Italy is globally known for its pasta, pizza and local recipes, while Greece stands out for the Mediterranean diet, olive oil and traditional dishes.The two countries are European, Mediterranean and share the euro as a common currency. Both compete for the top positions in international gastronomic guides.
However, if we take a look at the relevant table by Virtual Capitalist, which is based on Numbeo data for the cost of eating out at a cheap restaurant in the two countries, we will notice the following.
Italy is in 8th place in the international ranking of 98 countries and regions with 20.19 dollars and Greece in 13th place with 17.52 dollars together with Finland, Germany, Spain, Estonia, Cyprus and France. The US is in 9th place with 20 dollars.
All are far above the global median of 9.35 dollars.
By contrast, Japan is much cheaper since it is well below the global median at 6.29 dollars, which corresponds to about 1/3 of the cost in countries such as Greece. The cheapest country in the world is Bangladesh with 1.63 dollars.
The most expensive countries for cheap food for one person eating out are Switzerland with 31.1 dollars, Norway with and Denmark with 23.60 and 23.43 dollars respectively. Of course, there are countries that are not among the 98 countries, such as Iceland, which is very expensive and according to some more expensive than Switzerland.
The data come from people who ate cheap food out in each one of these countries and reported it to Numbeo. The figure for each country's cost is converted into dollars based on the exchange rate.
It is obvious that the European countries are more expensive along with the US. High rents, taxes, other charges, and comparatively higher labor costs are the reasons often cited. In some cases, such as in Greece, the increased cost is also partly due to the expanded profit margins of eateries.
Of course, the data change if someone compares the cost of food with the domestic wage. In this case, the more expensive Switzerland with a net salary above 7000 dollars per month is cheaper than Bangladesh with 228 dollars, which is in the last, 98th place of the table, at 0.4% and 0.7% respectively. Based on the minimum wage over 14 months, the cost of cheap food in Greece corresponded to close to 1.75% and falls close to 1.1% based on the average wage.
However one looks at it, the cost of a cheap meal out in Greece is relatively expensive. Whether we compare it with other countries outside Europe in absolute numbers, or with wages.
