What Are the Best Cities for Vegetarians to Live and Visit?

As any vegan or vegetarian knows, finding good places to eat can be difficult. This has a massive impact when you're thinking about travelling or even relocating because not all areas cater to non meat eaters. We were really interested to find out what cities are the best for vegetarians to visit and live in. Can you guess which cities are most suitable for vegetarians?
What Are the Best Cities for Vegetarians to Live and Visit
 

What Are the Best Cities for Vegetarians to Live and Visit?


Data shows the best cities for vegetarians to live and visit, considering factors such as the price of fruits, vegetables and plant-based protein products, as well as the number and quality of restaurants catering for vegetarian choices.
 
  • London is the highest ranking city in the index, scoring strongly for the affordability of fruits and vegetables and its number of vegetarian-friendly restaurants. Berlin and Munich rank second and third. Glasgow ranks fifth, with Bristol in ninth
  • Edinburgh has the most vegetarian-friendly restaurants per population, followed by Munich and
●     Taipei tops the list for the average rating of its top 10 vegetarian restaurants, beating Detroit and Tokyo.
  • London ranks #1 for vegetarian festivals and events, ahead of New York and Chicago.
●     UK cities rank highly for the percentage of vegan-friendly restaurants: Edinburgh ranks second out of 75 cities, with Bristol third, Glasgow fourth and Manchester eighth.
London is the Best City for Vegetarians to Live and Visit
Berlin, Germany, May, 2021 - On-demand housing platform Nestpick.com has released a study on which global cities are most vegetarian-friendly. In response to the global rise in vegetarianism, the team at Nestpick conducted the study to shed light on the evolving lifestyle needs of people looking to relocate.
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As a company helping new arrivals settle in, they were aware of the difficulties vegetarians often have to face to maintain their nutritional lifestyles in new cities. Nestpick therefore wanted to identify which cities cater best for this group by analysing the cost of being a vegetarian in each location, as well as comparing the availability of vegetarian-specific restaurants and events.
What Are the Best Cities for Vegetarians to Live and Visit
 How the study was conducted:
 
The study began by considering over 200 global cities, across all continents, that are popular for relocation and have a good reputation with vegetarians. Cities were removed where comparable data could not be obtained, resulting in an index of 75 of the most vegetarian-friendly cities. Nestpick then considered which factors are most important for vegetarians to live a happy and healthy life.
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The first factor they assessed was the affordability of maintaining a balanced vegetarian diet in each city. To do this, they looked into the price of fruits, vegetables and plant-based protein products, factoring in purchase parity and relative affordability for local residents. They then considered the cost of eating out, calculating the number of affordable vegetarian-friendly restaurants in every city as a share of all restaurants.
What Are the Best Cities for Vegetarians to Live and Visit
Next, the study turned to the robustness of the vegetarian ecosystem in each city. For this, they looked at the availability and quality of vegetarian-friendly restaurants, including the total number per population and average rank of the top 10 vegetarian-friendly restaurants in every city. Restaurants were hit particularly hard during the pandemic, but the study was still able to assess the number and quality of each city’s offering as key indicators. They also calculated the percentage of all restaurants which are vegetarian-friendly and vegan-friendly. Finally, they studied the number of vegetarian events and festivals in each location as markers of how active and established the vegetarian community is.
 
The total score takes into consideration all of these data points to determine which cities best facilitate a vegetarian lifestyle.
 

The Top 10 Best Cities for Vegetarians to Live and Visit


 
The table below reveals a sample of results for the top 10 cities with the highest scores out of the 75 cities in the index. All scores are out of 100, with 100 being the highest possible score, and 10 being the lowest.
 
Note: A total score of 100 does not mean a city is perfect for a particular factor and therefore has no room for improvement, but rather means that that city is the best in this factor in comparison to the other 74 cities included.
 


















































The Top 10 Cities for Vegetarians
City Score
1. London 100.00
2. Berlin 98.79
3. Munich 97.16
4. Vienna 97.00
5. Glasgow 96.84
6. Zurich 96.80
7. Palma de Mallorca 96.75
8. Los Angeles 96.60
9. Bristol 96.40
10. San Francisco 96.21

 
N.B. This is a sample of the full results, which you can find here: https://www.nestpick.com/vegetarian-cities-index/
 
What Are the Best Cities for Vegetarians to Live and Visit
 
The tables below reveal a sample of results for the cities with the best combined score for their top 10 vegetarian restaurants (average rank) and those with the highest number of vegetarian-friendly restaurants:
 











































































Average Rank of Top 10 Vegetarian Restaurants Number of Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurants
City Score City Score
1. Taipei 100.0 1. London 100.0
2. Detroit 96.44 2. Rome 98.81
3. Tokyo 94.84 3. Ubud 98.80
4. Auckland 93.60 4. Amsterdam 97.27
5. Gothenburg 93.42 5. Berlin 96.72
6. Cape Town 92.71 6. Milan 96.56
7. Oklahoma City 90.57 7. Edinburgh 96.38
8. Vienna 90.40 8. Paris 96.06
9. Johannesburg 90.40 9. Barcelona 95.96
10. Chennai 89.86 10. Dubai 95.37

 
 
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The Most Affordable Cities for Vegetarians to Live and Visit


 


The following tables represent the most affordable cities in terms of local fruit and vegetable prices, and local plant-based protein products, both expressed as a percentage deviation from the study median. All percentages factor in purchase parity and relative affordability for local residents:
 










City
 
1.     Ghent
2.     Tel Aviv
3.     Edinburgh
4.     Barcelona
5.     Palma de Mallorca
6.     Glasgow
7.     Manchester
8.     Houston
9.     Madrid
10.  Dallas
%
 
-35.30
-34.94
-31.44
-27.35
-26.95
-23.01
-22.60
-20.76
-20.53
-19.87
City
 
1.     Denver
2.     Detroit
3.     Houston
4.     Tel Aviv
5.     Melbourne
6.     Sydney
7.     Los Angeles
8.     Ghent
9.     Boston
10.  Minneapolis
%
 
-37.22
-36.03
-35.78
-34.08
-29.60
-28.91
-28.41
-26.06
-24.63
-24.16

 

The Best Cities for Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurants


The tables below reveal a sample of results for the cities with the highest percentage of vegetarian-friendly and vegan-friendly restaurants. Both datasets are taken as a percentage of the total restaurants in each city:
 











































































Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurants (% of All Restaurants) Vegan-Friendly Restaurants (% of All Restaurants)
City % City %
1. Edinburgh 50.32 1. Ubud 38.40
2. Munich 49.90 2. Edinburgh 33.46
3. Ubud 48.46 3. Bristol 26.79
4. Zurich 48.44 4. Glasgow 25.47
5. Amsterdam 43.52 5. Tel Aviv 24.34
6. Bristol 43.18 6. Wellington 24.21
7. Vienna 42.30 7. Dublin 22.03
8. Glasgow 40.72 8. Manchester 21.58
9. Hamburg 40.16 9. Amsterdam 21.52
10. Ghent 39.73 10. London 19.56

 
 
The tables below reveal a sample of results for the cities with the highest number of affordable restaurants as a share of all vegetarian restaurants, and the number of vegetarian- and vegan-themed events and festivals, adjusted for population in each city:
 






































































City Score City Score
1. Chiang Mai 100.0 1. London 100.0
2. Ubud 99.37 2. New York 97.83
3. Bangkok 97.69 3. Chicago 95.97
4. Istanbul 97.30 4. Los Angeles 95.56
5. Prague 96.71 5. Atlanta 95.26
6. Buenos Aires 96.51 6. Paris 94.44
7. Warsaw 96.43 7. Seattle 94.30
8. São Paulo 96.20 8. Berlin 94.23
9. Bogota 96.11 9. Barcelona 93.68
10. Cape Town 96.06 10. Toronto 93.56

 
The raw data for each category can be provided upon request.
 

 Further findings by City:


 
  • London has the highest vegetarian-friendly restaurants score (100), meaning it has the most vegetarian-friendly restaurants, followed by Rome (98.81) and Ubud (98.80).
  • Taipei ranks best for the average rating of its top 10 vegetarian restaurants (100), meaning that it has the most highly-rated restaurants, followed by Detroit (96.44) and Tokyo (94.84).
  • Ghent has the most affordable fruit and vegetable prices adjusted for local purchasing power (-35.30%), ahead of Tel Aviv (-34.94%) and Edinburgh (-31.44%).
  • Denver has the most affordable plant-based protein products adjusted for local purchasing power (-37.22%), followed by Detroit (-36.03%) and Houston (-35.78%).
  • Chiang Mai has the highest affordable vegetarian restaurants score (100), ahead of Ubud (99.37) and Bangkok (97.69).
  • Edinburgh has the highest percentage of vegetarian-friendly restaurants (50.32%), followed by Munich (49.90%) and Ubud (48.46%).
  • London has the highest score for vegetarian events and festivals (100), ahead of New York (97.83) and Chicago (95.97).
 
 

Quotes


 
“With more and more people looking to reduce their meat consumption, cities must cater to these needs with diverse vegetarian offerings if they want to attract young talent, particularly Millennials, Gen Z, and the even younger generations to come,” comments Omer Kucukdere, Founder and CEO at Nestpick. “We hope that this index can inspire vegetarians looking to move abroad to pick the right city for their needs, or even offer travel destination ideas for those searching for the best plant-based gastronomic spots.
While there are undoubtedly countless cities that are incredible for vegetarians around the world which do not feature in this index due to a lack of available data, we believe that this shortlist offers an excellent springboard for vegetarians looking to move abroad.”
 
“For many vegetarians, it can be a challenge to maintain a balanced diet, something that has grown in importance during the pandemic,” comments Omer Kucukdere, Founder and CEO at Nestpick. “Access to essential food groups, including affordable basics such as fruits and vegetables as well as plant-based proteins, is therefore vitally important. We conducted this study to shine a light on the cities where vegetarians are able to sustain a meat-free lifestyle and access the important resources they need, without having to go well beyond their budgets.”
 
“People are increasingly looking at ways to make their lifestyles more sustainable for a multitude of reasons, not least climate change and animal welfare,” comments Omer Kucukdere, Founder and CEO at Nestpick. “It is widely agreed that one of the most effective ways someone can achieve this is to cut down on the amount of meat they consume. The rise of vegetarianism, and flexitarianism, is an irreversible trend that will continue to embed itself in the cultural fabric of cities in the form of restaurants, cafes and events specialising in these offerings. Our study shows which cities are leading the pack and are therefore the most attractive propositions for vegetarians looking to relocate.”
 
“In years gone by, being a vegetarian meant limiting your options and sacrificing on quality when eating out. The rise of vegetarianism has changed that,” comments Omer Kucukdere, Founder and CEO at Nestpick. “As our study highlights, there has been a significant emergence of high quality
vegetarian-friendly restaurants in cities around the world. Gone are the days of only having one or two options on a menu to choose from; vegetarians now have far greater choice when eating in restaurants and cafes.”