Cost of meals in US?
 

We are a couple from Australia and plan to visit the US in 2007. How much should we budget for food [ 3 meals per day [ in US dollars ? ]
We won't be eating at fancy restaurants. Thanks.

How much do you spend per day at home?

On vacation, my husband and I can usually eat pretty well on about $100-125 per day. We don't generally eat in fancy restaurants and we also tend to avoid fast food. We usually have a combination of quick breakfasts and picnic lunches as well as some full service, and then some full service dinners and some light suppers - just depends on what we've been doing that day. Bar tabs can really blow this budget though if you like expensive wine or cocktails. We each generally have 1 or 2 pints of good beer or glasses of reasonable wine per day and not blow the budget. Without the drinking, we could probably shave about $20/day on average off the budget.

You leave too many unanswered questions such as where in the US will you be, do you want full service restaurants or are buffets, fast food places etc.in the mix?
Without alcoholic beverages, budget at least $100. per day and if you are doing large cities, at least double that.

It'll depend on the city you're staying in. I live in a fairly large city and at a moderate chain like Applebees or Shoney's, ordering average priced entrees, here are my guesses for meals:
Breakfast: $15 plus $3-4 tip
Lunch: $20 plus $4-6 tip
Dinner:$30 plus $5-7 tip (no alcohol)

If you eat at a moderate restaurant in New York City, Orlando, Washington D.C. etc. expect to pay maybe 1 1/2 to 2 times that. And of course the nicer restuarants can double to quadruple that! Enjoy your trip! - Jill

Price of meals vary from city to city. Where are you going? When? Will you eat at restaurants each day for all 3 meals or will you eat in at all? Will you make your own breakfast and/or lunch?

If you go to restaurant:

Breakfast [eggs, bacon or sausage, toast, juice, coffee will run from $4 at fast food place like McDonald's to over $10 at a "coffee shop" type of place. Double it to eat at hotel restuarant or room service [assuming it is not included in room rate.]

Lunch - from $4-5 at a fast food place to $8 for a sandwich and drink at a deli; to way more in a restaurant.

Dinner - same as lunch in fast food place; at a restaurant starting at $20 per person including 1 beer, entree and tax and tip. And going way up.

Again, city, time of year etc all relate to cost. HI, NY, FL, CA all high...mid America...lower.

Hope this helps...
Debi

It's an interesting question. A lot depends on where you are going in the U.S., since prices will vary dramatically depending on where you are.

If you ate every meal at a restaurant and not fast food, I'd say $100 a day for the two of you. That's probably where things would average out. If you cook meals or eat some meals not in restaurants, it will be cheaper.

That's a very tricky question. The cost of food can vary so much from one place to another. And from one restaurant to another, even if you're not eating at "fancy" restaurants. And, of course, what you order makes a big difference too. Will you be having wine or drinks with your evening meal?

I'd probably budget about $100 per day. That should be more than you'd need most days. But that way you'd have a little extra budgeted, just in case.

It does depend on where you are going. My husband and I do a good job, especially if we get a free continental breakfast with lodging. We average $60.- to 75.- a day, no alchohol. And that's being pretty thrifty.

Oh, at Disney World, or another theme park, my budget would be very rough.

Do write back with where you will be traveling, if you'll be staying at hotels with breakfasts and so on. Everyone will be able to give you so much more help.

I was going to jump in with suggestions, then realized I'd probably be saying what everyone else has been saying above!

You can eat VERY well if you plan carefully.

There is no reason why 2 people could not eat well for $80 - $110 per day including some alcohol.

Just do your research carefully.

In fact the chef Rachael Ray has a Food TV Network show that is dedicated to spending only $40 or less a day of food while travelling, and still eating gourmet.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ad

I would have a look at her information and use it to plan.

I have eaten at many of her featured places, and you CAN do it!

I don't get it. All these people saying that two can eat very well including alcohol for $100 a day!!! Where do you people live. That could be spent on one dinner very easily...and I'm not talking abut a fancy place either.

When we travel as a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 almost adult teens) we budget for $250 per day to include meals, admissions to attractions (not counting really expensive things like theme parks), stopping for sodas and snacks, little purchases like small souveneirs, magazines, and the like.

This usually covers us as an average over the trip - some days a lot less, some days more. Big city dinners can be budget killers, but this is balanced out by hotels that have breakfast included, the meals we just grab a sandwich or a pizza.

Lots of tips for cutting costs, but that was not the question - and would not be too different ideas that would work in Australia.

Hi linet,
Because you've stated that you won't be going to fancy restaurants you can easily eat for 100. usd or less per day. Particularly, if you're like us and don't always need 3 squares a day or if you grab a slice of pizza or food from a street vendor. Also, often times we try to get a room with a fridge so we can pick up some cheese, fruit, coissants and some beer and wine - this saves a fortune. This also will give you some extra cash in the event that you do want to splurge and go fancy on occasion.
Enjoy!

I would think $100 a day for two would be adequate, especially if you don't plan on foods like steak or lobster for dinner. Breakfasts will run about $4-7 each, lunch about the same (for something like sub sandwiches or pizza), and dinners can be $12-$25 each with a beer or glass of wine. You can eat very well on a budget by doing a lot of ethnic (low meat) type meals - pasta, Asian, Mexican, etc. In larger cities, seek out the ethnic neighborhoods as opposed to the touristy areas.

We used to travel with 5 kids (4 boys/1 girl)and I stayed in hotels that offered a full, hot breakfast.
We would run late everyday getting everyone ready and the kids would eat HUGE breakfasts. No lunch... early dinner. So we were only paying for the one meal. A family of 7 can go to a chain restaurant (TGIFridays, Applebees, Bennigans) for less than 100.00.

schmerl - Of course it could, but it depends on how you approach things. I live in a large city home to several resturants in which dinner could cost upwards of $500 for two people, but I also know that I could easily plan modest but servicible resturant meals averaging $100 for two people if need be, especially if you go to a grocery store with a good deli for lunch, eat a simple breakfast, and don't order a bottle of wine or those $13 Martinis with dinner, etc. Hell, I just did this in New York City last week, an egg and bacon roll with a cup of coffee set me back a whopping $3, there is breakfast, lunch was a $10 sandwich in a deli, which left me all that money left over for dinner, which was at a nice Cuban place in the east-village, I drank two beers and still managed a great meal for under $30, double that and you have approximately $100. It can be done, even in expensive cities, it just depends on what your taste is and where you go.

Oh, and we have done food a family of 7 for less than 40.00 a day, too...
For this strategy we stay at a hotel that offers hot breakfast AND has a kitchen. We eat sandwiches and frozen stuff. I would always let the kids get items that were off limits typically... so it was a treat to them.

Which brings me back to my first response. If you eat on vacation the way you eat at home, you can spend approximately the same amount - with exchange rate factored in of course.

In New York, I grab a bagel and orange juice at a corner market, eat a nice lunch, and grab a deli sandwich and chips to take back to the room for a picnic and a rest/nap before a Broadway show. Stop by for a cocktail or two after the show. We can easily eat for $100 for 2 in New York. When traveling with someone who likes big meals 3xday, that budget wouldn't last half the day. It's all in your personal preferences and expectations.

Depending on where you are, you can be very cheap. Fast food dollar menus for lunch are my favorite on the road: $1 for a salad (even fat free dressing) leaves plenty for the other meals.

Will you be driving? If you really need to be thrifty, check out the big Super Markets. Many of them have a Deli and Bakery department. The one nearest us has a big take out dinner with a meat (several choices) and two or three sides for 5.98 plus 1.50 for a big cup of iced tea or coffee.

After a lunch like that, you could get by with a hamburger from a fast food place with some french fries on the side for the evening meal. When we are on the road, that's what we do. Then we have more cash for more upscale restaurants when we get where we are going.

"Family Style" restaurants, with plain filling food, are usually much less expensive. It will depend on where you are going as to whether or not any of these are available to you.

As already noted, it depends on where you go and what your eating habits are.
If you're truly intent on saving some $$ and not willing to do fast foods, try supermarket delis. Here in California you can eat a rd youeasonably healthy and inexpensive meal from a Vons or Albertson store- not to mention Whole Foods (much better and a little more costly but not much).
Make lunch your biggest meal and you'll save.

Where are you going? There are many places in the U.S. where the meal should be split between 2 people and there is no shame in doing this.

We average about $75 a day including wine; however, if you don't drink alcohol, and don't go to fancy restaurants, the two of you can eat well for $50 a day.

I should have added that if you want to keep dining costs down, you have to eat a lot of meals at Thai and Vietnamnese restaurants, at places that serve pub food, and at a fast-food place now and then.

When eating at sit-down places you have to be careful not to inflate your bill by drinking soda. A soda can cost $2.00-$2.50 or more. When you add 25% for tax and tip, two Cokes at $2.00 each ends up costing $5.00.

There are lots of tricks you will learn if you are determined to save money. For instance at a fast-food restaurant you can order one meal (super sized) and one sandwich. The two of you can share the French fries and soda that comes with the super sized meal.

Most supermarkets make sandwiches. We find that sometimes one of these sandwiches is big enough to share. We make a picnic with other items in the market. One of the most pleasant meals we had on a trip this summer was constructed just this way when were were in Grand Coolee, Washington. We ate our picnic in a delightful park overlooking the Grand Coolee Dam. Cost $11.00.

Don't worry about eating in NYC. I lived there for 30 years, and I assure you that every neighborhood has restaurants that cater to people who work in offices and who come into the neighboorhood to make a delivery or do the kind of work that is necessary to keep apartment buildings and offices in operation. There is a great variety of low-cost food including inexpensive fruit from carts on the street and delicious baked goods, including bagels and pizza, from little shops you will encounter.

It is nice so many Fodor Folks have replied. Of course, we can be way more helpful when OP comes back and tells us where and when they plan to visit us.

Debi

I thought of $40.- a day, and that usually includes a drink and/or dessert. You just need to choose wisely.

One complaint about Rachel Ray. She's a HORRIBLE tipper! Treat your server well, even if it takes you over the $40/day budget.

Is this a road-trip thru the countryside or visiting New York City? Or something in-between.

It is impossible even estimate an answer this question without SOME more information about the trip.

Tipping 15-20% is standard in America...You are so right starrsville about RR..she tips like she's down under..

Her tally will show tax AND tip of $1.17 on a $10 bill. I love the places she finds but cringe whenever I see her tips.

Even in NYC, decent meals can be had inexpensively. A quick breakfast of a bagel and cofee can easily be under $3pp. Lunch at Grey's Papaya or similar can be under $5 (as well as other options for sandwiches, pizza, and not necessarily fast food burger joints). You can find many good meals for under $25pp (no alcohol included). Just avoid eating in very touristy places, and even chain restaurants. You can find many a 'local' Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Indian, etc that can be very reasonable.

Just want to add 1 more thing, I've discovered that other cities are quickly catching up to NYC prices. This past year we were in Santa Fe, Park City and Boston, and prices were comparable.

Ditto Seattle.

Downtown a sandwich and beverage at a deli can set you back $10--and there might not be much meat between the bread. You have to shop around and be wise.

One poster asked where all us people live where we can feed 2 people for around $100 or $125 per day.

I live in the SF Bay area and as an example, my husband and I were out and about on Saturday and this is what we ate and spent:

We went to Half Moon Bay and had breakfast at Main St Grill - with a nice tip, it was $35. I had honey wheat pancakes with pecans and bananas, with a couple eggs on the side, coffee and juice. Way more than I could eat. My husband had eggs benedict with homefries, coffee, and juice - he was stuffed.

Next we were going to Butano State Park for some hiking, so we stopped at the grocery store across the street for picnic stuff. They have a nice deli there. Two sub sandwiches, a large bag of chips, a bag of cookies, and a couple large waters came to $21. We went hiking for a couple hours and then picnicked on the beach. The sandwiches were very large, so we each ate half and saved the rest. When we got home, we ate the rest of our lunch for supper.

So there you go - $56 for 2 people to eat all day long without trying to budget. Even if we hadn't saved part of our lunch for dinner, with a $125/day budget, that would have left us $69 for dinner and drinks - not enough for an extravagant meal, but certainly enough for a reasonable one. And of course, over a vacation, some days people will probably not spend nearly their daily budget which leaves money over for other days when they eat more expensively.

Even in large cities, there are always plenty of places to eat good meals without spending a lot of money.

Traveling for 6 weeks in Australia, we found food prices to be very comparable to the US. Of course there are all prices and all qualities of restaurants, but comparing "apples" to "apples", I'd suggest you can count on the prices being what you are familiar with. Of course, just like in Australia, a meal at a diner in the middle of nowhere is a lot cheaper than at a fine restaurant in New York (just like it would be in Sydney).

It depends very much on where you'll be staying. Food in big cities will generally more than in small towns. In tourist areas (ie Disneyworld) you need to be careful since they have you in their clutches unless you plan in advance.

First you need to figure in tax (varies by city and state - in NYC it's 8.25%) and tip (15% is OK in most restaurants) neither of which is included in the prices on any menu.

Second - in almost anyplace there is a wide variety of options for meals - from the very simple (take out coffee and bagel for breakfast, hot dog on the street for lunch, ethnic restaurants for dinner) to modest sit down, moderate and sky high if you want to celebrate.

So - it depends really on what you want.

Also- I reco you stay away from chain restaurants - the food is generally not that good - and local places often have better food at lower prices.

For example, in NYC you can have coffee and bagel to go for $1 in a lot of places - a sit down hot meal is obviously more. You can go into many delis or ethnic restaurants and have a modest lunch for $10 or so each. For a sit down dinner with a glass of modest wine or beer each you need to figure at least $60 with tax and tip. Other places will be less - perhaps considerably less in small towns,

But if you're looking for steak, lobster, upscale cuisine, trendy places or gourmet fare - you'll need to double or triple your budget.

I can't remember a trip where we actually ate 3 full meals in one day. We don't. We often eat a brunch and dinner or a breakfast, snack, dinner.

If you are eating three sit down restaurants a day- it will be at least $100 per day for food. There are some special "tourist" areas where the food prices are inflated. But you can eat in very high priced cities with good, fresh, food at lower prices- they are there.

Gee linet,
I'm beginning to feel as though you've left us to just talk amoung ourselves.
But I wanted to add that, like most places, you can find hotels that offer some type of breakfast if that helps with your budget.

Regarding the above post, my favorites are Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn EXPRESS and LaQuinta Inns (regarding free breakfast buffets at moderate hotel chains)