A study conducted by the Nestpick platform explores the best cities for vegetarians, looking at the variance in the cost of fruits and vegetables as well as the availability and rating of restaurants. 

What, the, most, vegetarian, friendly, cities, in, world?
 

In which cities around the globe are vegetarians more likely to find happiness? This is a question that the housing rental platform Nestpick asked itself, and whose research resulted in a ranking of the 75 most "vegetarian friendly" cities in the world. Nestpick found that one of the main arguments people give when deciding to move or even just spend a few days of vacation in a particular city is what it has to offer in terms of vegetarian options. Therefore, she decided to create a rating based on several criteria to rank the best cities for vegetarians, with a dual purpose.

The goal is to "help those looking to pursue their plant-based lifestyle abroad choose the right city" but also to "highlight the metropolises that do the best job of catering to their vegetarian population." The platform began by shortlisting the top 75 cities from a list of 200 that have a good reputation among vegetarians. It then analyzed the most important factors for vegetarians to live a happy and healthy life there. 

Three major themes: price, supply and events

Affordable staples such as fruits and vegetables are essential, while plant proteins are fundamental to maintaining a balanced diet. So his experts looked at the cost of these three food groups, but not only that.

"Home cooking is important for vegetarians, especially during these last months of confinement caused by the pandemic. But both before and after the pandemic, restaurants that offer primarily vegetable-based dishes are not only prolific in many cities, but are even considered in some to be the highest rated restaurants overall," the organization adds. Other criteria, then, include the percentage and number of vegetarian restaurants in each city, and the share of restaurants offering vegan options. 

Finally, the platform also looked at the organization of vegetarian festivals, as these show whether a city is going the extra mile for its vegetarian residents and visitors. "With more and more people looking to reduce their meat consumption, cities need to meet these needs with varied vegetarian offerings if they want to attract young talent. ", comments Omer Kucukdere, CEO of Nestpick. "We hope this index can inspire vegetarians looking to travel abroad or even offer travel destination ideas for those looking for the best plant-based dining spots. " 

The top 10 ranking

The final index ranks each city out of 100, knowing that the higher the score, the better the city is for vegetarians. Three major themes are used to present the ranking (affordability, restaurants and events) which are themselves divided into sub-themes (price of fruits and vegetables, price and number of restaurants...) that can be filtered. What about the results?

  •  It turns out that London takes the first place in the ranking with a total score of 100, the city distinguishing itself in particular by its offer of restaurants and its affordable fruits and vegetables.
  •   It is followed by Berlin, Munich, Vienna, Glasgow, Zurich, Palma, Los Angeles, Bristol and San Francisco.
  •   At the end of the ranking is the city of São Paulo in Brazil (score of 49.6), behind Tokyo, Bangkok and Istanbul

Three French cities in the ranking

  •  You have to scroll down to 42nd place before you come across the first French city, Strasbourg, with a score of 92.9. The city does well in terms of affordability of fruits and vegetables and for the price of proteins but peaches for its lack of vegan restaurants.
  •  Paris comes in at 61st place with a score of 90.1, mainly due to the average affordability of fruits, vegetables and proteins, but makes up for it with its number of vegan restaurants.
  •  In 70th place is Nice (score of 82.4) which has a lower affordability than Paris as well as events dedicated to vegetarianism but which stands out for its vegan offerings.