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How Spain’s Affordable Food and Drink Culture Creates a Sustainably High Quality of Life
In Valencia, daily indulgences are accessible. In San Francisco, they’re premium experiences.
After four months living in Valencia, San Francisco felt like a place where it’s not possible to afford and enjoy everyday life.
In Spain, having a coffee, meal, or drink doesn’t require budgeting — it’s an easy part of the day-to-day.
In San Francisco, you have to do the math every time you head out the door for some hospitality.
San Francisco has changed.
Given how culturally monotone it has become, it no longer operates on the same plane as other far more diverse cities.
An assessment of the cost of going out helps shed light on the bigger societal picture that explains the stark and troubling difference between American and Spanish cities.
In this article, I draw from my first trip back to the States after moving permanently to Spain, and my urban studies and hospitality background to illustrate why what’s wrong with San Francisco and what’s right with Valencia matters not only to hospitality, but the future of cities.
