Brașov among least affordable cities in Europe for dining out, study shows

Brașov, a popular mountain city in Romania, is among the least affordable cities in Europe when it comes to dining out relative to wages, though still faring slightly better than Athens, Dubrovnik, or Thessaloniki, according to a new global study ranking 177 cities worldwide by restaurant affordability relative to local wages.

The report, based on Numbeo’s cost-of-living and wage data, takes into consideration three-course meals for a single individual at mid-range restaurants. The data reveals striking differences in how accessible dining out really is across Europe and beyond.

Bern, Zurich, and Geneva are among the most affordable for dining out relative to local wages. Paris (14th worldwide) and Luxembourg City also rank highly, while Germany’s major hubs, such as Frankfurt (24th worldwide) and Berlin (33rd), land in the upper-middle of the global ranking.

It’s also relatively affordable for locals in The Hague, Prague, Gothenburg, Lyon, Amsterdam, and Valencia to eat out.

By contrast, many cities in Southern and Eastern Europe show significantly lower affordability. In Italy, for example, residents of Milan, Naples, and Florence can only afford to dine out about a third to half as often as their Swiss counterparts.

In Greece, Athens (143rd worldwide) ranks near the bottom of the European and global table, sandwiched between Kyiv and Manila. Similarly, in Croatia, Dubrovnik posts one of the lowest affordability scores in Europe.

Further north, Bucharest (127th), Belgrade (120th), or Chisinau (132nd) also record modest affordability, albeit higher than Athens, while the Baltic capital cities of Tallinn (125th) and Riga (123rd) also perform modestly.

Focusing on Romania, the report puts Cluj on par with Porto and Debrecen, making it one of the more affordable cities in Romania relative to local wages, but still more expensive than most cities in Europe.

Dining out is more affordable in Bucharest (128th) relative to local wages than in Istanbul or Athens, but less so than in other regional capitals such as Budapest, Sofia, Warsaw, Zagreb, or Prague.

Finally, Brașov is among the least affordable cities in Europe when it comes to dining out, though still faring slightly better than Athens, Dubrovnik, or Thessaloniki. The city fares worst when it comes to coffee, with residents spending over 10% of their monthly wages on a daily cappuccino habit, compared to 6.9% in Bucharest and 7.7% in Cluj.

Beer is more affordable, with costs ranging from 2.4% of wages in Bucharest to 3.1% in Brașov.