These Are the Most and Least Expensive Countries for Eating Out

One of the best parts of traveling is eating local. If you’ve traveled extensively, then you know depending on where you go, dining out can either take a huge bite out of your travel budget or be surprisingly affordable.

Visual Capitalist recently ranked 98 countries and territories based on the average cost of a meal at an inexpensive restaurant, using crowdsourced data from Numbeo. And the difference between the most and least expensive countries is pretty wild.

Switzerland is the most expensive

Switzerland tops the list, where an inexpensive restaurant meal averages $31.20.  At the other end is Bangladesh, where a meal averages just $1.63. That’s a 19-fold difference.

If you’ve traveled to Switzerland recently, the high price probably won’t surprise you. It’s an incredible country, but eating out can get expensive very quickly — even at McDonald’s.

Here are the 10 most expensive countries:

1. Switzerland: $31.20
2. Norway: $23.60
3. Denmark: $23.43
4. Belgium: $23.36
5. Netherlands: $23.36
6. Ireland: $23.35
7. United Kingdom: $21.82
8. Italy: $20.19
9. United States: $20.00
10. Austria: $18.68

Nine of the top 10 are in Europe. The only exception? The United States. I was a little surprised to see Italy so high on the list since I just returned from there and was able to get a whole pizza in Naples for just €6, which is less than half of what I’d expect to pay here in the U.S.

The U.S. ranks ninth

The U.S. comes in at $20 per meal, making it one of the most expensive countries in the world for eating out. And anyone who has eaten at a restaurant in a major U.S. city lately is probably thinking: Where can I find this $20 meal? That’s especially true once you factor in tax and tip.

Canada isn’t far behind, ranking 11th at $18.11, followed by Australia at $17.91.

Japan is surprisingly affordable

This was the number that really caught my attention. Japan ranks 69th out of 98 countries, with an inexpensive restaurant meal averaging just $6.29. It’s the cheapest G7 country for eating out and the only G7 country below the global median of $9.35. Put another way, the $20 that buys one inexpensive restaurant meal in the U.S. could buy roughly three meals in Japan.

I’ve always thought Japan offers travelers incredible value when it comes to food. You don’t have to spend a fortune to eat extremely well, whether you’re grabbing ramen, curry or something from one of the country’s ubiquitous convenience stores.

Where eating out costs the least

Travelers can stretch their food budgets even further in parts of Asia, Africa and South America.

The least expensive countries in the ranking include:

• Bangladesh: $1.63
• Indonesia: $1.70
• Bolivia: $1.73
• Nigeria: $1.85
• Nepal: $1.96
• India: $2.09
• Pakistan: $2.16
• China: $2.98

Of course, these numbers need some context. Numbeo’s data is crowdsourced, and an “inexpensive restaurant” isn’t the same thing everywhere. This isn’t the price of an identical hamburger or bowl of pasta in 98 different countries.

Exchange rates also play a role, and restaurant prices can vary dramatically within a country. A restaurant in a major tourist area may cost considerably more than the national average.

Why travelers should pay attention

The ranking is a good reminder that airfare and hotel prices tell only part of the story when you’re budgeting for a vacation. This becomes especially important when you’re traveling with kids. If a family of four spends an extra $10 per person at lunch and another $10 per person at dinner, that’s $80 more per day. Over a seven-day vacation, you’re talking about $560.

So when you’re comparing destinations, don’t just look at airfare and hotel rates. Spend a few minutes researching what meals, transportation and other everyday expenses will cost once you get there. Sometimes a destination with a more expensive airline ticket can actually turn out to be the less expensive vacation overall.