How much does an average date cost? From New York to Las Vegas, here's the price for every city

Dillon Thompson
Updated ·2 min read

Jennifer Lopez once said, "Love don't cost a thing." But here's the problem: Dating, for better or worse, usually does cost a thing.

And where you live makes a big difference in how great that cost really is. For example, if you live in San Francisco, a romantic evening out on the town could be a whole lot more expensive a similar night in Louisville, Ky.

So just how extreme are those differences? Well, thanks to a study by the men's fashion company Black Tux, we now have the answers.

The company's research compares the average price of a "standard date" in the country's 50 largest cities, including all of the expenses two people might incur during a romantic night together. That includes dinner (with a 20 percent tip), two movie tickets, two drink orders and two rideshare trips.

There are some usual suspects at the top of the list — many of the nation's most expensive cities to live in are also its most expensive for dating. The priciest of them all? New York City, where a typical date costs $155.78.

San Francisco slides in at second at $144.94, with San Jose, Ca., and Seattle trailing just behind. Unfortunately for Californians, five of the state's major cities appear in the top 10.

And it's easy to see what makes the places at the top of the list so pricy. New York, for example, was the most expensive location for rideshare trips ($41.78 for two journeys), movies ($32 for two tickets) and drinks ($16 for two alcoholic beverages). Meanwhile, San Francisco was the costliest place to eat, with the average dinner costing a couple $68.40 with tip included.

Cities in the South and Midwest tended to fair a lot better, though. Oklahoma City came in as the least expensive place for a date, with a night out costing just $87.95 — nearly $70 less than in New York.

The next cheapest spots on the list — Milwaukee, Richmond, Va., Cincinnati, Charlotte, N.C., and Orlando — all also came in under $100.

So, how does your city stack up? To see a full breakdown of every major city — or if you're just curious why Detroit is apparently the cheapest place to buy a drink — check out the full chart below.