The States and Cities That Pay the Most for Takeout
Takeout is, it seems, an affordable luxury. The average American orders takeout or delivery 4.5 times a month, according to one recent survey. The percentage of those who say they eat takeout for enjoyment (76%) is a little over that of those who do it for convenience (75%).
In truth, there is some overlap between convenience and enjoyment. As one academic puts it, “eat-in has the appeal of the familiar home-related ambiance of socialization and familiarity and does not need extra grooming preparation.” In other words, takeout is the dinner of full-household goblin mode. All pleasure with limited effort.
On the other hand, according to Debrett’s — perhaps the ultimate “arbiter of modern manners” — it is also fine to serve takeout at a dinner party, as long as it is to be “eaten off warmed plates and decanted into suitable china serving dishes.”
Either way, you don’t expect takeout to cost a fortune. But it depends on where you live — for example, Burger King costs 33.96% more in Hawaii than in Maine, while Taco Bell costs 21.81% less than the national average when ordering in Alabama, based on the Grubhub prices analyzed. To give you a clearer idea of where you’re getting the best value and which franchise offers the best value in your city and state, NetCredit found the relative prices for seven of the top takeout joints around the U.S.
