The casual plate now runs $14.78, and the map is not even close
The Foodie Index for September 2026: 107,800 observed price records, 72 charted cities, and a $12.08 spread between the cheapest and priciest plate.
By Foodie Pundit Newsroom - Published - Updated - Section: Food Prices
Key points
- National casual plate: $14.78 from 107,800 observed price records.
- Dining affordability: 7.87 percent of monthly median household income for a daily fast casual meal.
- City spread: $5.25 to $17.33 across 72 charted cities.
- Eating out prices are moving 3.37 percent over twelve months per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
This report is part of Foodie Pundit premium coverage. Foodie Pundit members read the full story. See membership.
More from the Foodie Pundit Newsroom
- Supermarket Cost Comparison Exposes Real Leaders in Grocery Price War
- Scientists Just Hacked Plant Immunity. Your Vegetables Are About To Get An Upgrade
- Campbell's Wins Big: Why A Worker's Tobacco Fee Lawsuit Just Soured In Court
- How Global Restaurant Rankings Are Rewriting Food Tourism and Restaurant Economics
- Washington's Paper Drought: 28 Plans to Fix Rural Water, But America Is Still Thirsty