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America’s Most Budget-Friendly Tourist Destinations

October 15, 2025

7 min Read

Written by Heather Taylor

Edited by Chris Cluff

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Ready to go on a low-cost vacation full of cultural and outdoor activities to partake in and breathtaking sights to see? A new original study from GOBankingRates has identified 30 tourist destinations as among the most budget friendly to visit. Each destination is so affordable that the total vacation cost does not exceed $1,600.

For the purposes of this study, GOBankingRates sourced Travel + Leisure, TripAdvisor, U.S. News & World Report, Nomadic Matt and Holdify to find the nation’s most popular tourist destinations. We assumed two adults are going on vacation for three nights between Aug. 7 and 10. Together, they had three meals at mid-range restaurants, 12 meals at inexpensive restaurants and a variety of beverages. The average total cost of the vacation was calculated using the total cost for meals, drinks, hotel (the average price sourced from Hotels.com) and airfare (sourced from the Bureau of Transportation’s average airfare for 2025).

Key Findings

Concord, North Carolina, ranked as America’s most budget-friendly tourist destination. The total vacation cost is $940, the only destination in the study where costs amount to less than $1,000.
The top three cities boast total vacation costs under $1,200. From first to third, they are Concord ($940), Phoenix ($1,120) and Macon, Georgia ($1,184).
Nine Texas cities ranked in the top 30, the most out of any U.S. state. Brownsville (#5), Pearland (#8), McAllen (#9), McKinney (#12), League City (#13), Sugar Land (#14), Harlingen (#15), Dallas (#18) and Grand Prairie (#20) have vacation costs starting at $1,336 but not exceeding more than $1,491.
No Florida cities broke into the top 30.

See which 30 cities ranked as the nation’s most budget-friendly tourist destinations. And don’t forget to check out the most expensive tourist destinations in America.

Today’s Top Offers

1. Concord, North Carolina

Total cost for all meals: $462
Total cost of drinks: $66
Total cost of hotel: $215
Total cost of airfare: $197
Total cost of vacation: $940

2. Phoenix

Total cost for all meals: $503
Total cost of drinks: $53
Total cost of hotel: $271
Total cost of airfare: $294
Total cost of vacation: $1,120

3. Macon, Georgia

Total cost for all meals: $360
Total cost of drinks: $50
Total cost of hotel: $176
Total cost of airfare: $598
Total cost of vacation: $1,184

4. El Centro, California

Total cost for all meals: $264
Total cost of drinks: $30
Total cost of hotel: $173
Total cost of airfare: $776
Total cost of vacation: $1,243

5. Brownsville, Texas

Total cost for all meals: $285
Total cost of drinks: $75
Total cost of hotel: $145
Total cost of airfare: $831
Total cost of vacation: $1,336

6. Niagara Falls, New York

Total cost for all meals: $563
Total cost of drinks: $57
Total cost of hotel: $394
Total cost of airfare: $324
Total cost of vacation: $1,337

7. Las Vegas

Total cost for all meals: $528
Total cost of drinks: $54
Total cost of hotel: $164
Total cost of airfare: $593
Total cost of vacation: $1,339

8. Pearland, Texas

Total cost for all meals: $321
Total cost of drinks: $48
Total cost of hotel: $245
Total cost of airfare: $748
Total cost of vacation: $1,362

9. McAllen, Texas

Total cost for all meals: $447
Total cost of drinks: $45
Total cost of hotel: $159
Total cost of airfare: $754
Total cost of vacation: $1,405

10. Fargo, North Dakota

Total cost for all meals: $330
Total cost of drinks: $51
Total cost of hotel: $187
Total cost of airfare: $865
Total cost of vacation: $1,433

Today’s Top Offers

11. Cincinnati

Total cost for all meals: $360
Total cost of drinks: $49
Total cost of hotel: $272
Total cost of airfare: $754
Total cost of vacation: $1,435

12. McKinney, Texas

Total cost for all meals: $453
Total cost of drinks: $52
Total cost of hotel: $201
Total cost of airfare: $735
Total cost of vacation: $1,441

13. League City, Texas

Total cost for all meals: $443
Total cost of drinks: $40
Total cost of hotel: $216
Total cost of airfare: $748
Total cost of vacation: $1,447

14. Sugar Land, Texas

Total cost for all meals: $443
Total cost of drinks: $52
Total cost of hotel: $207
Total cost of airfare: $748
Total cost of vacation: $1,449

15. Harlingen, Texas

Total cost for all meals: $474
Total cost of drinks: $46
Total cost of hotel: $180
Total cost of airfare: $754
Total cost of vacation: $1,454

16. Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Total cost for all meals: $324
Total cost of drinks: $49
Total cost of hotel: $292
Total cost of airfare: $807
Total cost of vacation: $1,473

17. Nashville, Tennessee

Total cost for all meals: $423
Total cost of drinks: $59
Total cost of hotel: $203
Total cost of airfare: $794
Total cost of vacation: $1,479

18. Dallas

Total cost for all meals: $465
Total cost of drinks: $59
Total cost of hotel: $221
Total cost of airfare: $735
Total cost of vacation: $1,479

19. Providence, Rhode Island

Total cost for all meals: $528
Total cost of drinks: $53
Total cost of hotel: $263
Total cost of airfare: $646
Total cost of vacation: $1,490

20. Grand Prairie, Texas

Total cost for all meals: $375
Total cost of drinks: $52
Total cost of hotel: $179
Total cost of airfare: $884
Total cost of vacation: $1,491

Today’s Top Offers

21. Savannah, Georgia

Total cost for all meals: $420
Total cost of drinks: $41
Total cost of hotel: $188
Total cost of airfare: $847
Total cost of vacation: $1,495

22. Frankfort, Kentucky

Total cost for all meals: $300
Total cost of drinks: $30
Total cost of hotel: $223
Total cost of airfare: $946
Total cost of vacation: $1,499

23. Louisville, Kentucky

Total cost for all meals: $423
Total cost of drinks: $51
Total cost of hotel: $179
Total cost of airfare: $851
Total cost of vacation: $1,504

24. Ankeny, Iowa

Total cost for all meals: $353
Total cost of drinks: $46
Total cost of hotel: $273
Total cost of airfare: $833
Total cost of vacation: $1,504

25. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Total cost for all meals: $375
Total cost of drinks: $54
Total cost of hotel: $198
Total cost of airfare: $879
Total cost of vacation: $1,506

26. O’Fallon, Missouri

Total cost for all meals: $360
Total cost of drinks: $29
Total cost of hotel: $244
Total cost of airfare: $881
Total cost of vacation: $1,514

27. St. Charles, Missouri

Total cost for all meals: $375
Total cost of drinks: $45
Total cost of hotel: $216
Total cost of airfare: $881
Total cost of vacation: $1,516

28. Bethesda, Maryland

Total cost for all meals: $423
Total cost of drinks: $45
Total cost of hotel: $287
Total cost of airfare: $763
Total cost of vacation: $1,518

29. Columbus, Indiana

Total cost for all meals: $360
Total cost of drinks: $49
Total cost of hotel: $295
Total cost of airfare: $814
Total cost of vacation: $1,518

30. Alexandria, Virginia

Total cost for all meals: $488
Total cost of drinks: $51
Total cost of hotel: $227
Total cost of airfare: $763
Total cost of vacation: $1,528

Explore more original studies and surveys in the GOBankingRates original research center.

Editor’s note: Photos are for representational purposes only and might not reflect the exact locations listed.

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates found the most popular tourist destinations from Travel + Leisure’s “World Best Awards 2025,” Travel + Leisure’s “Best Small Towns of 2025,” TripAdvisor’s “Things to Do in US,” U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Places to Live,” NomadicMatt’s “Places to Visit in the United States” and Holdify’s “Places to Visit.” GOBankingRates assumed two adults going on vacation for three nights, Aug. 7-10. This trip included three meals at mid-range restaurants, 12 meals at inexpensive restaurants, six beers and six sodas. The average prices were sourced from Numbeo. The average price of the three cheapest hotels within five miles of downtown were sourced from Hotels.com. The average airfare was sourced from the Bureau of Transportation’s average airfare for 2025. If the exact city was not listed, the closest airport was used. The average cost of a vacation was calculated using the total cost for meals, drinks, hotel and airfare. The vacation locations were sorted to show the most affordable locations first. All data was collected on and is up to date as of Oct. 1, 2025.

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