12 Affordable Travel Destinations Where You Can Dine Like Royalty

You don’t have to give up tasty food when you’re traveling on a budget. Some of the tastiest and most fulfilling food in the world can be found in places where money goes further and your taste buds are treated like kings. From tacos on the street in Mexico City to tagines in Marrakech to fresh ceviche in Lima, you’ll find food around the world that tastes great but doesn’t cost a lot.

If you’re a tourist, a foodie, or just like learning about other cultures through their kitchens, these 12 cheap spots promise five-star tastes at street food prices. This list shows that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to eat like a king. Each place has a lively food scene, cheap restaurants, and delicious local meals. So, get your bags and your stomach ready, because these places show that good food doesn’t have to cost a lot.

Mexico City, Mexico

You can eat like a king or queen in Mexico City without breaking the bank thanks to its amazing street food culture. There are taquerías on every street and morning markets full of fresh food. You can get tacos al pastor for as little as 30 MXN (about $1.50 USD) each. You can get delicious tlacoyos, sopes, and fresh quesadillas at Mercado de Coyoacán or La Merced. Each food costs less than 50 MXN ($2.50 USD).

Fondas, which are family-run restaurants in the middle price range, offer three-course meals with soup, guiso, and agua fresca for about 150–200 MXN ($7–$10 USD). At Fonda Fina, don’t miss the chance to taste mole poblano in a traditional way. Hearty servings cost about 180 MXN ($9 USD). Craft mezcal or pulque can be bought in cute cantinas for 60 to 80 MXN ($3 to $4 USD) a drink. Whether you eat tlacoyos on the street near Bellas Artes or fancy chilaquiles at Lalo!, you’ll find that Mexico City’s food scene is both majestic and incredibly cheap, so you can eat like a king or queen every day without losing authenticity or flavor.

Hanoi, Vietnam

In Hanoi, you can enjoy the full range of Vietnamese food at prices that will suit any visiting king or queen on a budget. For just 40,000–60,000 VND ($1.70–$2.50 USD), early risers line up at outdoor sellers to get steaming bowls of phở bò topped with fresh herbs and lime. During the day, you can get a famous bánh mì sandwich for 20,000–30,000 VND ($0.80–$1.20 USD). It comes with pâté, cold cuts, and crunchy pickles. Don’t miss the show that is bún chả, which is grilled pork with rice noodles and a sweet and sour broth.

You can get it at old shops in the Old Quarter for about 50,000–70,000 VND ($2–$3 USD). For a slightly more upscale experience, small restaurants that serve traditional Bắc Kỳ dishes like chả cá Lã Vọng (turmeric fish) and bánh cuốn (steamed rice rolls) charge between 100,000 and 150,000 VND ($4.20 and $6.30 USD) per dish. For an extra 30,000–40,000 VND ($1.20–$1.70 USD), you can get a glass of cà phê trứng (egg coffee) in a cute café. Hanoi shows that eating like a king or queen can be surprisingly cheap, with big amounts of strong tastes for less than $10 USD.

Tbilisi, Georgia

Tbilisi’s hearty, delicious meals are based on centuries-old Caucasian customs and are all surprisingly cheap. For just 8–12 GEL ($3–$4.50 USD), you can walk through the busy Dezerter Bazaar and try khachapuri, which is cheese-filled bread made in the famous Adjaruli way. Grilled meat skewers with soft chicken or pork chunks and mtsvadi (grilled meat) cost between 10 and 15 GEL ($4 and $5.50 USD) each at shashlik places in my area.

For about 20–25 GEL ($8–$9 USD), you can eat hearty soups, pkhali (vegetable pâté), and spiced bean stew at restaurants that look like they were built in the traditional supra style. People often eat churchkhela, which are strings of nuts dipped in grape must, as a cheap afternoon snack. Each one costs less than 2 GEL ($0.80 USD). In Georgian wine bars, you can drink Saperavi or Kisi wines for 8–10 GEL ($3.50–$4.50 USD) per glass to go with your royal meal. You can eat like a king or queen on a low budget in Tbilisi, where real tastes and friendly people come together.

Lima, Peru

Lima is known as the food capital of South America, and there are restaurants there for every budget. Start with ceviche, which is fish stewed in tangy citrus juices. You can get a piece at a nearby cevichería for 25–35 PEN ($6–$9 USD), which comes with sweet potato and cancha (toasted corn). For 20–30 PEN ($5–8 USD), Miraflores’s daily meals offer three courses: entrada, plato fuerte, and postre.

They include classics like lomo saltado (stir-fried beef) and causa limeña (potato terrine). At a moderately priced cebichería, you can enjoy a pisco sour and a tasting flight for about 60–80 PEN ($15–$20 USD). Don’t miss the grilled beef heart skewers called anticuchos that you can get from street carts. Two or three skewers cost about 10 PEN, which is 2 USD. For 5 to 8 PEN ($1.25 to $2 USD), sweet tooths can enjoy picarones, which are sweet potato doughnuts. With its seaside bounty and Andean traditions, Lima makes sure that every meal, from simple to fancy, tastes divine, and you can eat there every day for less than $25 USD.

Budapest, Hungary

The food scene in Budapest combines the comforts of Central Europe with a surprising grace, and the prices are unbeatable. For 1,200 to 1,500 HUF ($3.50 to $4.50 USD), you can try lángos, which are golden-fried dough topped with garlic, sour cream, and cheese, at busy markets like Great Market Hall. For 2,000–2,500 HUF ($6–$7 USD), you can get hearty goulash soup in a bread bowl at cozy bistros. The daily menu at éttermek restaurants, which are in the middle price range, includes soup, a main dish, and dessert for 2,500 to 3,500 HUF ($7 to 10 USD).

Popular meals include paprikás csirke (paprika chicken) and töltött káposzta (stuffed cabbage). Don’t miss the chance to buy a chimney cake (kürtőskalács), a sweet spiral pastry dusted with cinnamon sugar, from a street seller for 800–1,200 HUF ($2.50–$3.50 USD). For a fancy nightcap in the evening, drink Egri Bikavér or Tokaji Aszú wines in ruin bars for about 1,500 to 2,000 HUF ($4.50 to $6 USD) a glass. You can eat like a king or queen in Budapest without spending a lot of money. You can try foods from hundreds of years ago without breaking the bank.

Marrakech, Morocco

Food fans are enchanted by Marrakech’s fragrant medinas and huge souks, which are full of delicious treats at low prices. At Djemaa el-Fna, you can eat slow-cooked lamb tagine with fluffy couscous at open-air stands for 40–60 MAD ($4–6 USD). For as little as 5–10 MAD ($0.50–$1 USD), you can try harira, a spicy tomato and grain soup that is great for a light royal snack. In secret riads that have been turned into cafés, you can get pastilla, a savory-sweet pigeon pie, for about 60–80 MAD ($6–8 USD).

A three-course meal with soups, chickpea stews, and grilled kebabs at a moderately priced restaurant costs about 120–150 MAD ($12–$15 USD). Mint tea is served in fancy pots. For 10–15 MAD ($1–$1.50 USD), you can get chebakia (sesame-coated cookies) or fresh orange juice to satisfy your sweet tooth. The mix of Berber, Arab, and French styles in Marrakech makes every meal feel like a royal feast, but the daily food costs less than $20 USD.

Krakow, Poland

Hearty Polish food and lively market shops where you can eat like a king or queen on a budget make historic Krakow a great place to visit. You can get a boiling hot zapiekanka in the Main Market Square for 12–15 PLN ($3–$4 USD). This is Poland’s version of an open-faced sandwich with mushrooms, cheese, and garlic sauce. Going to a local milk bar (bar mleczny) will get you a classic meal with soup, dumplings, and kotlet schabowy (breaded pork cutlet) for only 15–20 PLN ($4–$5 USD).

Eat bigos (hunter’s stew) or barszcz czerwony (beet soup) and szarlotka (Polish apple pie) for about 35–50 PLN ($8–$12 USD) for a trattoria-style meal. As a snack, you can buy twisted bread rings from street sellers for less than 3 PLN ($0.80 USD). You can wash down your food with Tyskie or Żywiec beers, which cost 8–10 PLN ($2–$3 USD) a pint. Krakow’s restaurants serve filling, flavorful food that won’t break the bank—the daily bill is usually well under $25 USD.

Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul’s lively food culture brings people from all over the world together by serving royal feasts at surprisingly low prices. People on the streets around Sultanahmet sell döner kebab wraps for 15–20 TRY ($0.75–$1 USD) and sesame-covered bread rings called simit for 3–5 TRY ($0.15–$0.25 USD). For 60–80 TRY ($3–$4 USD) per person, mezze plates with hummus, ezme, and stuffed grape leaves are served at meyhane-style restaurants. For 5–8 TRY ($0.25–$0.40 USD) each, don’t miss the börek, which are thin phyllo cakes filled with cheese or spinach.

On the günün menüsü (daily menu) of simple sit-down places, you can get soup, a main dish like meatballs, and a yogurt drink for about 40–50 TRY ($2–$2.50 USD). Finish with a strong cup of kahve or Turkish tea, served in pretty tulip glasses for 2–4 TRY ($0.10–$0.20 USD). With big amounts and a wide range of tastes for less than $10 USD a meal, Istanbul will make you feel like a sultan without spending a lot of money.

Lisbon, Portugal

The coastal beauty and pastel-colored streets of Lisbon are matched by its easy-to-afford gourmet scene, which is great for royalty on a budget. You can get a bifana (marinated pork sandwich) for about 3–4 EUR ($3–4 USD) or a pastel de bacalhau (cod snack) for 1–1.50 EUR ($1–1.50 USD) in busy tascas. For 1.20 to 1.50 EUR ($1.20 to $1.50 USD) each, you can try the famous pastéis de nata (custard tarts) in Belém.

For less than 5 EUR, you can get three with coffee. For 10 to 12 EUR ($10 to $12 USD), you can get a prato do dia in Alfama. It includes an appetizer, a main dish of grilled sardines or chicken piri-piri, and a dessert. It costs between €2.50 and €3.50 to enjoy a glass of Vinho Verde or Douro wine in a neighborhood tasca. For 8–10 EUR ($8–$10 USD), you can get big plates of seafood rice or octopus salad at Time Out Market rooms. With fresh seafood from the Atlantic and warm Portuguese culture, Lisbon shows that you can eat like a king or queen on a tight budget.

Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok is the best place to eat street food, and royal feasts only cost a few cents. Carts that sell khao khai chiao (Thai-style egg over rice) and jok (rice mush) for 30–40 THB ($0.80–$1 USD) are busy in the early morning. For 50–80 THB ($1.50–$2.50 USD) each, you can walk around Yaowarat (Chinatown) and eat delicious roast duck, dim sum, and crispy pork belly.

Pad Thai stands in Thipsamai that are known for their large amounts of prawns and eggs charge 60–80 THB ($1.50–$2.50 USD). Set meals of tom yum goong, green curry, and mango sticky rice cost about 400–500 THB ($10–$13 USD) and are served in restaurants by the river. 20–30 THB ($0.50–$0.80 USD) gets you cha yen (Thai iced tea) or fresh coconut water. With so many options, from simple street carts to cozy, warm patios, Bangkok makes sure you can eat like a king or queen while still spending less than $15 USD a day.

Tirana, Albania

The new food scene in Tirana combines Ottoman, Mediterranean, and Balkan styles to make royal flavors at prices that won’t break the bank. For 50–70 ALL ($0.50–$0.70 USD), you can get a byrek in the city center. It’s a tasty pancake filled with cheese, spinach, or meat. Meals at small, family-run places like tavë kosi (baked lamb with yogurt) and fërgesë (peppers with cottage cheese) cost 400–600 ALL ($4–$6 USD) each.

You can try grilled skewers and qofte (meatballs) at street grills for 100–150 ALL ($1–$1.50 USD) each. In a classic kafenë, for about 1,200 ALL ($12 USD), you can get a shared plate with cured meats, cheeses, and olives. Rahovec wines from nearby Kosovo cost 200–300 ALL, which is about $2–$3 USD a glass. For 100 to 150 ALL ($1 to $1.50 USD), you can end your meal with baklava or kadaif. Tirana’s friendly cafés and restaurants offer a royal cooking experience without the royal price tag.

Cairo, Egypt

You can eat like a king on a budget in Cairo’s busy street food scene and historic bars. Koshary, a tasty mix of rice, beans, pasta, and spicy tomato sauce, can be bought at street carts for 15–20 EGP ($0.50–0.80 USD). Each falafel (ta‘amiya) wrap with crunchy vegetables and tahini inside costs about 5–10 EGP ($0.20 USD). For 50–70 EGP ($1.70–$2.30 USD), you can get a full meal of molokhia (leafy green soup), grilled chicken, and rice in a busy public restaurant.

For 10 to 15 EGP ($0.30 to $0.50 USD), don’t miss ful medames, which are fava beans that have been cooked and served with warm baladi bread. For a sit-down meal, get a mixed grill with kofta, lamb chops, and pigeon for 150–200 EGP ($5–$6 USD). It comes with salad and sour pickles. For 15–20 EGP ($0.50–$0.80 USD), you can cool off with karkade (hibiscus tea) or sweet mango juice. In Cairo, you can eat ancient tastes and big amounts fit for a king or queen while still spending less than $10 USD a day on food.

Bottom Line

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to eat well while you’re moving. There are 12 places in this article that offer delicious food at amazing prices, so you can enjoy delicious meals for just a few dollars. You can enjoy hot bowls of pho in Hanoi, tasty khachapuri in Tbilisi, or grilled meats in Istanbul.

These places give you a royal experience at a farmer’s price. You’ll find that the best eating experiences often happen in the most unexpected places if you know a little about the area and are willing to try new things. Eating like a king or queen isn’t just for rich people; anyone on a budget can go on a world trip like this.

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