The 5 Most Expensive Vacation Destinations in the U.S. (And Where to Go Instead)

Planning a vacation on a budget? You’ll want to skip these five destinations, which were found to be the most expensive places to travel to in the U.S. Here’s where to go instead.

Travel site ParkSleepFly analyzed costs in cities around the U.S. and compared the price of food/drink, hotel rooms, and transportation prices to determine the most expensive destinations in the country, as well as the least expensive. 

According to the study, New York City is the most expensive place in the U.S. to visit, ranking as the priciest for four of the six cost metrics analyzed: a beer ($7.81), bottle of wine ($15), restaurant meal ($20), and hotel stay ($309 per night).

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Martin Jones, CEO at ParkSleepFly, advises travelers on a budget to make the most out of their vacation time by choosing an inexpensive destination. “Our study revealed Oklahoma City to be the top place to go for tourists seeking the most bang for their buck, with costs as little as just $3 for a beer, $11.50 for a restaurant meal and $106 for a night in a hotel,” said Jones. “This means Oklahoma City tourists could extend their vacations almost three times longer than if visiting New York for exactly the same price.”

The 5 Most Expensive Destinations in the U.S.

Rank	City	Beer	Wine	Restaurant meal	Taxi (1km fare)	One-way local transport ticket	Nightly hotel price (weekend)	Vacation affordability score /10
1	New York City, New York	$7.81	$15.00	$20.00	$1.86	$2.75	$309	2.56
2	San Francisco, California	$7.50	$15.00	$20.00	$1.86	$3.00	$231	3.07
3	Boston, Massachusetts	$7.00	$15.00	$20.00	$1.86	$2.63	$273	3.16
4	Brooklyn, New York	$7.00	$15.00	$17.00	$1.55	$2.75	$280	3.76
5	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	$5.00	$15.00	$15.00	$3.42	$2.50	$244	3.94

The 5 Least Expensive Destinations in the U.S.

Rank	City	Beer	Wine	Restaurant meal	Taxi (1km fare)	One-way local transport ticket	Nightly hotel price (weekend)	Vacation affordability score /10
1	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	$3.00	$12.00	$11.50	$1.65	$2.00	$106	8.58
2	Indianapolis, Indiana	$3.50	$10.97	$15.00	$1.24	$1.75	$179	8.00
3	Tucson, Arizona	$4.00	$12.00	$14.00	$1.37	$1.75	$134	7.96
4	Memphis, Tennessee	$4.50	$10.00	$15.00	$1.49	$1.75	$172	7.87
5	San Antonio, Texas	$3.60	$12.00	$15.00	$1.52	$1.50	$161	7.77