2016’s Best & Worst Foodie Cities

by Richie Bernardo  |  Oct 11, 2016

 

 

 

 

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There are people who eat and people who eat recreationally. For that second group, good food is like a drug: The more they enjoy, the harder it becomes to say no. But like any expensive habit, an insatiable palate can strike a hard blow to the foodie’s finances. Americans today spend nearly athird of every food dollar on restaurant services. And in 2015, the National Restaurant Associationreported that Americans spent more money at food establishments than at grocery stores.

But foodies with strong taste buds don’t limit themselves to eating out. Dining in can be equally satisfying — and costly. Fortunately, some of America’s culinary hotspots are sympathetic toward their cash-strapped epicures and offer plenty of affordable options. These wallet-friendly cities cater to foodies who prefer to concoct their own scrumptious creations at home, sample unique flavors of the local gastronomy or both.

In honor of World Food Day on Oct. 16, WalletHub crunched the numbers to determine the best and cheapest foodie scenes among the 150 largest cities. We compared the cities across 21 key metrics, ranging from “cost of groceries” to “prevalence of affordable restaurants rated at least 4.5 stars” to “number of food festivals per capita.” Continue reading below for the winners, expert foodie commentary and a full description of our methodology. Happy eating!

1Main Findings2Ask the Experts

3Methodology

Main Findings

 

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Overall Rank	City	Total Score	‘Affordability’ Rank	‘Diversity, Accessibility & Quality’ Rank
1	Orlando, FL	79.68	19	1
2	Portland, OR	73.48	12	4
3	Miami, FL	72.60	32	2
4	Tampa, FL	70.37	22	5
5	San Francisco, CA	69.95	77	3
6	Cincinnati, OH	69.35	7	8
7	St. Louis, MO	67.00	45	6
8	Salt Lake City, UT	64.79	51	10
9	Richmond, VA	64.60	40	12
10	Seattle, WA	64.09	101	7
11	Rochester, NY	63.66	90	9
12	Fort Lauderdale, FL	63.19	20	17
13	Pittsburgh, PA	63.00	72	13
14	Atlanta, GA	62.66	87	11
15	Las Vegas, NV	62.25	75	16
16	Oakland, CA	61.95	94	15
17	Sacramento, CA	59.85	34	18
18	Austin, TX	58.28	2	29
19	Buffalo, NY	57.87	58	20
20	Honolulu, HI	57.46	148	14
21	Grand Rapids, MI	57.12	43	21
22	Scottsdale, AZ	56.97	15	26
23	Denver, CO	56.19	44	25
24	Vancouver, WA	55.34	124	19
25	Minneapolis, MN	54.82	78	24
26	Washington, DC	54.70	100	22
27	Reno, NV	53.85	41	27
28	San Diego, CA	53.53	24	33
29	Spokane, WA	52.24	46	31
30	Tempe, AZ	51.26	59	34
31	Santa Rosa, CA	51.24	142	23
32	Cleveland, OH	51.03	39	35
33	Providence, RI	50.94	99	30
34	New Orleans, LA	50.91	112	28
35	Tucson, AZ	50.74	16	44
36	Springfield, MO	49.92	52	39
37	Huntington Beach, CA	49.86	49	37
38	Albuquerque, NM	49.07	4	66
39	Houston, TX	48.59	1	71
40	Knoxville, TN	48.40	121	32
41	Philadelphia, PA	48.26	33	48
42	Boise, ID	48.18	97	38
43	Louisville, KY	47.85	3	76
44	Madison, WI	47.80	64	41
45	Milwaukee, WI	47.64	5	74
46	Long Beach, CA	47.59	27	59
47	Tacoma, WA	47.52	113	36
48	St. Petersburg, FL	47.50	53	46
49	Baltimore, MD	47.35	21	62
50	Modesto, CA	47.18	56	47
51	Boston, MA	46.73	47	55
52	Oceanside, CA	46.69	63	54
53	Los Angeles, CA	46.60	26	67
54	New York, NY	46.43	110	43
55	Anaheim, CA	46.30	50	52
56	Bakersfield, CA	46.18	82	45
57	Birmingham, AL	45.99	114	40
58	Lexington-Fayette, KY	45.48	28	65
59	Irvine, CA	45.42	119	42
60	Tallahassee, FL	45.21	85	50
61	Colorado Springs, CO	44.97	13	88
62	Columbus, OH	44.81	10	93
63	Fresno, CA	44.77	31	69
64	Durham, NC	44.53	106	49
65	Des Moines, IA	44.47	29	78
66	Indianapolis, IN	43.69	11	101
67	Omaha, NE	43.68	38	80
68	Garden Grove, CA	43.64	108	58
69	San Jose, CA	43.63	36	77
70	Chicago, IL	43.17	111	60
71	Baton Rouge, LA	43.05	132	51
72	St. Paul, MN	43.00	98	61
73	Newark, NJ	42.98	128	53
74	Norfolk, VA	42.87	54	72
75	San Antonio, TX	42.61	8	117
76	Jersey City, NJ	42.42	122	56
77	Hialeah, FL	42.34	96	75
78	Dallas, TX	42.17	23	102
79	Jacksonville, FL	42.02	30	97
80	Detroit, MI	42.01	6	125
81	Glendale, CA	41.88	60	82
82	Anchorage, AK	41.80	105	68
83	Santa Ana, CA	41.68	116	64
84	Raleigh, NC	41.68	69	85
85	Phoenix, AZ	41.47	9	128
86	Stockton, CA	41.34	136	57
87	Huntsville, AL	41.00	134	63
88	Kansas City, MO	40.95	65	92
89	Aurora, CO	40.88	68	84
90	Charlotte, NC	40.68	57	99
91	Plano, TX	40.51	93	79
92	Nashville, TN	40.51	102	81
93	Chandler, AZ	40.51	76	86
94	Worcester, MA	40.22	80	90
95	Pembroke Pines, FL	40.04	71	95
96	Virginia Beach, VA	40.03	89	91
97	Mesa, AZ	39.78	18	129
98	Riverside, CA	39.61	95	87
99	Oklahoma City, OK	39.49	35	118
100	Tulsa, OK	39.25	48	111
101	Fort Worth, TX	38.89	17	134
102	Sioux Falls, SD	38.46	81	103
103	Lincoln, NE	38.44	61	106
104	Newport News, VA	38.37	88	105
105	Cape Coral, FL	38.15	67	114
106	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	37.93	103	96
107	Amarillo, TX	37.80	73	115
108	Oxnard, CA	37.68	135	83
109	Fort Wayne, IN	37.48	66	119
110	Akron, OH	37.38	127	98
111	Irving, TX	37.35	92	110
112	Glendale, AZ	37.30	91	108
113	Chesapeake, VA	37.24	54	130
114	Wichita, KS	36.85	79	126
115	Santa Clarita, CA	36.82	74	120
116	Chattanooga, TN	36.79	149	70
117	Mobile, AL	36.53	143	89
118	Corpus Christi, TX	36.49	25	141
119	Greensboro, NC	36.36	86	109
120	Toledo, OH	36.22	83	113
121	Little Rock, AR	36.21	140	94
122	Fremont, CA	36.17	150	73
123	Arlington, TX	36.14	70	139
124	Memphis, TN	36.05	107	122
125	Gilbert, AZ	35.93	62	132
126	Overland Park, KS	35.89	131	104
127	Brownsville, TX	35.79	37	146
128	Winston-Salem, NC	35.75	117	112
129	Lubbock, TX	35.39	104	124
130	Peoria, AZ	35.18	84	136
131	Laredo, TX	35.15	14	150
132	Ontario, CA	35.02	137	107
133	Augusta, GA	34.84	118	121
134	El Paso, TX	34.67	42	143
135	Chula Vista, CA	34.51	120	123
136	Henderson, NV	33.78	139	116
137	Shreveport, LA	33.67	133	127
138	Yonkers, NY	33.58	146	100
139	Columbus, GA	33.49	125	137
140	Port St. Lucie, FL	33.14	138	131
141	Garland, TX	32.75	109	140
142	Fayetteville, NC	32.66	123	133
143	Jackson, MS	31.76	141	138
144	San Bernardino, CA	30.54	115	145
145	Aurora, IL	29.74	147	135
146	Fontana, CA	29.70	126	147
147	Montgomery, AL	29.70	144	142
148	Grand Prairie, TX	29.54	130	148
149	Moreno Valley, CA	28.63	129	149
150	North Las Vegas, NV	27.57	145	144