Food costs per day?

Carole: I see no one has answered your question yet--food cost per day questions have been difficult for us to answer here, because the cost can very greatly depending on the choices you make. Perhaps Ron or Claire will share their in-country experience later in the thread? Rick suggested in his 2006 Italy book allowing $10 for lunch, $5 for snacks, and $20 for dinner, per person; and with the change in the exchange rate since 2006 I would say add 25% to these budget minimums, which then become about $13/person for lunch, $7 for snacks, and about $25 (minimum IMO) for dinner, again per person. In Italy even at a "moderate" restaurant t's easy for two people to spend $75 instead of Rick's $50, such is the exchange rate these days. Any breakfast offered as part of hotel hotel rate in Italy are likely to be considered skimpy by American standards and less quantity than you would get in some more northern countries. Picnic lunches will probably cost at least 20% more than the same items purchased here. And coffee will be way more expensive than here.

I think Kent is right on target... it really depends on what you eat. Breakfast, as Kent relates, is really coffee and a cornetto (pastry). If you stand at the coffee bar and eat, it's 3-5 euros depending on where you are in town!

Lunch is all across the board. If you do "pizza rustica" (carry with you and eat on the fly) with a drink you're 5-8 euros. If you sit and just do one course with wine... it's probably about 12-15 euros. If you do an antipasta, etc obviously it goes from there. Again, much of this depends on what size town you're in and if you're in the "tourist area."

Dinner is ALL over the place. We've eaten a 5 course meal for as little as 25 euros each and as much as 100 Euros each --- and not in "fancy" places. By the time you go through the courses and cafe', dolce, etc... it does add up!

We usually eat at a smaller, local restaurants and spend about 45-50 euros on dinner for two.

Roughly for a multi-course meal in a reasonably priced restaurant:

Antipasta 10E

Bruschetta 4-5E

Wine (liter house red) 8-10E

First Course (pasta) 7-12E

Second Course (meat/fish) 12-25E

Dolce 4-7E

Cafe' 3-5F

Limoncello 4-6E

I'm sure Claire can offer insight as well! Course there's always McDonald's!!! (6.20E for a Combo meal!). Hope that helps!

Ciao,
Ron

We like to eat our main meal at noon.The prices are always lower with many specials that the locals eat.Then in the evening just a snack.

Thanx!!! Just the kind of info I needed.

This may be a very naive question but I will ask it anyway. Do Italians not eat out very often or do they just earn alot more than middle Americans? These meal prices for normal eating sure aren't tailored to teacher and small island fire chief salaries.

It's always expensive to eat out every meal, but it saves money if you're a local and know the cheaper places, or you're willing to live on cheap fast food (McDonald's, etc.).

It seems like a lot of Americans are opting to forget how to cook at home and instead go the fast food route, hence our weight and health problems.

I'd imagine Italian families still cook a lot at home, and eat smaller portions than Americans are accustomed to.

Also, of course, the low Dollar is killing us when we travel abroad. The 6.20 Euro value mean Ron talks about at McDonald's feels to them about like we do paying $6.20 for the same meal here in America. But when we buy it over here, we have to spend nearly $10 to buy that 6.20 Euro meal, due to the low value of the dollar.

Wow! I have not budgeted quite this much. I KNOW that the exchange rate stinks, but $25 USD per person for lunch? Yipes. Fortunately DD is very flexible and accustomed to having "make do." (We were in Maine on a trip once and went to the local grocery where we got a rotisserie chicken and a takeout container of potato salad and split that for dinner in the hotel room!) Perhaps lunch out and eating in for dinner will have to do for us :) (I am definitely packing plastic spoons & forks)

Donna said...
"I am definitely packing plastic spoons & forks"

Is this a good time to mention the new Rick Steves Picnic Set?

Donna, your experience of the take-out chicken is exactly what can save you money in Italy. There are many markets with meats and cheeses to take away. staple in many places is the "tavola calda", much like take-away buffets. I wouldn't scrimp so much that you don't get to enjoy well-prepared and atmospheric Italian restaurant meals, but realize that price rarely corresponds to the richness of the experience.

The prices listed above are right on. We just left Venice and are in Florence now. Also be aware that restaurants charge aproximately 2.50 euro for a glass of still water with dinner. That was a shocker for us since there are 6 of us. We have taken to filling an empty water bottle that we bought and carrying it with us. It doesn't work in restaurants, of course, but for the rest of the day we have water to drink that's free. At the restaurant last night the wine was cheaper than water. Too bad that 4 in our party are ages 12-2.

We've found though that the primi plati or pasta course is more than enough for dinner. I get an antipasti and pasta and share with my toddler or just the pasta and he gets pizza and then finishes his for breakfast.

Prices will all depend on where you go, Venice is far and away the most expensive. I would also suggest having one large meal a day, preferably lunch which leaves you feeling full for the rest of the day. Buy food from supermarkets to carry as snacks. And ice cream (gelato is lower in fat and calories than ice cream) can make a good snack--one cone can hold you for hours. And water from fountains is free. As for the cost of water per glass, just order it by the liter. An espresso runs around a euro each.

I forgot to add that many restaurants offer the "menu" at lunchtime with a first and second course, plus wine and coffee for around 10-15 euros, depending on the place. This offer will usually be posted. Avoid the first place you see outside a major tourist hotspot and try to look a bit further. Pizzerias (the kind where you come in and sit down to eat) are also a great way to keep costs down, a whole margherita pizza (a single portion in Italy, a double anywhere else) will cost around 5 euros.
In Sperlonga, have a picnic on the beach! We buy at the supermarket right along Lungomare and then take our lunch with us.

Don't forget that food (like hotels) is more expensive in the larger & more heavily travelled cities. We don't normally eat the full meal with salad and both 1st & 2nd courses -- a salad and either the pasta or second course is enough for us. Both would be too much.

Also, we used the "deli" and cafeteria style shops a lot -- very good sandwiches, salads, and squares of pizza. (Sometimes the squares of take-away pizza would round out our breakfast of coffee, juice, and cornetto, also.) Occasionally we would run across a shop connected to a restaurant that sold cooked chickens, vegetables, etc. to take away.

It's not hard to be creative and economical, and at the same time have fun trying different ways of eating. Then, when you really want a full or special dinner, you can always do that to.

Great ideas, thanx.

Living on an island with no amenities, we NEVER get to eat at restaurants, so of course we were hoping to do that alot. But obviously, that is not in the cards
very much. I will love antipasto and pasta though.

Ummmm - can't you just order tap water with meals. Surely that doesn't cost or am I naive?? I LOVE red wine, so i will be sure to budget for THAT!

Carole said...
Ummmm - can't you just order tap water with meals. Surely that doesn't cost or am I naive??

Oh my, Carole. You're in for a lot of differences and surprises.

Nothing is free. They generally charge for tap water. Restaurants make a big portion of their income off of selling you a drink, and they're not likely to let you make an end-run around that the way American restaurants do. If you want to eat the meal with nothing to drink, that's your choice. But if you want them to supply your drink, expect to pay them for it.

Incidentally, most people buy bottled water at Italian restaurants even though the tap water is fine to drink. Tradition.

Yes I know I am in for an education. And no I don't expect something for nothing and yes I will usually order wine and yes I want them to make money, but I did think tap water wouldn't cost and yes I do believe the whole world is going nuts about bottled water in places where the water is perfectly safe to drink. Some germs are FINE and only help us build immunities. The number of plastic water bottles in land fills and using resources to recycle is appalling. It is a life saver for third world countries, but geesh, not everywhere. Sorry for my personal rant.

I've traveled all over the world, and America is the only place I know where they automatically bring you a glass of free tap water when you sit down at a restaurant.

I completely agree with you regarding drinking bottled water when the tap water is perfectly good, especially when throw-away plastic bottles are involved.

In Europe the bottled water often comes in reusable glass bottles. I think the bottled water with meals tradition comes from the fact that, in many cases, their tap water was not that great until fairly recently (about 1980).

We've found, however that the tap water is quite good. We get it at a restaurant whenever possible.

The tip about eating a few blocks from a tourist site is right on about any thing you eat or buy. Our apartment is right on the Ponte Vecchio and Gelato, for example is 2.50-3 euro for the smallest cone or serving here. Just the other side of the bridge (north) it's 1.80 for a larger scoop. (We still think that is a bad price as it was the 1 euro scoop in Venice.)

In response to Carole's question about Italians eating out, making more money.. Since I eat in a lot of the restaurants Rick recommends,there are usually a lot of Italians there also (especially since I travel off season). One thing I've noticed is that they split portions. While they may order an antipasto, pasta and secondi, they are only eating half of each. There's plenty of food and only half the cost.

Just got back from Rome last night and Ron's chart is dead on.

You'll find LOTS of tips on these boards and also the Slow Travel boards on finding less expensive restaurants and ways to enjoy Italy's great food on a budget.

Recycle those waterbottles. Find a market and get water and snacks there. When your bottle is empty find a market and buy a cold liter bottle and fill both bottles-- or buy a liter of their fabulous blood orange juice which is 2 euro for bottle and fill your empty bottles for a wonderful treat.

Stop at a fruit and veggie market for some fresh fruit for snacks.

Little Alimentari or small markets will often make fresh sandwiches you can get fabulous olives and other Italian delicacies --- chain "supermarcados" like sma have delis where you can get sliced meats and cheeses and the most wonderful yogurt in little glass containers.

There is a little market in Trastevere right before you get to Santa Cecilia that had ice cold liters of water for.70 and freshly made pizza cut to whatever sized piece you like for about 1 euro a piece--- it was beyond delicious we added some fruit and a few spicy olives.. We carried it to the courtyard of Santa Cecilia and had a totally delicious meal for two people for 5 euro.

Rick has restaurant recommendations in all price ranges--- I've never been disappointed with any of his picks.

And one last piece of advice--- NEVER sit down in a cafe in Italy until you see the menu. MANY times the posted prices are for standing at the bar or takeaway. Sometimes it's the same price to sit or stand but often it's not. I was standing at the bar having a caffe latte for 1.10 euro while two women were having a fit because they'd sat down and ordered caffee latte only to get the bill for 3.80 euro.

Re water. At every meal you will be asked what type of water you want...with gas or without(naturale). In all but the most expensive restaurants it is very inexpensive. Certainly not €2.50 for a glass. We paid a low of €1 and a high of €4(that was on the sqaure at IL CAMPO in Siena) for .75cl or a 1 litre bottle of water. On average it came to no more than €1.25 per person per meal.

Going out for meals at restaurants is always a treat, especially when you don't do it much at home. Shopping at the market is an adventure too and it really is a great way to save money & try all kinds of new things. Have Fun !

Try to go to a grocery store, and eat at places that are not right next to the touristy areas. We got screwed at a gelato place within sight of the Spanish Steps, we went to pay the bill after our kids ate their gelato, and they ended up costing 25 euro each! We quickly learned the words "how much?" in Italian! (Quanto Costa)