publish a single national price list, so those figures are drawn from recent Canadian menu listings rather than a corporate price sheet, and locations vary. Cost per inch uses Mr. Sub's 6-inch and 12-inch sizes. No Subway prices are published here because none have been verified on this site. Prices exclude provincial sales taxes.
Froqel is an independent price guide. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Mr. Sub, Subway, or any restaurant chain named here. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.