Can't buy me love: The average date in America costs $159

To rank the most expensive cities for a date night, MoneyGeek compared menus from popular restaurants in each city, including the cost of a three-course meal with two appetizers, two entrees, four cocktails and two desserts. Adding the price of movie tickets to restaurant costs meant that in some places, prices for date night soared to over $200.

Big cities on the East and West Coasts are the most expensive places for a date. In New York City, singles can expect to pay an average of $230 for a night on the town, with Los Angeles and San Francisco close behind at $207 and $198 per date night, respectively. Rounding out the top 15 is Indianapolis, where the average cost of a date is a good deal less — although still pricey — at $166.

This list of the 15 most expensive cities for a date night ranks the most expensive places for a dinner-and-a-movie date. This is not to be confused with the list below, the least affordable cities for singles, where the average price of a date makes up the highest percentage of the average earner's income in that city.

1. New York, NY - $230
2. Los Angeles, CA - $207
3. San Francisco, CA - $198
4. Las Vegas, NV - $194
5. Miami, FL - $192
6. Washington, D.C. - $187
7. Boston, MA - $186
8. Philadelphia, PA - $184
9. San Jose, CA - $178
10. Seattle, WA - $177
11. Austin, TX - $174
12. San Antonio, TX - $173
13. Chicago, IL - $172
14. Atlanta, GA - $167
15. Indianapolis, IN - $166

The cost of a night out isn't the only problem for singles living in cities where wages haven't kept up with the cost of living. To find out which cities were least affordable for singles, MoneyGeek also compared the average cost of a date night to the average income earned by a resident in those cities.

This calculation showed us what percent of a resident's weekly earnings would go toward paying for a night out. MoneyGeek's ranking includes all cities where the cost of a date made up 14% or more of the average earner's paycheck.

The analysis found that the last affordable city for a date is Las Vegas, Nevada, where the cost of dinner and a movie ($194) represents 17.3% of an average earner's income for the week.

Seven of the top nine least affordable cities for singles were in the American Southwest, where incomes apparently haven't kept up with inflation and rising food and restaurant costs. For example, while a date night in El Paso, Texas, costs only $143 — a great deal less than a night out in the most expensive cities — this price still represents 16.8% of an average weekly paycheck.

1. Las Vegas, NV 
Average Cost of Dinner and a Movie: $194
Cost of a Date as % of Weekly Earnings: 17.3%

2. El Paso, TX
Average Cost of Dinner and a Movie: $143
Cost of a Date as % of Weekly Earnings: 16.8%

3. San Antonio, TX
Average Cost of Dinner and a Movie: $173
Cost of a Date as % of Weekly Earnings: 16.8%

4. Albuquerque, NM
Average Cost of Dinner and a Movie: $165
Cost of a Date as % of Weekly Earnings: 16.4%

5. Tucson, AZ
Average Cost of Dinner and a Movie: $154
Cost of a Date as % of Weekly Earnings: 15.2%

6. Fresno, CA
Average Cost of Dinner and a Movie: $144
Cost of a Date as % of Weekly Earnings: 14.6%

7. Los Angeles, CA
Average Cost of Dinner and a Movie: $207
Cost of a Date as % of Weekly Earnings: 14.2%

8. Virginia Beach, VA
Average Cost of Dinner and a Movie: $154
Cost of a Date as % of Weekly Earnings: 14.2%

9. New York, NY
Average Cost of Dinner and a Movie: $230
Cost of a Date as % of Weekly Earnings: 14.0%

So what can singles hoping to enjoy a night out despite rising inflation do? One option would be to plan a shorter date, meeting up just for drinks, tea or coffee. Dinner at a more casual eatery can also be a fun, less costly option. Although MoneyGeek found that the cost of burgers and fries has also increased, even in the most expensive city surveyed — San Francisco — a couple could still enjoy burgers, fries and sodas for $31.

Or how about getting creative and going on a day date? Singles searching for more affordable options this Valentine's Day could:

• Attend a street festival or farmer's market and budget in some money to spend on local food trucks.
• Explore a new neighborhood together, picking up some deli sandwiches and red velvet cupcakes along the way for an impromptu Valentine's picnic in a local park.
• Bond over the Picassos at your local art gallery or museum, followed by a drink or a cup of coffee at a nearby café.
• Volunteer together – most cities have no shortage of opportunities to engage in meaningful service, ranging from food pantries to animal shelters.
  
  Without question, a night on the town will hit your wallet much harder these days, so getting creative this Valentine's Day will be important for those whose discretionary income has not kept pace with inflation. Fortunately, cities usually offer no shortage of activities for singles looking to plan something more affordable than dinner and a movie.

At a minimum, and assuming you're paying off your credit cards each month, putting your meals on rewards credit cards or cash back credit cards can help make some of your money back on dating expenses. If you shop around you can find cards that match your spending categories like dining or entertainment.  

Methodology

MoneyGeek collected prices of appetizers, entrees, cocktails and desserts from 500 restaurants in 50 major U.S. cities to estimate the cost of a three-course dinner and a movie.

Prices were collected using allmenus.com and Google reviews to determine the most popular and highly-rated venues in each city for a sit-down meal. Restaurants ranged from fine dining to casual local favorites, excluding fast food restaurants.

Dinner prices reflect the cost of two appetizers, two entrees, four cocktails and two desserts. The analysis averaged the prices for 10 restaurants in each city.

MoneyGeek collected movie ticket prices for each city using Fandango, gathering at least three movie ticket price entries for each city. Prices were collected for one adult ticket for a Saturday night.

Personal income data by metro area (2021) published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis was used to estimate the cost burden of a single date on weekly earnings.

SOURCES
- Bureau of Economic Analysis. "Personal Income by County, Metro, and Other Areas." Accessed January 17, 2023.

This story was produced by MoneyGeek and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.