Eating Out Cheaper in Europe than in USA? (cost, country, places)
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I've been to Europe many times (not since 2019) but see a fair amount of YouTube reviews from UK and Spain (Engish breakfasts/Tapas, etc). I see there are a lot of 2 pound/2 Euro specials for pints of beer and full meals for 10 pounds/10 euros - including meat/entree/potatoes/salad. I know the exchange rate is favorable to US dollar now - $1.05 for euro/$1.21 for pound sterling. But here in the US - you pay a minimum of $15 - $20 per meal and minimum $5 - 6 for a pint of beer. Plus this does not include tax or tip which adds 25% to a bill minimum. Have you found eating out these days much cheaper in Europe (I'm talking in a bistro but not fine dining place? We only go out 1x a week for dinner because of inflation.
Mainly Spain - there's a You Tuber that blogs about English Breakfasts and Roast Dinners in both the UK and also Canary Islands and Alicante in Spain -Benidorm. Prices for meals and drinks look very inexpensive in comparison to the USA.
OP, Spain has always been cheap. It's not comparable to more northerly countries. Spain & Portugal have always been among the cheapest countries in Europe. The UK is a better comparison. And Germany.
Neither the US nor Europe are uniform within or across countries/states so its hard to make useful comparisons. Not having a 20% tip and slightly different tipping conventions in different European countries also complicates things.
In general though the more rural and simple a meal, the cheaper it will be in either geography. The higher the local GDP/capita, the higher the price of a meal and the more local food production the cheaper it should be.
Most of Erupe is cheaper and much cheaper to dine than most of the USA. We found Switzerland more expensive, and I would guess Monaco and Norway would be more. As I've spent time over decades in Europe, it also depends on the currency rates, which are now more favorable for those holding the USD than the Euro or Pound Sterling (currency rates fluctuate and could flip the other way at any time and can happen quickly)
Last edited by Tall Traveler; 01-16-2023 at 06:24 AM..
Mainly Spain - there's a You Tuber that blogs about English Breakfasts and Roast Dinners in both the UK and also Canary Islands and Alicante in Spain -Benidorm. Prices for meals and drinks look very inexpensive in comparison to the USA.
The MacMaster (Lee Davey) from Mansfield in Nottingham, and his friend Darren John both do these type of videos.
In a recent video, the MacMaster went to a bar in Benidorm where the beer was one euro a pint, and there are other cheap venues on his site.
I think he mainly does the UK, US, Tenerife and mainland Spain, however his next destination is Australia.
It is hard to generalize about restaurant prices not only regarding Europe as a whole, but even any country of Europe. Prices vary by a huge amount from tourist areas and big cities to rural or non-tourist areas. Yes, the strong dollar makes the prices seem pretty reasonable for many restaurants compared to a year ago.
I live in a non-tourist medium-sized city in eastern Germany. A few days ago, I went out for dinner with a friend at an Indian restaurant downtown. It was a nice "sit-down" type restaurant, not fast food or order at the counter. They had nice tablecloths, silverware and ceramic plates - no plastic or paper throwaways. A hearty dinner for two plus hot tea and Indian naan flat bread was 35 Euro including tip (about the same price in US dollars). Pretty reasonable in my view. The same thing in some bigger cities in Germany would probably cost 10 or 20 percent more.
Deal can be found if you look. Happy hour meals or snack can be very reasonable in many places in the USA.
Are the wages lower in Europe as a whole? That might explain why meals are cheaper.
Deal can be found if you look. Happy hour meals or snack can be very reasonable in many places in the USA.
Are the wages lower in Europe as a whole? That might explain why meals are cheaper.
I don't really believe eating out is cheaper in Europe under normal circumstances. A favorable exchange rate isn't a normal circumstance, nor is post-Covid inflation in the US. And it depends on what cities you're comparing. If you're comparing lunch or dinner in NYC or San Francisco to almost anywhere in Europe (except Paris or London, maybe), US restaurants will be more expensive.
I didn't find restaurant food in central Europe to be cheaper, compared, say, to the cheap lunch buffets you find in university towns and elsewhere. But those "cheap" buffets now cost $12 a plate, though with countless refills. You don't get free refills for those $10 meals in the UK. I could never afford to get a restaurant meal on penny-pinching trips to Europe; I'd take a look at the menus posted in the front window, and would move on to buy meal ingredients at the food co-ops.
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