What one date actually costs, in 254 cities

Dinner for two, two draught beers, two coffees and two cinema tickets — the same basket priced in every city. The US median is $148. The cheapest city carried here is $24.

Bar chart of the cost of one evening for two across the 24 cheapest cities, with the US median bar far longer than the rest

One bar is a mid-range dinner for two plus two draught beers, two cappuccinos and two cinema tickets, all from the same Numbeo basket.

Download the chart (PNG)

What the chart says

  1. A single evening out costs $148 at the US median and $24 in Da Lat — a factor of 6.2. The gap is not rent or flights, which people budget for; it is the recurring cost that decides how often you can actually go out.

Where this is wrong

Sources

Numbeo cost-of-living prices

Cost is one axis of the site's research desk, next to the ratio it usually trades against.

More charts

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Same Numbeo basket per city, with salary and the ratio beside it — set a budget and see what clears it.

The per-market deep-dives — 13 tabs of cost, visa, tax, safety and sub-national ratio for one country — are behind the Pro gate. Everything on this page is not.

Data updated