[WalletHub] Professor Makarand Mody Shares his Insight on Best Foodie Cities in America

Americans today apply the term “foodie” to anyone who loves gourmet dining. But foodie culture isn’t limited to restaurants. Foodies enjoy discovering new and unique flavors wherever they can find them, including in their own kitchens and less prominent establishments like street food stalls. For these people, the experience of eating is elevated to a hobby or even a lifestyle.

Naturally, being a foodie can be quite expensive, especially during the heavy inflation of 2022. Restaurant prices rose 8% just between August 2021 and August 2022. Even cooking your own gourmet meals can be pricy, as grocery store prices rose 8.3% between August 2021 and August 2022.

Fortunately, culinary hotspots across the U.S. offer plenty of affordable options for cash-strapped foodies. These wallet-friendly cities cater to diners who prefer to cook at home, explore the local flavors or both. To determine the best and cheapest foodie scenes, WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 29 key indicators of foodie-friendliness. Our data set ranges from cost of groceries to affordability and accessibility of high-quality restaurants to food festivals per capita.