--- title: The Best (and Worst) Cities for a Budget Vacation description: Thinking about doing some traveling this summer but don't want to break the bank? Then head to Las Vegas and steer clear of New York. authors: - name: Jacob Davidson url: https://money.com/author/jacob-davidson/ at_money_since: 2014 articles: 106 covers: - Lifestyle - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Education - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology social: - https://x.com/JakeD former_staff: true published: '2015-05-08T10:30:21.000Z' modified: '2015-05-08T10:30:21.000Z' section: Lifestyle tags: - budget travel - Travel - vacation - vacation destinations word_count: 300 canonical: https://money.com/budget-travel-best-cities/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Venetian hotel, Las Vegas](https://img.money.com/2015/05/150508_em_summertravel.jpg?crop=0px%2C219px%2C2100px%2C1182px&quality=85) *Venetian hotel, Las Vegas* The Big Apple is the most expensive travel destination in the U.S., according to a new study by [GOBankingRates](http://www.gobankingrates.com/personal-finance/10-worst-best-vacation-cities/). The least expensive? Las Vegas. The site investigated 50 of America's most popular vacation cities and ranked their affordability based on budgetary factors like hotel prices, airfare, the cost of food and drink, and transportation expenses. Vegas turned up a winner, thanks to an abundance of discounts and deals and cheap round-trip flights. Jacksonville, Fla., and Orlando took second and third places, respectively. After New York City—which has an average hotel rate of $200, according to the study—the most expensive cities are both in California: Santa Barbara and San Francisco. Let's acknowledge that some of the cheaper cities are probably cheaper for a reason: Jacksonville and Detroit, for example, aren't generally thought of as major tourist destinations. Orlando, on the other hand, is—but, like Vegas, has a vast tourism infrastructure that keeps prices moderate. Denver and Albuquerque, meanwhile, both serve as gateways to magnificent Western landscapes, the raw material from which the quintessential American road trip is built, and yet both are among the 10 cheapest places to visit. In other words, this list does include a bunch of cities that might be a surprise bargain to many travelers, and can be a good starting point for summer travel plans. **The 10 Cheapest Travel Destinations** 1\. Las Vegas, NV 2\. Jacksonville, FL 3\. Orlando, FL 4\. Kansas City, MO 5\. Detroit, MI 6\. Albuquerque, NM 7\. Grand Rapids, MI 8\. Salt Lake City, UT 9\. Memphis, TN 10\. Denver, CO **The 10 Most Expensive Travel Destinations** 1\. New York, NY 2\. Santa Barbara, CA. 3\. San Francisco, CA. 4\. Jersey City, NJ. 5\. Honolulu, HI 6\. Charleston, SC 7\. Boston, MA 8\. Los Angeles, CA 9\. Miami, FL 10\. 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