Restaurant Price by City in America (2024)

FAQs

What cities have the most expensive food? ›

The most expensive city in America to buy groceries in is Miami, HelpAdvisor found, with grocery bills there costing residents an average of $327.89, or about 14% higher than Florida's statewide average. 1.

Hawaii's restaurant's averaged $48.46. That's $13.46 more per ticket than the national average. And topping out the list is a state so great they've got their own cut of steak. New York tops the chart as the most expensive place to eat out in America in 2017.

Nearly half of Americans (42%) spend between $11 and $20 per person per meal, and 24% spend between $21 and $30. Additionally, 8% spend $10 or less, 11% spend between $31 and $40, 7% spend between $41 and $50, and 8% spend more than $50 per person per meal on average.

In general, a dinner at an inexpensive restaurant can cost between $10 to $20 per person, while a meal at a mid-range restaurant can cost between $20 to $40 per person. For high-end restaurants, the cost per person can be $50 or more, depending on the menu and drinks ordered.

1. California

At $297.72 per week on average, households in California spend more on groceries than any other state. HelpAdvisor also found that California features three out of the five most expensive cities in the US for grocery shopping.

New York City, San Francisco, and Honolulu are the top 3 most expensive cities in the US. Most Americans flock to these cities for their favorable climates, economic prospects, cultural offerings, and more.

According to several studies on cost of living, Hawaii is the most expensive U.S. state to live in. Prices are typically double in Hawaii compared to those on the mainland, and the continued rise in inflation is making costs ranging from housing to health care much more expensive.

The cheapest states to live in are Mississippi, Oklahoma, Kansas, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, West Virginia, and Tennessee. Mississippi is the cheapest state to live in in the US, with a cost of living index of 85. The second cheapest state to live in is Oklahoma, with a cost of living index of 85.8.

Americans save around $12 by opting to cook and eat at home, with the average home meal costing $4.23 versus over $16 per meal at an inexpensive restaurant. Annually, it costs over $13,000 more to eat out than it costs to prepare the same amount of food at home.

Why are restaurants so expensive in the US? ›

Ingredient costs have gone up, as have salaries, which many restaurants increased to compete for staff after pandemic shutdowns. Regulations squeeze from all sides, and commercial rents are market-defyingly high.

It is difficult to provide an exact average cost since buffet prices can range from as low as $10 per person to over $50 per person or more in upscale establishments. How much do you tip servers at a buffet? Buffets can be very different and my tipping reflects that!

If visitors are cautious about planning their travel, accommodations, transportation and itinerary, it is absolutely possible to visit New York City on a budget and still have a great time. Here are some tips on how to successfully do New York City on $100 a day.

The Big Apple has been named the most expensive pizza city in the country in a new survey of America's leading 'za capitals. Gouge-weary Gothamites are now regularly forking over $33.65 for a one-topping pie on average — more dough than anywhere else in the 50 states, according to the hot and ready research.

This is, of course, untrue, but the five boroughs are certainly more expensive than most places. That's why satisfying “cheap eats” for $10 and under are noteworthy in New York.

1. Seoul, South Korea: 4,926 five-star restaurants. Our top food capital of the world is Seoul in South Korea. Cooks from this country have created more than 100 different ways to serve fermented cabbage — clearly, this is a culture that takes food very seriously.