Four cities: South Bay, California - ‘Everyone expects to be tipped’

COSTS
Transport to a lively nocturnal location Eight miles arranged through the Uber app costs €9.21 ($10.42).

Cinema
€10.61 ($12).

Theatre
From €34 ($38) for a drama to €176 ($200) for a Broadway-type show.

Dinner for two €83 ($94.23) (including tip but excluding drinks)

Four drinks
Two cocktails (€21/$24)and two glasses of wine (€17/$19) plus a tip come to €40 ($45).

Nightclub entry €18 ($20).

Late-night snack
Slice of pizza €3.50 ($4).

Taxi home €13.09 ($14.80).

Babysitter
Three and a half hours at €13 ($15) an hour, plus tip, comes to €62 ($70).

COMMENTS
We could have chosen a less expensive dinner venue, but we live in an area that is about 45 minutes from San Francisco, known as the South Bay, which is well known for its fine wineries and restaurants. On any of our rare nights out – we have an eight-month-old baby – we tend to push the boat out. Pizza or a curry for two in Los Gatos would have cost €25 or €30, but we choose a steak restaurant.

What is a typical night out in California, and how does it differ from Ireland?
Culturally, Californians are not dissimilar to Irish people, although predinner drinks are just as likely to be eye-wateringly strong "craft" cocktails as they are wine or beer. Among big groups, the bill will be split evenly, and there's no nit-picking about who had the side salad. There is, as a local friend says, "a high tolerance for sloppy drunkenness". Unfortunately, there's also a high social tolerance for driving home after a few drinks. Babysitters are hard to come by, probably because most teenagers don't need the money. So when you find a good one, you tip well.

Is any aspect of nightlife particularly good value in California?
California is cheaper than Dublin, but the gap is closing. If you eat at ethnic restaurants here you can dine very well on a budget. Local wine is of a high quality and, by Irish standards, good value. Beer usually comes by the bottle and costs about €3.50 ($4).

Is any aspect of nightlife particularly poor value in California?
Taxes and tips push up the cost of going out. The local tax rate of 8.5 per cent is not included in the prices displayed. Everyone from the barman to your babysitter expects to be tipped somewhere between 15 per cent and 20 per cent of the pretax figure on your bill. On our night out we spend €42 ($47) on tips alone.

How do consumer costs in general compare in California and Ireland?
We live in an area that is one of the most affluent – and expensive – in the US. Rent is higher than anywhere in Dublin. Water costs are high, and electricity and gas amore expensive, but discretionary consumer spending – cars, petrol, groceries, clothing, electronic goods – is much more affordable.

Where would you rather have a night out, in California or in Ireland?
If I could fly all my friends from home to California for drinks in the open air at a winery in the Santa Cruz mountains, that would be perfect. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'd choose California, for the variety of food, the overall value and the ability to have a glass of local wine outside on a sunny evening, even in January.