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:
- Orlando, Florida
- Portland, Oregon
- Sacramento, California
- Miami, Florida
- San Francisco, California
- Tampa, Florida
- San Diego, California
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Austin, Texas
- 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.
Stay in the Tucson Foodie Loop
Weekly digest of new openings, events, and guides. No spam.
Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
