Foodies: anyone who loves to eat, dine out, and support local restaurants.

WalletHub has curated a brand-new list, compiling culinary hotspots across the U.S. that offer affordable options for “cash-strapped foodies.” In order to come up with the best and cheapest local foodie scenes, WalletHub didn’t just pick them out of thin air. They compared 182 cities (including the 150 most populated U.S. cities) and at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across two key dimensions, “Affordability” and “Diversity, Accessibility & Quality.”

Tucson is in the Top 50

Out of 182 cities, Tucson, AKA the Old Pueblo and the first designated UNESCO City of Gastronomy in the U.S., came in at number 47. That’s pretty great knowing that our city was up against 150 of the most populated spots in the country.

Five Arizona cities made the list:

• Phoenix ranked number 22
• Tucson ranked number 47
• Tempe ranked number 65
• Gilbert ranked number 85
• Glendale ranked number 97

“Our data set ranges from cost of groceries to affordability and accessibility of high-quality restaurants to food festivals per capita.”

– WalletHub

Top 10 Best Foodie Cities:

1. Orlando, Florida
2. Portland, Oregon
3. Sacramento, California
4. Miami, Florida
5. San Francisco, California
6. Tampa, Florida
7. San Diego, California
8. Las Vegas, Nevada
9. Austin, Texas
10. Seattle, Washington

Also, it’s apparently getting expensive to be a foodie, according to WalletHub. Restaurant prices rose 6.5% between August 2022 and August 2023, and even cooking your own meals at home can be pricy because grocery store prices rose 3% in the last year.

For more information and to see the full list of 182 U.S. cities, visit wallethub.com.

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