Cost of Eating Out in New York 2026 — Restaurant Prices, Pizza Slice Costs and NYC Food Budget Guide

Cost of Eating Out in New York City 2026

New York City has the United States' most expensive restaurant market in 2026, with labour costs, rents, and post-pandemic inflation having pushed prices to new highs. A mid-range sit-down dinner in Manhattan now routinely exceeds $80-100 per person with drinks and tip. However, New York also has an extraordinary range of affordable eating options — the $5-8 "dollar slice" pizza has inflated but still exists, and the city's ethnic food diversity means excellent cheap eating is available in Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. This guide covers eating-out costs in NYC in 2026.

NYC Restaurant Prices by Category

• Pizza slice (Midtown or Lower East Side): $4-7 ($6-$10.50 AUD) per slice
• Bagel with lox and cream cheese: $8-16 ($12-$24 AUD)
• Lunch special (Chinese, Thai, diner): $14-22 ($21-$33 AUD) per person
• Happy hour food at a bar: $8-18 ($12-$27 AUD) per dish
• Casual Manhattan dinner (sit-down): $45-80 ($67.50-$120 AUD) per person including tip
• Mid-range Midtown, SoHo or West Village dinner: $70-120 ($105-$180 AUD) per person
• Upscale NYC restaurant (Tribeca, UWS): $120-220 ($180-$330 AUD) per person
• NYC tasting menu fine dining: $200-450+ ($300-$675 AUD) per person

NYC Best-Value Food Areas

• Flushing, Queens (NYC's Chinatown) has extraordinary authentic Chinese, Korean, and Taiwanese food at some of the city's most competitive prices; Jackson Heights, Queens has phenomenal South Asian, Colombian, and Mexican food at local prices; the Bronx's Arthur Avenue (Little Italy of the Bronx) has excellent authentic Italian at lower prices than Manhattan; Red Hook, Brooklyn has a Latin American food market with outstanding pupusas, tamales, and Mexican food

Tipping in New York

• Tipping of 20-25% is the de facto standard in NYC sit-down restaurants in 2026; 18% is now considered the minimum acceptable tip at sit-down restaurants; tip screens at counter-service venues are omnipresent and optional — 0% is acceptable at counter-service-only spots; NYC restaurants often include suggested tip amounts starting at 20-22%

This article was compiled by AI and screened before publishing. See our editorial standards.