The average American household spends almost half of its food budget on eating out — out of about $6,000 US Dollars (USD) spent on food a year, about $2,700 USD goes to eating out. Alcoholic beverages alone contribute almost $500 USD to that budget.
More about eating out:
More than 75 percent of Americans eat out at least once a week, and a full fourth eat out every two to three days. Some studies suggest that, on average, Americans actually eat one out of every four meals and snacks outside of the home.
Atlanta seems to be the top city for eating out — residents of Atlanta spend about 60 percent of their food budget on eating out. Those in Austin, Texas, spend the most money on food purely in terms of dollar amount, though — they spend almost $13,000 USD a year on food, pretty much equally distributed between eating out and eating at home.
The most frugal cities in the U.S. when it comes to eating out are Detroit and Chula Vista, California. Those in Florida City spend the biggest portion of their budget on home food — about 70 percent.