Cost of a romantic picnic

Photo: Getty Images

Taking someone on a date doesn't always have to involve white table cloths, bubbles and roses. Still, even simple dates are pricey these days.

The cost of putting together a simple romantic picnic for two will set you back $51.05 in Kelowna, about $9 less than what the picnic will cost you in Vancouver and twice as much as what the same picnic would cost you in Mexico.

The picnic numbers are according to data collected by Expatistan’s Cost of Living Index.

Expatistan is a site based out of Europe that lets users compare cost of living in more than 2,000 different cities across the globe.

Its data is based on prices submitted by those using the site. Its creators dub the site as “a Wikipedia for prices.”

As Castanet's request, Expatistan created a custom infographic comparing the cost of a picnic in Kelowna against the cost of the same picnic in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and non-Canadian cities Singapore, New York, Paris, London, Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City.

Using the cost of a picnic, in Canadian dollars, to compare the cities was thought of as a fun and relatable way to look at the costs of food, alcohol and transportation in the 10 cities.

The comparable 'picnic basket' included one kilogram of locally grown apples, 500 grams of locally produced cheese, 250 grams of bread, taxi fare for an eight-kilometre trip and a standard bottle of 750 millilitre good-quality red wine.

Of the 10 cities included, Kelowna's $51.05 picnic ranked seventh, $10 cheaper than the most expensive picnic in Singapore at $60.71.

While Kelowna ranked seventh overall, it is considered one of the more expensive cities to hail a cab or buy bread, according to Expatistan.

That cab ride to meet your date will set you back $22.29 in Kelowna, less than a dollar behind the most expensive cab ride of $22.94 in Paris.

According to its numbers, those 250 grams of bread will cost you twice as much in Kelowna as it would in Mexico City.

Coming in at $2.57 for the bread, Kelowna was second most expensive, just behind New York City.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the Okanagan's access to local fruit help keep the price of the apples down.

According to Expatistan, the apples will set you back $2.76 in Kelowna, whereas it would cost $5.03 in New York City.

The most expensive locally-produced cheese was found in Paris at $11.98, whereas Kelowna ranked eighth with cheese costing $6.70.

If you do want some wine with that cheese, a bottle of “good quality red table wine” sets you back $16.73 in Kelowna, middle in the pack for cost.

Wine is cheapest in Paris at $12.88 a bottle and most expensive in Singapore at $32.61 a bottle.

Check out the infographic below.

Photo: Expatistan