30 Most Affordable US Cities for Spring Break
We have good news for families on budgets that want to make the most of this year’s spring break. A new MoneyLion study identified 30 U.S. cities where spring break expenses amount to less than $5,000 for a weeklong stay. For 12 of these cities, the total costs are under $4,500.
To find the nation’s most affordable cities for spring break, MoneyLion studied several online rankings of popular spring break locations for families, including those provided by Travel + Leisure and AAA Newsroom. The total expenses cover seven nights in a hotel (with costs determined using the average of the three cheapest hotels within five miles of the downtown area), 14 inexpensive meals, seven mid-range meals, 14 domestic beers, 64 sodas and airfare for four. The flight total was calculated using airfare costs from the nearest airport to each location and multiplied by four.
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Key Findings
The top four cities have spring break costs under $4,000 for a weeklong stay. They are St. Petersburg, Florida ($3,681); Myrtle Beach, South Carolina ($3,737); , Clearwater, Florida ($3,843) and Phoenix ($3,896).
Eight Florida cities received honors: St. Petersburg (#1), Clearwater (#3), Orlando (#9), Pensacola (#11), Tampa (#14), Daytona Beach (#23), Fort Myers (#28) and Panama City (#30).
Families can score weeklong hotel stays under $500 in seven cities. From least to most expensive, these hotspots include Colorado Springs ($398); Oklahoma City ($404), Myrtle Beach, South Carolina ($419); San Antonio ($457); Charlotte, North Carolina ($470); Daytona Beach, Florida ($474); and Grapevine, Texas ($484).
Airfare is typically under $1,000 if you’re traveling to these three locales: St. Petersburg ($436), Clearwater ($436) and Phoenix ($530).
Keep reading to see which 30 cities are most affordable for spring break 2026.
1. St. Petersburg, Florida
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $804
Total cost of airfare: $436
Total cost of vacation: $3,681
2. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $419
Total cost of airfare: $1,113
Total cost of vacation: $3,737
3. Clearwater, Florida
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $892
Total cost of airfare: $436
Total cost of vacation: $3,843
4. Phoenix
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $716
Total cost of airfare: $530
Total cost of vacation: $3,896
5. Newport, Oregon
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $1,010
Total cost of airfare: $1,619
Total cost of vacation: $4,062
6. San Antonio
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $457
Total cost of airfare: $1,630
Total cost of vacation: $4,236
7. Grapevine, Texas
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $484
Total cost of airfare: $1,673
Total cost of vacation: $4,295
8. Nashville, Tennessee
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $541
Total cost of airfare: $1,456
Total cost of vacation: $4,353
9. Orlando, Florida
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $684
Total cost of airfare: $1,138
Total cost of vacation: $4,364
10. Savannah, Georgia
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $592
Total cost of airfare: $1,583
Total cost of vacation: $4,373
11. Pensacola, Florida
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $624
Total cost of airfare: $1,619
Total cost of vacation: $4,438
12. Denver
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $551
Total cost of airfare: $1,454
Total cost of vacation: $4,459
13. Charlotte, North Carolina
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $470
Total cost of airfare: $1,759
Total cost of vacation: $4,519
14. Tampa, Florida
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $661
Total cost of airfare: $1,326
Total cost of vacation: $4,534
15. Colorado Springs, Colorado
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $398
Total cost of airfare: $1,663
Total cost of vacation: $4,625
16. Monterey, California
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $569
Total cost of airfare: $1,829
Total cost of vacation: $4,630
17. Galveston, Texas
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $731
Total cost of airfare: $1,438
Total cost of vacation: $4,650
18. Austin, Texas
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $565
Total cost of airfare: $1,575
Total cost of vacation: $4,680
19. Las Vegas
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $575
Total cost of airfare: $1,139
Total cost of vacation: $4,711
20. Long Beach, California
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $815
Total cost of airfare: $1,382
Total cost of vacation: $4,766
21. Oklahoma City
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $404
Total cost of airfare: $1,789
Total cost of vacation: $4,770
22. Mammoth Lakes, California
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $1,571
Total cost of airfare: $1,563
Total cost of vacation: $4,796
23. Daytona Beach, Florida
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $474
Total cost of airfare: $1,857
Total cost of vacation: $4,827
24. Asheville, North Carolina
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $640
Total cost of airfare: $1,303
Total cost of vacation: $4,843
25. Portland, Oregon
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $651
Total cost of airfare: $1,535
Total cost of vacation: $4,860
26. Biloxi, Mississippi
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $519
Total cost of airfare: $1,792
Total cost of vacation: $4,897
27. Newport, Rhode Island
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $586
Total cost of airfare: $1,332
Total cost of vacation: $4,921
28. Fort Myers, Florida
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $811
Total cost of airfare: $1,378
Total cost of vacation: $4,942
29. Corpus Christi, Texas
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $511
Total cost of airfare: $1,987
Total cost of vacation: $4,968
30. Panama City, Florida
Total hotel cost (seven nights): $546
Total cost of airfare: $1,652
Total cost of vacation: $4,981
Methodology: For this study, MoneyLion sourced the most popular locations from Travel + Leisure's "2026 Spring Break Destinations," Viator.com's "How to Spend Spring Break in the United States," Viator.com's "Spring Break Destinations for Sunseekers," Viator.com's "Kid-Friendly Spring Break Destinations for Families," EmilyMKrause.com's "Spring Break Destinations for Families," BloggeratLarge.com's "Really Great U.S.A. Spring Break Destinations for Families," AAA Newsroom's "Coast to Coast Getaways: AAA Reveals Top U.S. Spring Break Destinations," DetailOrientedTraveler.com's "Spring Break Destinations for Families," JessWandering.com's "Beautiful Places in the U.S. to Visit in the Spring" and MensJournal.com's "New Study Names No. 1 Spring Break Destinations in America." The dates for this break vacation covered March 14 to March 21, with seven nights in a hotel, 14 inexpensive meals, seven mid-range meals, 14 domestic beers, 64 sodas, and airfare for four people. The cost of the airfare was calculated using the airfare costs from the nearest airport to each location, as sourced from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics for Q2 of 2025, and multiplied by four to account for the whole family. The hotel cost was sourced from Hotels.com, using the average of the cheapest three hotels within five miles of the downtown area in each location. Numbeo.com was used to obtain the average cost of an inexpensive meal, a mid-range meal for two, domestic beer and a Coke/Pepsi. All data is up to date as of March 4, 2026.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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