Everyone assumes eating out in America means spending a small fortune. Gas prices go up, rent goes up, and seemingly overnight, a basic burger-and-fries combo starts looking like a luxury purchase. A 2024 report from LendingTree found that of roughly 2,000 American adults surveyed, nearly four in five consumers viewed fast food as a luxury because it is increasingly expensive. That stat alone is enough to make your jaw drop.
Here’s the thing though: not every American city has surrendered to eye-watering food inflation. Mexico has a much more affordable cost of living than the United States, and living in the U.S. costs an average of around sixty percent more for an individual. Yet a handful of U.S. cities are quietly closing that gap, plate by plate. Let’s dive in.
1. Fort Worth, Texas – Where BBQ Meets Bargain
Let’s be real, Texas was always going to show up on this list. A study by Cookie Rookie analyzing the most affordable cities for a three-course meal for two found Southern states to be the best bet for cheap dining out, and Texas looks especially strong, with the state landing five cities in the top ten. Fort Worth leads the charge.
In Fort Worth, residents spend an average of roughly $293 for groceries each month, and an inexpensive meal out will cost only about $12, while a mid-tier three-course meal runs just $45. Compare that to a mid-range meal in Mexico City, where a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant can range between about $31 and $104 USD.
Fort Worth’s food culture is deeply influenced by its Texan heritage, renowned for barbecue, Tex-Mex, and cowboy cuisine. That culinary identity keeps things grounded and wallet-friendly in a way few American cities can honestly claim. Honestly, for anyone chasing that feeling of eating well without calculating the damage on the drive home, Fort Worth delivers.
2. Detroit, Michigan – The Sleeping Giant of Affordable Dining
People underestimate Detroit. They really do. When it comes to cost of living, Detroit is known as one of the more affordable cities for renters – and for foodies. It punches well above its weight class, especially for budget-conscious eaters.
Detroit boasts the third-lowest inexpensive meal cost at around $10.25 and the second-lowest mid-tier three-course meal price at just $40, with groceries averaging about $286 per month. To put that in perspective, that’s extraordinarily close to what you’d spend in many Mexican cities. Think of it like finding a hidden taco cart in a city you never expected one.
The average cost of a three-course meal for two in Detroit comes in under $40. The city’s restaurant scene has been quietly rebuilding itself into something genuinely exciting, and prices have, so far, stayed surprisingly grounded. Detroit is the kind of city where you walk in skeptical and leave pleasantly stuffed.
3. San Antonio, Texas – A UNESCO City of Gastronomy on a Budget
San Antonio is a UNESCO-designated Creative City of Gastronomy, and not only are there plenty of restaurants, but they’re relatively affordable, with one of the lowest average costs for a three-course meal among all cities considered by Numbeo. That official UNESCO label isn’t just a fancy title. It signals genuine culinary depth.
San Antonio visitors can scope out a meal along the River Walk, or venture off the beaten path for authentic Texas barbecue, with some beloved joints offering mac and cheese for $5 and a pulled pork sandwich for $8. When you can eat that well for under $15 total, the comparison to Mexican street food prices starts feeling very real.
The average price of a three-course meal at a mid-range restaurant for two people in San Antonio sits at around $40, with a domestic beer averaging about $3.75. For a city with such a rich culinary identity rooted in Tex-Mex and border cooking traditions, that price point is almost startling. It’s proof that cultural richness and affordability can absolutely coexist.
4. Knoxville, Tennessee – Small City, Even Smaller Bills
Frequently overlooked in favor of Nashville, Knoxville is also a worthwhile stop for money-minded diners visiting Tennessee, with the average cost of a meal at an inexpensive restaurant at only $10. That figure is genuinely competitive with cities south of the border.
Knoxville excels in affordable eats, with items like a $6.55 nine-inch cheese pizza and a $6.95 s’mores crepe available at local restaurants. Those aren’t fast-food prices. Those are sit-down, independent restaurant prices. The kind of thing you’d find scribbled on a chalkboard menu in a Oaxacan side street.
The average price of a three-course meal at a mid-range restaurant for two people in Knoxville is around $40, with a domestic beer coming in at just $3. Pair that with fine dining options helmed by James Beard Award-winning chefs and you get a city that somehow manages to be both sophisticated and spectacularly cheap. I think Knoxville might be one of the most underrated food cities in the country, full stop.
5. Memphis, Tennessee – Soul Food Served Without the Sticker Shock
Memphis, Tennessee, scored among the top three most affordable places to dine out in the United States, according to a 2024 study that set the internet buzzing among food-savvy travelers. It’s a city that feeds people well, and it has done so for generations.
Memphis residents average around $327 on groceries each month, and restaurants are relatively affordable, with an inexpensive eatery costing $13 and a mid-tier three-course meal coming in at $50. That’s a price point that slots comfortably alongside what you might pay in a Mexican tourist city like Cancún.
Memphis barbecue is the stuff of legend. The city’s food culture is anchored in slow-smoked ribs, pulled pork, and hot tamales, all rooted in the African American culinary tradition that shaped Southern cuisine as we know it. You could eat your way through Memphis for a week and barely scratch the surface, all while your wallet stays surprisingly intact.
6. Columbus, Ohio – The Midwest’s Quiet Culinary Contender
Nobody talks about Columbus the way they should. Columbus is home to a Yelp Top 100 restaurant, but it also boasts impressively low costs for a meal out, at around $12 for an inexpensive meal and $41 for a mid-tier three-course meal. For a state capital with a genuinely diverse food scene, those numbers are remarkable.
The Upper Midwest, including states like Illinois and Minnesota, ranks high for affordability, combining relatively moderate menu prices with strong disposable income levels, creating favorable conditions for budget-conscious diners. Columbus fits squarely into that mold while also benefiting from the cultural diversity that comes with a large university population.
Ohio may not be the first state you think of when someone says “great food city,” but Columbus has a quietly booming restaurant scene covering everything from Vietnamese pho houses to craft barbecue joints. The numbers don’t lie, and in Columbus, the numbers tell a story worth listening to.
7. Arlington, Texas – Low Prices, High Variety
Arlington sits tucked between Dallas and Fort Worth, which means it benefits from two massive food cultures pushing price competition in the right direction. Arlington is in the top ten for lowest costs of eating out, with inexpensive meals around $12 and a mid-tier three-course meal at just $42.50, while residents spend roughly $262 monthly on groceries, one of the lowest averages in national studies.
That grocery figure is especially telling. From 2020 to 2024, food prices rose by nearly a quarter nationally, though food inflation slowed dramatically by 2024, dropping to just 1.2%. Arlington managed to stay ahead of that curve. Prices here remained closer to the floor than the ceiling throughout that turbulent period.
The city’s dining identity is a genuine melting pot, reflecting the broader DFW metro’s diversity. You can find authentic Vietnamese bánh mì, Salvadoran pupusas, and proper Texas-style smoked brisket within a few miles of each other, all priced closer to what you’d pay in Monterrey than in Manhattan. That’s not a small thing.
8. Seattle, Washington – The West Coast Exception
This one surprises people. Seattle may be a company town with Amazon and Starbucks, but the city is actually one of the most affordable places to eat in the country, with one food writer reporting eating very well on a $38-a-day per diem during a work trip there. On the notoriously expensive West Coast, that’s practically a miracle.
Two overlapping 2025 studies by Chef’s Pencil and WalletHub judging affordability relative to average income both identified Seattle as standing out among affordable dining cities. The key is that affordability here is measured not just in raw dollar amounts but in what a meal actually costs relative to what locals earn. It’s a smarter way to measure the real bite on your budget.
For lunch in Seattle, nonprofit-operated restaurant FareStart offers an array of affordable eats, with dishes like smoked salmon on house-made focaccia with preserved lemon aioli and radish slaw for $16. Seattle’s seafood culture, its immigrant food communities, and its dense concentration of independent eateries keep prices competitive in ways you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a city of its profile.
9. Washington, D.C. – Where Affordable Bites Hide in Plain Sight
It may be a bit shocking to see Washington, D.C. cited as one of the most affordable cities to eat out, but on second thought, the nation’s capital does harbor affordable dining outside of the K Street lobbyists corridor. The trick is knowing where to look. And honestly, once you know, it’s hard to unsee.
The legendary Falafel Inc. offers some of the best, most affordable bites around, with a falafel sandwich on a freshly baked pita starting at just $4 and za’atar fries also at $4. Those prices could make a street food vendor in Mexico City blink twice. D.C. rewards the curious diner who ventures beyond the tourist-facing restaurants near the Mall.
Across America, the most budget-friendly dining scenes emerge where competition, cultural diversity, and local food traditions combine to create value for diners. D.C. checks every one of those boxes. Its Ethiopian restaurants, Salvadoran pupuserias, Cambodian eateries, and vibrant immigrant-owned food stalls across neighborhoods like Columbia Heights and Petworth offer extraordinary meals at prices that genuinely rival those south of the border. Sometimes the best deal in the room is the one nobody’s talking about.
The Bigger Picture: Why This Matters Now
Dining out can get expensive. The post-COVID years have seen restaurants raise prices due to higher ingredient costs, and when restaurants get more expensive, people feel less adventurous about trying out new restaurants. That reluctance is understandable, but it also means people are missing out on some genuinely remarkable, genuinely affordable food experiences hiding in plain sight.
States with lower average food costs tend to be located in the south and Midwest, while states with higher average food costs tend to be located along the West Coast and in New England. The pattern is consistent and worth knowing. If affordability matters to you, geography matters too.
The nine cities on this list prove that the idea of “cheap eats in America” isn’t dead. It just requires knowing where to look. The average monthly cost of living for an individual in Mexico in 2026 is around $1,007 USD, and while American cities still generally cost more to live in overall, their most affordable food spots are narrowing that gap in genuinely meaningful ways. The next time someone tells you that eating well on a budget in the U.S. is impossible, you’ll know exactly which cities to point them toward. What would you have guessed? Tell us in the comments.