The Most Expensive City To Dine Out In Isn't New York

When you think of "food cities" in the United States, what metropolises come to mind? Yes, New York City is complete with heaps of iconic sandwich locations. Yes, Los Angeles might be littered with some of the best coffee shops you'll find in the country. But if you triangulate those cities toward the south-east, you may be surprised to find that Miami has quietly snuck into the food city conversation — but it has come with a cost. In this case, literally, because it's been found to be the most expensive city for eating out in the country.

Miami may have taken claim to being the best foodie city in the United States, according to WalletHub's 2025 ranking, but that doesn't mean your wallet will have a fun time in the spring break destination. Cities like New York have something of a reputation for charging a king's ransom for dining out. But recently, Miami gained consensus as the most expensive food city in the country to dine out in, beating other food hubs like LA, Dallas, and more. The 2025 study conducted by Chef's Pencil examined and compared local wages to average dining-out prices of over 170 cities across the globe, and found that Miami was the worst off out of all U.S. cities (and 72nd overall). So if you're planning on grabbing some fresh seafood or even Miami's internet-famous smashburger, just be sure to save a few extra dollars in advance.

Now this doesn't mean that there are no relatively affordable locales to be found in and around Miami. After all, you don't become a food capital if you don't have something to cater to all walks of life. From the Floridian staple Cuban sandwich to even a gas station that serves up fine wine, there's no doubt that there's something in Miami to suit your tastes when you travel there. But that's likely where the issue stems, actually — Miami might have become a foodie city, but it was a tourist city long before that.

Between spring breakers, snowbirds, or simply people looking to enjoy the sun and the sand, Miami has long been a destination city in the U.S. Couple that fact with Miami's rise through the food city ranks, and you can easily speculate how Miami may have found itself as the most expensive city in the U.S. for eating out relative to its wages. The result is diners spending approximately $60 per person for a mid-range, three-course meal — that's 1.4% of a Miami resident's monthly income when compared with average local wages.

The silver lining is that you don't need to travel outside the country for more affordable eats, as cities such as Dallas, Denver, and Houston all ranked very well in affordability compared to wages. So for all the Miamians out there, you may just be better off saving for a foodie expedition instead of spending more than you have to at your local haunts.