tatoeba, syokuhi ha genkin yori kurezittokaado no hou ga zutto raku da.

It’s the standard comparative: “B is more [adjective] than A.”

• A より marks the thing you’re comparing against (the “less” side).
• B のほうが marks the thing that ranks higher for the adjective (the “more” side). In the sentence: 現金より (than cash) and クレジットカードのほうが (credit cards are the more …) combine to say cards are easier than cash.

ほう is a noun meaning “side/kind.” When a noun modifies ほう, you use の: クレジットカードのほう = “the credit-card side.” You cannot drop の after a noun. However, with adjectives/verbs you don’t need の:

• 新しいほうがいい (the newer one is better)
• 現金で払うほうが早い (paying in cash is faster)

Yes. Both are natural:

• 現金よりクレジットカードのほうが…
• クレジットカードのほうが現金より… The meaning is the same. Learners often start with the より phrase first, but either order is fine.

In comparisons, より attaches to a bare noun: 現金より = “than cash.” If you want to compare actions explicitly, you include the verb and で:

• 現金で払うより、クレジットカードで払うほうが…

Here 楽 means “easy/low-effort/comfortable,” not “fun.” Compare:

• 楽: low effort, less hassle. E.g., 手続きが楽 (the procedure is painless).
• 簡単: simple, not complicated (structural simplicity).
• 便利: convenient/useful (features/availability). Saying 楽だ focuses on the effort/stress level being lower.

楽 is a na-adjective:

• Predicate: 楽だ / 楽です
• Before a noun: 楽な 方法
• Negative: 楽じゃない / 楽ではない
• Past: 楽だった / 楽でした

Yes, ずっと has two common uses:

• Duration: “all along/continuously” (ずっと待っていた).
• Degree: “by far/much” in comparisons. That’s the meaning here: ずっと楽だ = “much easier/by far easier.”

It’s optional. Without it, you simply say “easier.” Alternatives:

• もっと楽だ: more/even easier (weaker than ずっと)
• かなり楽だ: considerably easier
• はるかに楽だ / 遥かに楽だ: far easier
• 断然楽だ: overwhelmingly easier (colloquial emphasis)

だ is plain style. Polite style uses です:

• 例えば、食費は現金よりクレジットカードのほうがずっと楽です。 Choose based on formality and audience.

Yes:

• 食費は: sets the topic neutrally; may feel contrastive (“as for food expenses, [this is true]”).
• 食費なら: “if it’s food expenses (you’re asking about/considering), then …” It highlights the condition/limitation more explicitly.

Use で plus the verb:

• 現金で払うより、クレジットカードで払うほうがずっと楽だ。 You can also omit repeated parts:
• 現金で払うより、クレジットカード（で払う）ほうがずっと楽だ。 (the second 払う is often dropped in speech)

Use ほど … ない:

• クレジットカードは現金ほど楽ではない。 This flips the comparison to “not as … as …”.

Yes, if context already makes the category clear:

• 現金よりクレジットカードのほうがずっと楽だ。 This becomes a general statement (“Cards are much easier than cash”) without limiting it to food expenses.

Yes. よりも is a slightly more emphatic/formal variant of より:

• 現金よりもクレジットカードのほうが… Meaning is unchanged; it can add a small emphasis.

They’re related but not the same structure.

• A のほうが B より [adj]: a straightforward comparison.
• A ほうがいい: “you’d better A / it’s preferable to A,” often advice or preference. You can combine them:
  • クレジットカードのほうが（現金より）楽だ (comparison)
  • クレジットカードのほうがいい (preference/advice)