What is the Cheapest Vacation Destination in the U.S.?

Caroline Morse Teel is the Managing Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Follow her adventures around the world on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

See recent posts by Caroline Morse Teel

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).

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

You Might Also Like:

• Flight Price Trackers: 6 Sites That Will Find the Cheapest Airfare for You
• The Best All-Inclusive Vacations Under $500, Including Airfare
• The 8 Best Travel Package Sites for Booking a Cheap Vacation
• The 14 Best Flight Search Sites for Booking Cheap Airfare
• Best Websites to Book a Last Minute Vacation

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.