Dining Out and Eating In Around The World

Global travel is on the rise as jet-setters seek out unique travel experiences, which may explain why sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East experienced an increase in tourism in 2018. And of the 93 million Americans who traveled in 2018, 41.8 million flew to overseas destinations. However, no matter where one journeys to, they will have to eat.

To determine the price of food around the world, we used the Cost of Living Index and analyzed grocery and restaurant prices by country. Our findings outline the cost of eating in and dining out around the world, comparing the global picture to the U.S.

Cost of Dining Out Globally

Americans enjoy dining out. According to CNBC, more than half of every dollar spent on food goes to restaurants. But how does the cost of dining out in the U.S. compare to other countries?

Our analysis shows it is more expensive to eat out in America than in most countries, but Europe, the Bahamas, and Oceania are more costly. Switzerland proved to be the most expensive, followed by Iceland, Norway, the Bahamas, and Luxembourg. High Swiss tariffs on food and drink imports are to blame, but it is done to protect local farmers, so travelers will likely get the best of Swiss cuisine.

How Much More?

While we are aware of which countries carry more or less expensive menu items than the U.S., let’s talk numbers. How much more is a steak in Switzerland? Does a halwa poori dish cost half as much in Pakistan, or is it even cheaper?

Dining out in New Zealand and Austria was most comparable to the U.S. Meanwhile, Qatar and Canada were both about 10% less expensive than the U.S. And, yes, cuisine in Pakistan is a steal if you have it in the South Asian country – 77.8% less expensive, to be exact. However, Tunisia offered the best deal: Dining out in the North African region was 80.8% cheaper.

Conversely, eating a meal in one of Switzerland’s restaurants proved to be 77.5% more expensive than an American outing. Of the five highest-cost countries, eateries in Luxembourg were the most affordable.

Grocery Prices Around the World

Restaurants are charging customers more to help cover the increasing cost of labor, rent, and insurance, so some patrons are cutting back on dining out. And although buying groceries in the U.S. might be inconvenient to some, how does the cost compare with other regions of the world?

Much like dining out, groceries in Switzerland were the most expensive. However, the Nordic countries swapped places: Norway followed Switzerland, with Iceland trailing behind. South Korea and Japan joined the big three, making them the fourth and fifth most expensive countries to buy groceries compared to the U.S., respectively.

A Closer Look

Tom Dichter encourages travelers to visit a foreign country’s supermarket or outdoor market when in search of authentic food. To those looking for favorable deals, Pakistan, Tunisia, Ukraine, Egypt, and Kosovo grocery stores were the most economical. Australia and France’s grocery prices were not much different from the U.S.

Switzerland is beautiful, but a frugal traveler might have a hard time holding onto their money while visiting the mountainous region. Dining out was 77.5% more expensive than the U.S., and groceries were 79.1% pricier there compared to America. France and Taiwan offered more affordable grocery prices.

Food Price Trends

Should you eat all three daily meals at local eateries, or are you better off going grocery shopping and maybe only dining out for dinner?

When in Europe, dine in – it’s less expensive. However, if you plan on traveling to Japan or South Korea, plan to eat out. It was also more cost-effective to dine out in Sri Lanka, Algeria, and Tunisia.

But restaurant prices in Sri Lanka increased 1.4 times from 2015 to 2019. Indonesia saw the most significant jump: restaurant prices there increased 4.1 times in the same period. When we analyzed grocery costs, Syria had a notable increase, followed by Macedonia, Indonesia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan.

Cost of Food in the Middle East

In the aforementioned global travel statistics, we learned that travel to Middle Eastern countries increased in 2018. But how affordable is it to eat in and dine out in the Middle East? Which countries offer the best deals?

Relative to the U.S., Egypt was the least expensive country to purchase groceries (65.6% less costly) and dine out (67.9% less costly). Dining out in Saudi Arabia was the cheapest, followed by Turkey, Palestine, Iran, and Iraq. When in Israel, it’s more affordable to dine in; going out to a restaurant was 16.6% more costly than the U.S. Following Israel, the top five places to purchase groceries in the Middle East were: Cyprus, Qatar, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan.

Travel and Eat Locally

While touring the world is now on the rise, travel can be expensive. People looking to have distinct yet affordable experiences may want to look at booking their next trip to sub-Saharan Africa or the Middle East. According to our analysis, dining in and eating out in Europe is costly, but African, Asian, and Middle Eastern countries offer travelers more affordable prices.

Regions with low-cost food may allow people the financial flexibility to stay a couple of extra days or to enjoy that off-the-beaten-path tour. Do you want to call the United Arab Emirates home for a week? Bayut will help you find the perfect place, and if you love your stay enough, we will find you the best selections of properties for rent in Dubai or in any other area of your choosing in the UAE.

If you’re interested in learning more about life in the Emirates, also check out our comprehensive area guides on Dubai Marina and Burj Khalifa.

Methodology and Limitations

Data on the cost of living were collected from Numbeo.com. The data were accessed in October 2019. The years of data used were primarily 2019 but also 2015 for the graphic titled “Deciding Where to Eat Globally.” The indexes used in this source were the Grocery Index and Restaurant Prices Index. Numbeo defines its Grocery Index as “an estimation of grocery prices in the city compared to New York City.” For the Restaurant Price Index, Numbeo defines it as “a comparison of prices of meals and drinks in restaurants and bars compared to NYC.” The indexes were converted to percentages relative to the U.S. To do this, the U.S. was set to equal 0%, and the percentage change formula was used to calculate the difference between each available country in the dataset to the U.S.

The data were not statistically tested. 2019 was the most recent available year of data, but there are instances in the data where some countries do not appear in the 2015 version. In those situations, those countries were not compared. The data are solely based on means and should be treated as exploratory. Future research could explore other costs associated with living in particular countries or further historic insight over time.

Fair Use Statement

We analyzed how the cost of dining in and eating out around the world compares to the U.S. because we want you to have all this helpful information in one place. Freely share our maps, graphics, and written content for noncommercial use. All we ask is that you link back to this page and cite the authors.