There’s no denying that cost of living has gone up pretty much everywhere around the world, but it’s especially escalated in New York City. And while New York has always been considered ‘expensive’, food prices are going up astronomically.
First New Yorkers witnessed the death of the ‘pizza principle’ – a basic economic rule that’s been in operation for the last sixty years or so that practically means a slice of pizza and a subway ride always cost about the same – and now pizza is much more expensive than a subway fare.
Next on the hit list is sushi, the Japanese delicacy, as it’s the most expensive it’s ever been in the city that never sleeps. According to Bloomberg, New York’s Masa – an opulent Japanese restaurant – now has the most expensive tasting menu in New York and features one of the top five most expensive Micheline-starred meals in the world.
If you’re wondering how much Masa’s ‘omakase meal’ costs, it’s a whopping US$950 per person. And that price doesn’t include sales tax or any drinks you may want to accompany your meal.
And Masa isn’t alone in its steep sushi prices. There are multiple Japanese restaurants in New York – like Yoshino, Ginza Onodera, Shion 69 Leanord Street, Noz 17 and Noda – where you will have to pay at least US$400 per person for a high-quality sushi dish.
In comparison, the most expensive sushi platter in Sydney is about AU$340 per person and that’s an outlier; most other high-end Japanese restaurants in Sydney don’t charge anything near AU$340 for a sushi dish.
However, don’t lose all hope if you’re a New Yorker who loves sushi or if you’re planning to visit New York and want to eat good-quality Japanese there for a reasonable price. There are still some places where you’ll only part with about US$98 per person for a superb omakase menu; such as Sushi Kai located in New York’s East Village.
But if you really want to save money, maybe skip the sushi altogether and get yourself some pizza. Yes, as aforementioned, pizza has also gone up in price in New York, but a slice will only cost you, on average, US$3.14. Which when compared to Masa’s sushi menu is a total saving of US$946.86…
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