Seattle may not be the cheapest place to eat, but it’s still one of the best cities in the country for food lovers.
According to a new WalletHub ranking, Seattle comes in at No. 4 among 182 U.S. cities for the best and cheapest foodie scenes, behind Miami, Portland and San Francisco.
The ranking looks at 28 factors, including grocery costs, restaurant affordability, access to quality dining and the number of food festivals. Cities were scored across two broad categories: Affordability and Diversity, Accessibility & Quality.
Seattle’s results tell an interesting story.
When it comes to affordability, the city landed at No. 165, putting it near the bottom of the list. In other words, Seattle’s food scene isn’t exactly winning points for being easy on the wallet.
But Seattle made up for that in a big way when it came to Diversity, Accessibility & Quality, where it ranked No. 3 nationally.
That helps explain how a city known for high living costs and pricey restaurants still managed to crack the overall top five. Seattle’s food scene offers plenty of variety and access to quality options, from neighborhood restaurants and food trucks to local markets and the city’s famously strong coffee culture. Seattle was also ranked at the top in terms of having the most craft breweries and wineries per capita.
So, is Seattle a cheap city for foodies? Not really. But if you’re looking for variety and quality, you’ll likely get what you pay for.
