A festive holiday vacation worth remembering doesn’t need to empty out your wallet. According to a new study from GOBankingRates, 20 U.S. cities have been identified as the most budget-friendly for holiday trips in 2025. Each locale’s estimated vacation costs amount to less than $2,200.
Learn More: GOBankingRates Original Research Center
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For the purposes of this study, GOBankingRates assumed the vacation was taken by two adults over Dec. 22 to Dec. 28 for six days and six nights. The most popular vacation spots were sourced from a variety of outlets including Travel + Leisure, CNTraveler, LonelyPlanet and more. Key data factored in included the average cost of airfare using the closest airport and doubled to cover the cost of two people, average costs for meals and drinks and average of the cheapest hotel within five miles of the downtown area. The combined costs of hotel, expenditures and airfare calculated the average total cost for the vacation.
Key Findings
- St. Petersburg, Florida, landed first place as the most budget-friendly hotspot for holiday vacations. The total vacation cost, factoring in airfare, hotels, meals and drinks, is estimated at $1,562.
- The top five cities have estimated total vacation costs of under $1,875. These locales include St. Petersburg ($1,592); Bethlehem, Pennsylvania ($1,706); Bowling Green, Kentucky ($1,723); Myrtle Beach, South Carolina ($1,752) and Niagara Falls, New York ($1,874).
- Florida and Michigan tied with the most affordable cities for holiday vacations, respectively. St. Petersburg (#1), Destin (#9) and Orlando (#18) ranked in the top 20 while Grand Rapids (#14), Ann Arbor (#15) and Traverse City (#20) received spots in the latter half of the ranking.
- Eight Southern cities ranked as the most affordable for holiday trips, more than any other U.S. region. St. Petersburg (#1), Bowling Green (#3), Myrtle Beach (#4), Dallas (#7), Nashville (#8), Destin (#9), Louisville (#12) and Orlando (#18) boast total vacation costs amounting to less than $2,200.
See which 20 locales rank as the most budget-friendly for holiday vacations. And once the holiday season is over, consider taking a trip to America’s 30 most affordable tourist destinations.
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1. St. Petersburg, Florida
- Livability: 86
- Total cost for all meals: $906
- Total cost of drinks: $104
- Total cost for hotel: $364
- Total cost of airfare: $218
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $1,592
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2. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
- Livability: 80
- Total cost for all meals: $732
- Total cost of drinks: $99
- Total cost for hotel: $352
- Total cost of airfare: $523
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $1,706
3. Bowling Green, Kentucky
- Livability: 64
- Total cost for all meals: $618
- Total cost of drinks: $77
- Total cost for hotel: $300
- Total cost of airfare: $728
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $1,723
4. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- Livability: 67
- Total cost for all meals: $861
- Total cost of drinks: $90
- Total cost for hotel: $244
- Total cost of airfare: $557
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $1,752
5. Niagara Falls, New York
- Livability: 59
- Total cost for all meals: $1,080
- Total cost of drinks: $115
- Total cost for hotel: $354
- Total cost of airfare: $325
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $1,874
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6. Atlantic City, New Jersey
- Livability: 55
- Total cost for all meals: $1,104
- Total cost of drinks: $90
- Total cost for hotel: $332
- Total cost of airfare: $369
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $1,895
7. Dallas
- Livability: 81
- Total cost for all meals: $906
- Total cost of drinks: $117
- Total cost for hotel: $254
- Total cost of airfare: $685
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $1,962
8. Nashville, Tennessee
- Livability: 78
- Total cost for all meals: $819
- Total cost of drinks: $117
- Total cost for hotel: $300
- Total cost of airfare: $728
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $1,964
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9. Destin, Florida
- Livability: 79
- Total cost for all meals: $900
- Total cost of drinks: $92
- Total cost for hotel: $284
- Total cost of airfare: $719
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $1,995
10. Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Livability: 85
- Total cost for all meals: $1,056
- Total cost of drinks: $118
- Total cost for hotel: $456
- Total cost of airfare: $372
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $2,002
11. Las Vegas
- Livability: 82
- Total cost for all meals: $1,017
- Total cost of drinks: $114
- Total cost for hotel: $304
- Total cost of airfare: $569
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $2,004
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12. Louisville, Kentucky
- Livability: 66
- Total cost for all meals: $846
- Total cost of drinks: $101
- Total cost for hotel: $296
- Total cost of airfare: $783
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $2,026
13. Cleveland
- Livability: 72
- Total cost for all meals: $792
- Total cost of drinks: $102
- Total cost for hotel: $400
- Total cost of airfare: $740
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $2,034
14. Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Livability: 83
- Total cost for all meals: $894
- Total cost of drinks: $104
- Total cost for hotel: $242
- Total cost of airfare: $815
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $2,055
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15. Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Livability: 89
- Total cost for all meals: $834
- Total cost of drinks: $110
- Total cost for hotel: $306
- Total cost of airfare: $839
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $2,089
16. Branson, Missouri
- Livability: 77
- Total cost for all meals: $720
- Total cost of drinks: $61
- Total cost for hotel: $286
- Total cost of airfare: $1,024
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $2,091
17. Boise, Idaho
- Livability: 84
- Total cost for all meals: $900
- Total cost of drinks: $109
- Total cost for hotel: $306
- Total cost of airfare: $783
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $2,098
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18. Orlando, Florida
- Livability: 81
- Total cost for all meals: $960
- Total cost of drinks: $109
- Total cost for hotel: $468
- Total cost of airfare: $569
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $2,106
19. Denver
- Livability: 72
- Total cost for all meals: $990
- Total cost of drinks: $119
- Total cost for hotel: $300
- Total cost of airfare: $727
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $2,136
20. Traverse City, Michigan
- Livability: 91
- Total cost for all meals: $810
- Total cost of drinks: $72
- Total cost for hotel: $338
- Total cost of airfare: $918
- Estimated total cost for vacation: $2,138
Check out more original studies and surveys in the GOBankingRates original research center.
Methodology: GOBankingRates assumed the vacation was taken by two adults over the dates of Dec. 22 to Dec. 28, covering six nights and six days. GOBankingRates found the most popular vacation spots sourced from Travel + Leisure, PlannedWanderings, TheLocalTourist.com, AAA, CNTraveler, TheModestMan, LonelyPlanet and EmsOnTheRoad. For each location, the average cost of airfare was found using the closest airport, with the average airfare sourced from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics from Q2 of 2025. If two airports were within the same city, the cheaper option was selected. The average airfare was doubled to find the cost for two people. GOBankingRates estimated the vacationers have 12 inexpensive meals, six mid-range restaurant meals, six sodas and six domestic beers over the course of the vacation. Using data from Numbeo, the average costs for meals and drinks were calculated for each location. Using Hotels.com, the cost of the cheapest three hotels within five miles of the downtown area was identified and averaged. The average total cost for the vacation was calculated using the combined cost of the hotel, expenditures and airfare. The data was collected on Nov. 28, 2025.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 20 Budget-Friendly Places To Spend Your Holiday Vacation
