London Rated as World's Most Expensive City for Dining Out

London has overtaken Tokyo and Paris to become the world's most expensive city for dining out, a new international survey revealed Wednesday.

At an average of 39.09 pounds (57.40 euros, 54.08 dollars), the price of a three-course meal for one in the British capital city has increased by 2.9 percent from 2006, according to the survey for the Zagat restaurant guide.

Paris is ranked second with 35.37 pounds (51.93 euros, 71.86 dollars), ahead of Tokyo, which was the most expensive last year but is now third with an average 35.10 pounds.(51.54 euros, 71.30 dollars).

In New York, the same meal, including one drink, tax and service, costs a mere 19.30 pounds (28.47 euros, 39.39 dollars) according to the survey.

"It's astonishing to see how expensive the London dining scene has become but as indicated by this survey, the city still offers many great values -- both in terms of quality and price," said survey coordinator Tim Zagat.

Londoners eat out on average 2.5 times a week, whereas New Yorkers and Tokyo residents do so 3.4 and 3.6 times per week respectively.

Between 5,000 and 10,000 people were questioned in 45 cities around the world for the study, which was published along with the Zagat 2008 London Restaurants guide.

Zagat also has more than 300,000 surveyors who review restaurants online using factors such as food, decor, service and cost.

Source-AFP
LIN/J