Learn Hardcore Japanese: tatoeba, syokuhi ha genkin yori kurezittokaado no hou ga zutto raku da. - For example, paying for food is much easier with a credit card than with cash.

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.

Why is there a の before ほう (クレジットカードのほうが)? Can I drop it?

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)

Can I reverse the order to say クレジットカードのほうが現金より…?

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.

What does 食費は do here? Why は and not が/を?

は marks the topic: “as for food expenses (category).” The sentence is really about how you pay for that category. が would mark a grammatical subject (not needed), and を marks a direct object (also not needed). There’s an understood verb like “to pay” that’s omitted: “As for food expenses, [if paying them], card is easier than cash.”

Does 食費 mean “price of food” or “my spending on food”? How is it different from 食事代?

食費: food expenses as part of living costs (groceries, eating out) over time.
食事代: the cost of a meal (e.g., what you pay at a restaurant now).
飲食代: food-and-drink charges (often for dining out). Here, 食費 sets the category of expenses.

Why isn’t there a で after 現金? Shouldn’t it be 現金で?

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…

What does 楽 (らく) mean here? Is it “fun”?

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.

Is 楽 an i-adjective? How do I use it grammatically?

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

What does ずっと mean here? Doesn’t ずっと also mean “for a long time/continuously”?

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.”

Is ずっと necessary? What are alternatives?

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)

Can I write 方 instead of ほう? Which is more natural?

Both are fine. の方が (kanji) is very common in normal writing; のほうが (kana) is often used in textbooks or to keep things simple. Meaning and grammar are identical.

Why does the sentence end with だ and not です? How would I make it polite?

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.

Are the comma and spaces necessary? Is 例えば okay at the start like that?

Japanese normally doesn’t use spaces; they’re added here for learners.
A comma after 例えば、 is standard and natural.
例えば is commonly used to introduce an example, just like “for example,” in English.

Could I say 食費なら instead of 食費は? What’s the nuance?

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.

How would I compare the actions explicitly: “paying by cash vs paying by card”?

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)

How do I say “Credit cards aren’t as easy as cash” using ほど?

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 …”.

Can I drop the topic 食費は?

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.

What about よりも? Is adding も okay?

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.

Is のほうが here the same as in 〜ほうがいい (advice)?

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)