Southeast Asia has the highest budget share
Southeast Asia puts 83% of its indexed items in the budget band, the highest of the 14 regions. Eastern Europe (77%), Southern Europe (77%) and South Asia (76%) follow. At the other end, Western Europe has the lowest budget share at 52%, which is where the mid-range and premium items concentrate.
Share of indexed items in the budget band. A region with more countries can carry more weight in the global totals, so read this as a regional average, not a country ranking.
Menu depth varies less than price
The average region indexes 11.3 items per destination. East Asia leads at 13.4 per destination, while Oceania sits at 10.3. The gap is small: the index is deliberately balanced across countries, so regional differences show up more clearly in price mix and dietary tags than in raw menu size.
Where the vegetarian share is highest
Oceania has the highest vegetarian share of food items at 63%, followed by Africa (62%), Eastern Europe (59%) and Western Europe (59%). East Asia has the lowest at 41%. The full country-level picture is on the vegetarian food map.
The full regional table
| Region | Countries | Items | Items per country | Budget share | Vegetarian share | Halal tags | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Asia | 10 | 123 | 12.3 | 83% | 46% | 6 | ||||||
| Eastern Europe | 9 | 99 | 11.0 | 77% | 59% | 0 | ||||||
| Southern Europe | 13 | 144 | 11.1 | 77% | 58% | 1 | ||||||
| South Asia | 7 | 80 | 11.4 | 76% | 55% | 4 | ||||||
| Africa | 18 | 190 | 10.6 | 73% | 62% | 4 | ||||||
| South America | 10 | 116 | 11.6 | 72% | 50% | 0 | ||||||
| Central America & the Caribbean | 8 | 89 | 11.1 | 71% | 56% | 0 | ||||||
| West Asia & the Middle East | 15 | 166 | 11.1 | 71% | 58% | 13 | ||||||
| North America | 3 | 35 | 11.7 | 69% | 52% | 0 | ||||||
| Central Asia | 3 | 35 | 11.7 | 66% | 52% | 0 | ||||||
| Northern Europe | 8 | 88 | 11.0 | 65% | 57% | 0 | ||||||
| East Asia | 5 | 67 | 13.4 | 64% | 41% | 0 | ||||||
| Oceania | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 61% | 63% | 0 | ||||||
| Western Europe | 8 | 90 | 11.3 | 52% | 59% | 0 |
What the table can and cannot tell you
A regional average flattens a lot. Southern Europe and Western Europe are both "Europe" in everyday language, but they sit 25 points apart on budget share. Use the regional table to spot a pattern, then open the country guide to see the actual menu. The country pages are linked from the world food index.
Every destination has its own price table. Start with the global food cost index for the cheapest and most expensive mixes, or the rice plate index for the staple with the widest reach.
Where to start
Open a guide from the region that matches your trip: Southeast Asia food guides, Southern Europe food guides, East Asia food guides and West Asia & the Middle East food guides. Each regional block on the world food index lists every country guide in that region.
Regional plate: common questions
Which region has the cheapest indexed menu?
Southeast Asia has the highest budget share at 83%, followed by Eastern Europe (77%) and Southern Europe (77%).
Which region has the deepest menu?
East Asia indexes 13.4 items per destination, the highest regional average. Oceania has the lowest at 10.3.
Why are the regional differences small?
The index is built with a similar number of entries per country, so the regional averages land close together. Price mix and dietary tags vary more than raw menu size.
Where can I see country-level data?
Every country guide has a price table and dietary counts. The <a href="/global-food-cost-index/">global food cost index</a> ranks all 120 destinations, and the <a href="/stats/vegetarian-food-map/">vegetarian food map</a> does the same for plant-based dishes.
TasteBridge (2026). The Regional Plate: How 14 Regions Differ in Price, Menu Depth and Diet | TasteBridge. https://biteyeah.com/stats/regional-plate/
All figures are computed from the same 1,353-item index. Download the full dataset as CSV for your own sort, chart or fact-check. Prices are planning bands in US dollars, not live menu prices.