What you consider an affordable price for dinner or a big night out depends on what you earn and where you live. According to a new global study by Chef's Pencil, if you’re in Miami, you’re getting hit the hardest in the U.S. when it comes to dining out.
Chef’s Pencil, an international food magazine that tracks global dining trends, looked at the numbers from 177 cities worldwide, using data from Numbeo, a crowdsourced cost-of-living database. The study compared restaurant prices, coffee and beer costs against local wages to find out where eating and drinking out is actually affordable for locals—and where it isn’t.
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The bad news for Miamians: our city ranks 72nd worldwide and dead last in the U.S. for dining affordability. A three-course meal at a mid-range restaurant clocks in at around $60 per person, which may not sound shocking by big-city standards, until you consider it eats up 1.4% of the average monthly salary ($4,230).
That puts Miami in the same affordability league as pricey European capitals like Copenhagen, Madrid and Vienna. In other words, while Miami’s restaurant scene has exploded in ambition and quality over the last decade, it now comes at a distinctly European price point for locals.
Coffee lovers in Miami fare a little better. The city ranks 56th worldwide for coffee affordability, with an average cappuccino costing just under $2. Down one every day and you’ll be out about 3.9% of your monthly wages, a middle-of-the-road figure globally.
Beer fans have it easiest, as Miami sits at 45th worldwide for beer affordability. An average pint runs about $8, and ten a month only eats up about 1.2% of income—not exactly cheap, but easier to swallow.
Compared to other major U.S. hubs like Chicago, Seattle and D.C., Miami’s affordability lags behind, which makes sense in a city where tourism dollars and luxury culture often dictate the market. But while locals may grumble about the cost of dinner, by global standards, Miami isn’t outrageously expensive—it’s simply on par with Europe’s heavyweight capitals.
So yes, eating out in Miami hurts the wallet more than anywhere else in the country. But it also means you’re dining at a city whose restaurants now play in the same league as the world’s great culinary capitals.