Posted on October 16, 2014 by FlavorfulWorld Leave a comment
Did you know that nearly a third of the U.S. food dollar is spent on dining-out services? Americans clearly remain willing to part with significant amounts of coin for the privilege of taking some meals without cooking or doing dishes. With that unlikely to change soon, and with Oct. 16th being World Food Day, leading personal finance social network WalletHub recently conducted an in-depth analysis of 2014’s Best and Worst Foodie Cities for Your Wallet.
To locate and identify the most affordable (Good on you, Orlando, FL!) and least economical (Aim higher, Henderson, NV!) culinary scenes in the country, WalletHub analyzed the 150 most populated U.S. cities across 18 key metrics, ranging from the cost of groceries to the number of restaurants per capita. The sampling below lists the top and bottom 10 cities to make the list.
| Best Foodie Cities for Your Wallet | Worst Foodie Cities for Your Wallet | ||
| 1 | Orlando, FL | 141 | Mobile, AL |
| 2 | Grand Rapids, MI | 142 | Port St. Lucie, FL |
| 3 | Madison, WI | 143 | New York, NY |
| 4 | Boise, ID | 144 | Anchorage, AK |
| 5 | Cincinnati, OH | 145 | Fort Worth, TX |
| 6 | Reno, NV | 146 | Scottsdale, AZ |
| 7 | New Orleans, LA | 147 | Montgomery, AL |
| 8 | Austin, TX | 148 | Fayetteville, NC |
| 9 | Lexington, KY | 149 | Toledo, OH |
| 10 | Pittsburgh, PA | 150 | Henderson, NV |
Key Stats
- The number of restaurants per capita is two times higher in San Francisco, than in Bakersfield, Calif.
- The ratio of full-service restaurants to fast-food establishments is three times higher in Santa Rosa, Calif., than in Jackson, Miss.
- The cost of groceries is two times higher in Honolulu than in Houston.
- The number of grocery stores per capita is 37 times higher in Garden Grove, Calif., than in Indianapolis.
- The number of gourmet specialty food stores per capita is 42 times higher in Honolulu, than in Henderson, Nev.
- The number of coffee and tea shops per capita is 85 times higher in San Francisco, than in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
- The number of ice cream and frozen yogurt shops per capita is 36 times higher in Garden Grove, Calif., than in Detroit, Mich.