I find that to be the norm as if you wanted something simple like "Chicken Fried Rice" it's about $6.50 for a small portion. Vocelli's Pizza's "lunch special" costs around $8.50. "Noodle Factory", "Starbucks", "Baja Fresh", "Ledo's Pizza", A Dim Sum I can't spell the name correctly, and "Congressional Deli" range between $5 - $7.
Funny thing is Subway, McDonald's, "Crispy n' Juicy", are probably the cheapest of possible "eating out" in my area choices and only one is actually healthy/worthwhile...
Oh hey if you ever go to Bethesda, Maryland, stay the fuck away from the "Mongolian Bar & Grill" unless you're comfortable spending your life savings in an instant.
Go to the small chinese restaurant around the corner called "Moon Gate". Classy and affordable restaurant I've been to; they even do lunch/carry-out as well.