Dining out in Miami isn’t just tough on your wallet—it’s globally recognized as such. A new analysis by Chef’s Pencil, using cost-of-living and wage data from Numbeo, places Miami 71st out of more than 170 cities worldwide when it comes to restaurant affordability.
Miami is ranked as the most expensive city in the United States to dine out.
The study compared the cost of a mid-range three-course meal to the average monthly net wage in each city to gauge how affordable eating out is for locals. In Miami, a dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant averages $60, which represents about 1.4% of the average monthly salary of $4,230. Compared to other major U.S. cities:
- Los Angeles: A mid-range three-course meal averages $50, which is about 1.1% of the average monthly salary ($4,421).
- New York: A mid-range three-course meal averages $71, which is about 1.3% of the average monthly salary ($5,358).
- Dallas: A mid-range three-course meal averages $35, which is about 0.7% of the average monthly salary ($4,687).
Top 10 most expensive cities
Several cities in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa rank among the top 10 world’s most expensive for dining relative to income. Kingston, Jamaica, comes in at 172nd globally, where a $34 mid-range meal represents 4.7% of the average monthly salary ($733).
Latin American cities like Caracas, Venezuela (9.9%) and Georgetown, Guyana (6.5%) similarly see locals spending a significant portion of their income on a single meal. African cities such as Cairo, Egypt (5.7%) and Lagos, Nigeria (20.7%) highlight how low wages can make even moderately priced meals prohibitively expensive, placing them in the top 10 most unaffordable cities worldwide for dining out.
| Rank | City | Region | Meal-to-Salary Ratio | Avg. Meal Cost | Avg. Monthly Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lagos | Africa | 20.7% | $25 | $121 |
| 2 | Caracas | South America | 9.9% | $30 | $303 |
| 3 | Georgetown | South America | 6.5% | $36 | $550 |
| 4 | Cairo | Africa | 5.7% | $10 | $179 |
| 5 | Beirut | Asia | 5.1% | $30 | $593 |
| 6 | Kingston | North America | 4.7% | $34 | $733 |
| 7 | Nairobi | Africa | 4.6% | $19 | $423 |
| 8 | Guayaquil | South America | 4.5% | $25 | $556 |
| 9 | Yerevan | Europe | 4.5% | $26 | $583 |
| 10 | Amman | Asia | 4.5% | $28 | $631 |
Globally, Asia offers striking contrasts. Wealthy cities such as Singapore, Tokyo, Shenzhen, Doha, and Seoul rank high for dining affordability, while South and Southeast Asian cities, including Mumbai (73rd), Bangkok (95th), and Manila (145th), lag far behind their East Asian counterparts.
Miami also fared poorly in other food-related measures. The city ranked 56th for coffee affordability, with residents spending about 3.9% of their monthly income on coffee, and boasts an average beer price of $8 per glass.
The findings confirm what many Miamians already know: enjoying a meal out in the Magic City can come with a hefty price tag, even when compared with other global hotspots.
