I will be going to Rome, Paris, and London in Dec.

A lady at work told me that her sister just got back from Paris and paid $25 (American Dollars) for a Big Mac. Can this be true?

How expensive is the regular stuff that I might buy to survive for 3 weeks?

is this post a joke?

if you wish to eat at mcdonalds (and why would you???) a full meal (burger, fries, drink) there should cost you about EUR 5-6 (7-8 USD).

if you want a real meal, at the cheap end, you will pay about EUR 13-15 (15-17 USD). Best to budget for at least USD 25 per person per meal (with drink). Keep in mind that this includes tax and tip.

They also wear berets, stripey t-shirts and ride around on bicycles with strings of onions attached. Oh, and beware - they smell of garlic.

I heard about Stuff costing a lot when we went to Paris the first time, but I found Stuff can be found at any price.
Although I am never one for buying Stuff that can be found at home, I might be able to get better prices.
Some of the best Stuff I found was actually less than what you can buy in the US.
Best advice, go with an open mind and find your own Stuff..that is part of the adventure and you can always have the same old stuff when you get home

Not sure where you are from, so don;t know what kind of prices you are used to. Food - and other Stuff - will cost more in major european cities than it does in a small town in the US. Prices will be more like those in New York.

(We did encounter someone from a small town in the Midwest in Florence a couple of years ago - and she was amazed that you couldn't buy lunch in a restaurant for $5/6 - but then I don;t think she got out much.)

However, you can find good meals at almost any price point - and how much Stuff you consume is up to you.

Plus you don't have to go to a nice restaurant for every single meal. Buy a sandwich at a stand (sandwiches of all types) or even go to the grocery store and put together something nice. One thing I was shocked about was how cheap bottled water like Evian is there. Of course this makes sense, because when you buy it here, it's imported

Yeah - you can eat at McDonald's or Quick for $7-$8.

Or you can grab a hot panini on the sidewalk for $3, or a baguette and some cheese for $1.

And don't forget street vendor crêpes for under $3 (wide range from chocolate crêpes to ham & cheese).

Scarlett ~ LOL!!

Lisa, seriously, if you would like to have it, I have an inexpensive restaurant list for Paris.

That lady at work is either pulling your leg, downright mean, has never been to Paris, got more than JUST a Big Mac or is plain crazy. Don't listen to her, dear. You've come to the right place, Fodor's.

I think you've all missed the point. Probably this person we're talking about went to MacDonald's in Paris for a meal and didn't take any euro, figuring if he's eating American food why not pay with American dollars. So he probably stood there and said, do you take American Dollars? And being smart, the employee probably said, "Yes, that will be 25 of them please."

"And being smart, the employee probably said, 'Yes, that will be 25 of them please.'"
Those clever, clever Parisians!

Hi lisa,

>A lady at work told me that her sister just got back from Paris and paid $25 (American Dollars) for a Big Mac. Can this be true?<

I do not doubt that a lady at work told you this. Beyond that, we have what is called an 'urban myth'. Note that the person telling you the story is always telling it about another person.

Paris, London and Rome are about the same price, or maybe a little less, than SF, Chi, and NYC.

Depends where you eat. IF you insist on food like we have in America, want Coke with absolutely everything, and dine in the tourist traps (especially outdoor cafes) without asking the price....then yes you will find it expensive. Eat and drink where the locals go. IF the place is full of tourists, run for the hills. We found London to be 2X, France and Italy to be 1.5X but the latter had much better food in general, than the US. We used MacDonalds in Rome for the odd Coke, and for a quick coffee. Nothing else is worthwhile eating-may as well be back in Des Moines.

(I want to put this as delicately as possible) - what size does your co-worker wear?

Hi allan,

>We found London to be 2X, France and Italy to be 1.5X but the latter had much better food in general, than the US.<

To where in the US are you comparing the cost and quality?

Pacific Northwest. Now, when we travel we tend to stay away from things like steak with are much more expensive in Europe. We like pasta, particularly fress pasta, and find the ingredients much fresher in Italy. We tend to eat what the locals eat.

Thanks everyone.....I am going straight to work tomorrow and giving her a piece of my mind. I never liked her anyway.

Lisa

boxinglisa, and hopefully this woman isn't your boss or supervisor!

Scarlett - You can never have enough Stuff!

I saw a notice for Macdonalds burgers in Venice for 50 Eurocents. The standard public lavatory charge is 50 cents and I believe that to use Macdonald's loos, you have to buy something.
I suppose that if you were caught short, you could buy the burger, use the loo and then throw the burger away.

I hope you are not traveling without a reasonably intelligent adult.