People move for all kinds of reasons — new jobs, to be closer to family, and sometimes for specific food options. 

Everyone should be conscious and vigilant when it comes to where they buy and eat food, for food safety reasons. But some have even more dietary restrictions to keep in mind when looking for places to eat — food allergies, religious practices or dietary choices can all complicate grocery shop trips.

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan looking for somewhere to live more accommodating of your culinary lifestyle, WalletHub has some options for you.

WalletHub has complied the best cities in the United States for vegans and vegetarians.

There are more than 15 million vegans or vegetarians in this country, but a meatless diet isn’t easy, especially when it comes to restaurants and grocery shopping. Safety is also a concern when buying fresh fruits and vegetables.

Though the growing market of meat substitutes and the number of restaurants that offer vegetarian or vegan meals is climbing, certain places in the U.S. are lagging behind those trends.

WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 16 key indicators of vegan- and vegetarian-friendliness to determine the best and cheapest places for a plant-based diet.

The deep dive examined each city based on such metrics as the cost of groceries for vegetarians, the share of restaurants serving meatless options, and salad shops per capita.

The results

Top ten cities for Vegetarians and Vegans

  1. Portland, OR
  2. Orlando, FL
  3. Los Angeles, CA
  4. San Francisco, CA
  5. Boise, ID
  6. Austin, TX
  7. Seattle, WA
  8. Lexington-Fayette, KY
  9. Oakland, CA
  10. San Diego, CA

To view the full list of cities and findings, click here.

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