Adam McCann, Financial Writer

Oct 7, 2019

Americans today apply the term “foodie” to anyone who loves gourmet dining. But foodie culture isn’t limited to restaurants. More importantly, far fewer than the many who claim to be foodies truly deserve the label. “Authentic” foodies, according to experts, not only crave new and different flavors but also savor the exploratory experience of eating, learning and discovering food.

Naturally, the foodie lifestyle can be quite expensive, considering that restaurant prices rose 3.2% just between July 2018 and July 2019. And in 2015, Americans spent more money at food establishments than at grocery stores for the first time, and restaurant purchases continue to experience greater year-over-year growth than grocery sales in 2019. And while people may view dining at home to be more cost-effective, eating at home still can be pricey, depending on the local cost of living as well as the type and quality of ingredients used.

Fortunately, culinary hotspots across the U.S. offer plenty of affordable options for cash-strapped foodies. These wallet-friendly cities cater to diners who prefer to cook at home, explore the local flavors or both. To determine the best and cheapest foodie scenes, WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 30 key indicators of foodie-friendliness. Our data set ranges from cost of groceries to affordability and accessibility of high-quality restaurants to food festivals per capita. Read on for the winners, expert foodie insight and a full description of our methodology.

Main Findings





Best Food Cities in America

Overall Rank

(1 = Best) City Total Score ‘Affordability’ Rank ‘Diversity, Accessibility & Quality’ Rank 1 Portland, OR 69.79 13 5 2 New York, NY 68.74 175 1 3 Miami, FL 67.52 123 3 4 San Francisco, CA 67.21 172 2 5 Los Angeles, CA 66.96 107 4 6 Las Vegas, NV 66.30 15 7 7 San Diego, CA 62.54 47 9 8 Seattle, WA 61.01 168 6 9 Chicago, IL 60.64 103 8 10 Austin, TX 60.12 17 15 11 Orlando, FL 59.46 48 11 12 Sacramento, CA 57.00 77 14 13 Tampa, FL 56.68 86 13 14 Atlanta, GA 55.27 78 18 15 Denver, CO 55.22 84 17 16 Charleston, SC 54.38 61 19 17 Washington, DC 53.50 171 12 18 Honolulu, HI 53.41 178 10 19 Philadelphia, PA 53.02 88 20 20 Oakland, CA 52.94 155 16 21 Houston, TX 52.60 21 25 22 Richmond, VA 51.77 30 22 23 San Antonio, TX 50.91 1 44 24 Cincinnati, OH 50.62 14 30 25 Grand Rapids, MI 50.49 5 40 26 Milwaukee, WI 50.06 9 43 27 Columbus, OH 50.01 8 42 28 Pittsburgh, PA 49.84 74 21 29 Rochester, NY 49.66 70 24 30 Cleveland, OH 48.68 45 34 31 St. Louis, MO 48.48 106 23 32 Scottsdale, AZ 48.33 27 39 33 Fort Lauderdale, FL 48.21 71 28 34 Minneapolis, MN 47.77 101 26 35 Louisville, KY 47.60 12 52 36 Buffalo, NY 47.08 81 31 37 Tucson, AZ 46.88 25 48 38 Santa Ana, CA 46.45 90 38 39 Vancouver, WA 46.41 116 29 40 Tempe, AZ 46.25 32 64 41 Albuquerque, NM 46.25 43 50 42 Indianapolis, IN 46.22 19 59 43 Dallas, TX 46.13 36 49 44 New Orleans, LA 45.96 139 27 45 Boston, MA 45.71 114 35 46 Raleigh, NC 45.52 42 61 47 Spokane, WA 45.19 31 58 48 Fresno, CA 45.16 65 46 49 San Jose, CA 45.10 131 32 50 Salt Lake City, UT 45.09 124 33 51 Mesa, AZ 44.73 20 76 52 Phoenix, AZ 44.62 33 69 53 Portland, ME 44.60 83 45 54 Lexington-Fayette, KY 44.48 4 80 55 Jersey City, NJ 44.36 143 36 56 Long Beach, CA 44.34 75 51 57 Nashville, TN 44.06 120 41 58 Omaha, NE 43.94 23 82 59 Baltimore, MD 43.93 67 54 60 Huntington Beach, CA 43.71 52 66 61 Amarillo, TX 43.71 16 105 62 Bakersfield, CA 43.65 54 57 63 Salem, OR 43.58 60 65 64 Jacksonville, FL 43.56 40 75 65 Newark, NJ 43.51 93 53 66 Fort Worth, TX 43.43 6 98 67 Aurora, CO 43.17 49 74 68 Anaheim, CA 43.02 100 47 69 Charlotte, NC 42.99 73 62 70 Billings, MT 42.97 26 94 71 Madison, WI 42.97 53 73 72 Colorado Springs, CO 42.76 18 96 73 Wilmington, DE 42.66 112 55 74 Oklahoma City, OK 42.39 29 85 75 Boise, ID 42.36 92 60 76 Plano, TX 42.15 24 87 77 Lincoln, NE 41.96 56 83 78 Detroit, MI 41.85 3 131 79 Reno, NV 41.58 119 56 80 Des Moines, IA 41.32 34 97 81 Knoxville, TN 41.15 64 78 82 Tulsa, OK 40.95 38 104 83 Santa Rosa, CA 40.82 176 37 84 St. Paul, MN 40.77 117 67 85 Henderson, NV 40.64 2 147 86 Chandler, AZ 40.63 39 99 87 Hialeah, FL 40.62 148 63 88 El Paso, TX 40.44 7 141 89 Virginia Beach, VA 40.30 136 68 90 St. Petersburg, FL 40.28 59 93 91 Irvine, CA 40.28 128 70 92 Sioux Falls, SD 40.22 50 101 93 Garden Grove, CA 40.16 140 71 94 Arlington, TX 40.15 35 138 95 Springfield, MO 39.90 63 100 96 Missoula, MT 39.82 37 114 97 Modesto, CA 39.64 109 86 98 Laredo, TX 39.45 22 170 99 Burlington, VT 39.41 110 92 100 Manchester, NH 39.36 79 118 101 Birmingham, AL 39.25 41 117 102 Providence, RI 39.21 134 81 103 Charleston, WV 39.19 44 167 104 Riverside, CA 39.18 145 72 105 Gilbert, AZ 39.15 10 161 106 Glendale, CA 39.10 118 88 107 Cedar Rapids, IA 39.07 66 110 108 Casper, WY 38.93 76 134 109 Irving, TX 38.87 69 119 110 Fargo, ND 38.82 115 103 111 Tacoma, WA 38.80 132 77 112 Tallahassee, FL 38.39 102 95 113 Corpus Christi, TX 38.36 11 173 114 Fort Wayne, IN 38.32 28 162 115 Huntington, WV 38.15 68 144 116 Little Rock, AR 38.06 142 90 117 Bismarck, ND 37.86 85 140 118 Columbia, SC 37.77 125 91 119 Baton Rouge, LA 37.70 158 79 120 Durham, NC 37.62 87 106 121 Oceanside, CA 37.56 94 112 122 Santa Clarita, CA 37.48 105 108 123 Cape Coral, FL 37.47 72 129 124 Kansas City, MO 37.41 91 124 125 Memphis, TN 37.12 82 137 126 Lubbock, TX 36.86 62 155 127 Garland, TX 36.78 89 146 128 Akron, OH 36.76 95 136 129 Wichita, KS 36.75 57 154 130 Glendale, AZ 36.69 58 111 131 Oxnard, CA 36.46 159 89 132 Greensboro, NC 36.46 55 152 133 Aurora, IL 36.16 99 128 134 Rapid City, SD 36.06 147 115 135 Toledo, OH 35.99 46 169 136 Norfolk, VA 35.78 111 125 137 Peoria, AZ 35.68 98 165 138 Brownsville, TX 35.67 51 181 139 Bridgeport, CT 35.66 151 122 140 Nashua, NH 35.64 104 157 141 North Las Vegas, NV 35.42 97 123 142 Chesapeake, VA 35.29 96 163 143 Pembroke Pines, FL 35.10 137 133 144 Anchorage, AK 35.07 153 102 145 Chula Vista, CA 35.03 150 127 146 Newport News, VA 34.94 130 151 147 Fort Smith, AR 34.79 141 149 148 New Haven, CT 34.69 167 113 149 Cheyenne, WY 34.65 126 175 150 Huntsville, AL 34.64 121 147 151 Las Cruces, NM 34.60 80 177 152 Overland Park, KS 34.59 162 116 153 Columbia, MD 34.39 156 130 154 Winston-Salem, NC 34.24 129 145 155 Worcester, MA 34.06 163 121 156 Dover, DE 34.00 127 164 157 Chattanooga, TN 33.98 133 142 158 Lewiston, ME 33.87 135 158 159 San Bernardino, CA 33.83 154 139 160 Gulfport, MS 33.64 160 153 161 Fayetteville, NC 33.57 144 150 162 Stockton, CA 33.51 174 107 163 Mobile, AL 33.51 108 168 164 Warwick, RI 33.05 165 132 165 Yonkers, NY 32.94 179 84 166 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 32.77 122 172 167 Grand Prairie, TX 32.52 113 171 168 South Burlington, VT 32.25 157 159 169 Port St. Lucie, FL 32.20 161 166 170 Ontario, CA 32.02 164 126 171 Fontana, CA 31.79 166 160 172 Shreveport, LA 31.72 149 174 173 Columbus, GA 31.34 152 176 174 Nampa, ID 30.79 169 156 175 Montgomery, AL 30.72 138 180 176 Fremont, CA 30.57 180 109 177 Moreno Valley, CA 30.36 173 143 178 West Valley City, UT 30.27 177 135 179 Augusta, GA 29.43 146 182 180 Jackson, MS 29.36 170 178 181 Juneau, AK 27.65 181 120 182 Pearl City, HI 22.48 182 179

Ask the Experts

Wallet-conscious foodies don’t always have to sacrifice quality for price. For money-saving advice and policy-related tips for improving the local food scene, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in with their thoughts on the following key questions:

What tips can you provide to foodies on a tight budget? In evaluating the best foodie cities for your wallet, what are the top five indicators? What tips can you offer to health-conscious foodies who like to eat out? What role, if any, can local authorities play in improving the food scene in their city?

Methodology

In order to determine the best and cheapest local foodie scenes, WalletHub compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across two key dimensions, “Affordability” and “Diversity, Accessibility & Quality.”

We evaluated those dimensions using 30 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions and costs for foodies. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.

Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the cities in our sample. In determining our sample, we considered only the “city proper” in each case and excluded surrounding cities in the metro area.

Affordability – Total Points: 30

Cost of Groceries: Double Weight (~6.67 Points)

Accessibility & Affordability of High-Quality Restaurants: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)

Note: This metric measures the prevalence of affordable restaurants with ratings of at least 4.5 stars.

Restaurant Meal Cost: Double Weight (~6.67 Points)

Sales Tax: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)

Food Tax: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)

Restaurant Tax: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)

Average Beer & Wine Price: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)

Note: “Average Beer Price” refers to the average price, excluding any deposit, of a six-pack of 12-ounce Heineken containers, and “Average Wine Price” refers to the average price of a 1.5-liter bottle of Chablis or Chenin Blanc or any white table wine.

Diversity, Accessibility & Quality – Total Points: 70

Restaurants per Capita*: Triple Weight (~9.23 Points)

Ratio of Full-Service Restaurants to Fast-Food Establishments: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

Growth in Number of Full Service Restaurants (2016 vs 2011): Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

Restaurant Diversity: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

Presence of Michelin-Starred Restaurants: Quarter Weight (~0.77 Points)

Average Ranking of Restaurants on Yelp’s “Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S.” List: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

Food Trucks per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

Access to Healthy Food Options: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

Farmers Markets & CSA Programs per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

Note: “CSA” refers to community-supported agriculture.

Food Freshness: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

Note: The share of workers involved in agricultural activities was used as a proxy for this metric.

Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

Craft Breweries & Wine Bars per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

Coffee & Tea Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

Gourmet Specialty-Food Stores per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

Note: “Gourmet Specialty-Food Stores” includes, among others, candy stores, chocolatiers and cheese shops.

Grocery Stores per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

International Grocery Stores per Capita*: Half Weight (~1.54 Points)

Butcher Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

Herbs & Spices Stores per Capita*: Half Weight (~1.54 Points)

Kitchen Supplies Stores per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

Food Festivals per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

Cooking Schools per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

Food & Drink Meetups per Capita*: Half Weight (~1.54 Points)

Food & Wine Tours per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)



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Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Council for Community and Economic Research, Federation of Tax Administrators, Tax Foundation, County Health Rankings, Sale-Tax.com, Numbeo, Wikipedia and Yelp.

Image: Rawpixel.com / Shutterstock.com

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