No matter where in the world you live, it's easy to assume that Michelin-starred dining should be reserved for splurge-worthy special occasions only — and that even then, it may drain your savings.
2018-10-01However, this is no longer the case, and there are actually some affordable options if you know where and when to go.
Booking platform Traveloka conducted research into the 50 cheapest Michelin-starred meals in the world — and it found that there are reasonable options all over the planet, starting from just $2.20.
In order to produce the list, the site used the official Michelin website for each country covered by the guide in order to find the cheapest one and two-star restaurants. It then ranked them by the price of an individual meal, whether it was an the cheapest main à la carte dish available or a set menu.
According to Traveloka, a meal at the world's most expensive restaurant — Ibiza's Sublimation — would cost the same as a meal in all 50 of the restaurants on this list combined.
Scroll down to see the 50 most affordable Michelin-starred restaurants on the planet, ranked by price of the cheapest à la carte dish or set menu, from most expensive to cheapest.
Note: All meal options and local prices are accurate as of June 2018, while all exchange rates are accurate as of August 2018.
50. Dill, Reykjavík, Iceland — $109.50
The most expensive meal on the list comes from Iceland's Dill — and it's a set menu for 11,900 Icelandic króna ($109.50).
49. Galt, Oslo, Norway — $103.90
This set menu is rather high-end, but in the city of Oslo, 865 Norwegian krone ($103.90) is as good as it's going to get for Michelin-starred dining.
48. Mathias Dahlgren-Matbaren, Stockholm, Sweden — $87.50
Always craving meat when it’s that time of the month so here I am, eating meat. 🍫
A post shared by Linnea Widmark (@linneawidmark) on Sep 20, 2018 at 6:42am PDT
A modern Nordic à la carte dish from this Stockholm restaurant will cost you 795 Swedish krona, or $87.50.
47. Pelegrini, Šibenik, Croatia — $67.90
Pay 440 Croatian kuna ($67.90) for a set lunch at this modern Croatian spot.
46. Søllerød Kro, Copenhagen, Denmark — $60.80
This modern restaurant may be at the pricier end of the list, but 395 Danish krone ($60.80) for a Michelin-starred set lunch menu in Copenhagen is still a pretty good deal.
45. Grön, Helsinki, Finland — $59.60
If you find yourself in Helsinki, this Finnish set menu will set you back €52 ($59.60).
44. La Bottega, Geneva, Switzerland — $58.30
This Italian set lunch menu is offered at 58 Swiss francs, or $58.30.
43. La Cabra, Madrid, Spain — $57.30
A post shared by LA CABRA * | Javier Aranda (@lacabrarestaurante) on Sep 28, 2018 at 4:29am PDT
Dine à la carte and dishes start at €50 ($57.30).
42. Mesa, Zurich, Switzerland — $52.30
The city may be pricey, but the set lunch menu at Mesa — 52 Swiss francs or $52.30 — isn't a bad deal.
41. Pertinence, Paris, France — $51.60
A post shared by Pertinence (@restaurantpertinence) on Mar 14, 2018 at 8:35am PDT
Next time you're in Paris, you can have a Michelin-starred set lunch menu for €45 ($51.60).
=39. La Gaichel, Eischen, Luxembourg — $44.70
A post shared by Domaine de la Gaichel (@domainedelagaichel) on May 2, 2018 at 12:59pm PDT
The set lunch menu, boasting traditional French cuisine, costs €39 ($44.70).
Note: While La Gaichel held a Michelin star at the time of the research for this article, it has since lost its star.
=39. Sinne, Amsterdam, Netherlands — $44.70
A post shared by Restaurant Sinne (@sinnerestaurant) on Jun 30, 2018 at 3:01am PDT
For the cheapest option, opt for the €39 ($44.70) set lunch menu.
38. Tian, Vienna, Austria — $42.40
The only vegetarian restaurant on the list, the set lunch menu costs €37 ($42.40) at Tian.
37. Mee, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — $42.10
Dig into a modern Brazilian à la carte dish for 160 BRL or $42.10.
36. Le Pilori, Écaussinnes, Belgium — $41.30
| GASTRONOMIE 🍴| #restaurant #gastronomia #LePilori
A post shared by MATHILDE (@math.le) on Jun 26, 2017 at 4:35am PDT
The modern French set menu at Le Pilori will set you back €36 ($41.30).
=34. Premiere, Athens, Greece — $40.10
keep it simple #smoked #salmon #horseradish #dill #instafood #instagood #cheflife #goodfood
A post shared by Elli Ja (@elli_ja_) on Sep 9, 2018 at 8:54am PDT
€35 ($40.10) will get you a dish from the à la carte menu at Premiere.
=34. Greenhouse, Dublin, Ireland — $40.10
Pay €35 ($40.10) for the set lunch menu and discover some modern Irish cuisine.
33. Atelier Amaro, Warsaw, Poland — $38.80
The 33rd cheapest meal on the list, the set lunch menu at the modern Polish Atelier Amaro costs 145 Polish złoty, or $38.80.
32. Alma, Lisbon, Portugal — $37.80
A post shared by Desiree | Food & Travel (@desired_tastes) on Sep 27, 2018 at 9:35am PDT
Go à la carte at this modern Portugese spot and pay from €33 ($37.80).
31. La Riva, Lai, Switzerland — $32.20
A post shared by Patrick Mettier (@tobelix_99) on Jul 25, 2018 at 2:26pm PDT
32 Swiss francs ($32.20) will get you a set lunch menu at La Riva.
29. La Vara, New York City, US — $32
A post shared by La Vara (@lavarany) on Jul 13, 2018 at 3:05pm PDT
Pay mid-range prices from Michelin-starred Spanish à la carte dishes at La Vara.
28. Strandlodge, Winterswijk, Netherlands — $31.50
Dig into a modern, international set lunch menu for €27.50, or $31.50.
=25. Cookies Cream, Berlin, Germany — $28.70
A post shared by Andreas Messerli (@andreas.messerli) on Aug 24, 2018 at 1:34pm PDT
The name may be fun, and the prices are too — à la carte dishes start at €25 ($28.70).
=25. Antiqvvm, Porto, Portugal — $28.70
The modern Portuguese set lunch menu at Antiqvvm is a very reasonable €25 ($28.70).
=25. Florian Maison, San Paolo d'Argon, Italy — $28.70
Michelin-starred Mediterranean cuisine starts at €25 ($28.70) if you opt for the set lunch menu at Florian Maison.
24. Costes Downtown, Budapest, Hungary — $28.10
暫時在歐遊最喜愛的一餐,Budapest的米芝連餐廳 @costes_downtown ! #yuireneeurope #yuirenebudapest
A post shared by Irene ♥ (@yuirene) on Sep 21, 2018 at 6:14am PDT
Pay 7,900 Hungarian forint, or $28.10, for the set lunch menu at Costes Downtown.
23. Field, Prague, Czech Republic — $27.80
Modern Nordic à la carte dishes start at 620 Czech koruna ($27.80).
22. The Ninth, London, UK — $26.80
Surprisingly enough, you can get a set lunch menu in central London's Mediterranean restaurant The Ninth for just £21, or $26.80.
=20. Band of Bohemia, Chicago, US — $26
American cuisine starts at $26 when you order from the à la carte menu.
=20. Tail Up Goat, Washington DC, US — $26
Casarecce with lobster, baby fennel and preserved lemon! - - Photo credit: @tailupgoat
A post shared by MICHELIN guide (official) (@michelinguide) on Apr 6, 2018 at 7:21am PDT
A dish from the à la carte menu — which features modern, international dishes — will set you back $26.
19. Esquina Mocoto, Sao Paolo, Brazil — $24.50
Pay 93 BRL (or $24.50) for an à la carte dish from this Brazilian eatery.
=16. Bistro Racine, Braine-Le-Château, Belgium — $22.90
A post shared by EATING.be (@eating.be) on Jan 17, 2017 at 4:36am PST
Dig into a modern Belgian set menu for €20 ($22.90).
=16. Vintage 1997, Turin, Italy — $22.90
Per un attimo, ho creduto di essere Picasso. 🍷🍴🇮🇹
A post shared by Mara (@marapari13) on Nov 6, 2017 at 11:43am PST
Modern Italian comes in the form of a €20 ($22.90) set lunch menu at this Turin restaurant.
=16. Le Pousse-Pied, La Tranche sur Mer, France — $22.90
Un super resto qui se termine par un merveilleux dessert #lepoussepied #latranchesurmer
A post shared by Ines Desbois (@ines5andco) on Apr 20, 2017 at 1:21pm PDT
A modern French set menu doesn't have to cost the world — at Le Pousse-Pied, it's just €20 ($22.90).
=14. Fritz's Frau Franzi, Dusseldorf, Germany — $22.40
Kabeljau mit Meerwasser gebeizt #karfreitag #fischmenü #experimentaltwist #benjaminkriegel #lunch
A post shared by Fritz's Frau Franzi (@fritzs_frau_franzi) on Mar 30, 2018 at 1:24am PDT
Enjoy modern, international dishes on this €19.50 ($22.40) set lunch menu.
=14. Tuju, Sao Paolo, Brazil — $22.40
Brazilian dishes like the above might appear in Tuju's set lunch menu, which will set you back 85 Brazilian real or $22.40.
13. Ten-you, Kyoto, Japan — $21.40
Real tempura (not the US greasy kind)! #tempura #tenyou #kyoto
A post shared by Paul Walsh (@ptw121) on May 7, 2017 at 4:48pm PDT
A Japanese set lunch costs just 2,376 yen ($21.40) at Ten-you.
12. The Coach, Marlow, UK — $21.10
This modern British venue serves up à la carte options from £16.50, or $21.10.
11. King, Macau — $18.60
A post shared by Lewis’s playground (@mrwatchlewisshum) on Mar 12, 2017 at 5:19am PDT
Order an à la carte Cantonese dish from 150 Macanese pataca, or $18.60.
10. Al's Place, San Francisco, US — $18
A la carte dishes at this cool American spot start at just $18.
9. L'Antic Moli, El Castell, Spain — $16.60
This modern Spanish set lunch menu costs just €14.50, or $16.60 USD.
8. Lao Zheng Xing, Shanghai, China — $14.60
Head here for a Chinese à la carte meal which starts at just $14.60, or 100 Chinese Yuan.
7. Three Coins, Taipei, Taiwan — $13
Cantonese à la carte starts at just 400 New Taiwan dollars, or $13 USD.
6. Ginza Ibuki, Tokyo, Japan — $12.70
Sake ice cream = favorite ice cream 🍶🍧 #ginzaibuki #sake #kaiseki #icecream
A post shared by Alexandra Guzman Ibañez (@alexa_guzman88) on Feb 8, 2018 at 7:52am PST
The Japanese set lunch menu at Ginza Ibuki will only cost you $12.70 (or 1,404 yen).
5. Jay Fai, Bangkok, Thailand — $12
An à la carte thai meal starts at just 400 Thai baht — $12.
4. Chugokusai S.Sawada, Osaka, Japan — $9.70
A post shared by Nao K. (@autourdumonde1010) on May 13, 2018 at 4:27pm PDT
Dig into a Michelin-starred Chinese set lunch menu for $9.70 (or 1,080 Japanese yen).
3. Hamo, Seoul, South Korea — $7.10
A post shared by BRANDYCOKE (@brandycoke) on Dec 24, 2017 at 4:31am PST
An à la carte meal at this Korean spot starts at 8,000 South Korean won — or $7.10.
2. Tim Ho Wan, Hong Kong — $3.80
Order from the à la carte menu at this Dim Sum restaurant and your meal will start at 30 Hong Kong Dollars, or $3.80.
1. Liao Fan Hong Kong, Singapore — $2.20
When ordering from this street food stall in Singapire, the Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle comes in at 3 Singapore Dollars — $2.20 US — making it the cheapest Michelin-starred meal in the world.