🇺🇸 17 cities in United States, sorted by daily travel budget. Not the exchange rate — how cheap it feels on your own income, and where a price becomes a rip-off. Updated September 2026
| City | Per day | Per month | Local meal | Coffee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 AtlantaBig city · South | $300 | $6,147 | $15 | $5 |
| 🇺🇸 OrlandoTourist big city | $300 | $6,637 | $15 | $5 |
| 🇺🇸 Las VegasResort · big city | $307 | $6,315 | $16 | $5.5 |
| 🇺🇸 AustinBig city · South | $310 | $5,920 | $15 | $5 |
| 🇺🇸 New OrleansTourist big city | $310 | $6,083 | $15 | $5 |
| 🇺🇸 NashvilleBig city · South | $323 | $5,957 | $15 | $5 |
| 🇺🇸 DenverBig city · mountains | $331 | $6,288 | $16 | $5 |
| 🇺🇸 ChicagoBig city · Midwest | $333 | $6,989 | $16 | $5 |
| 🇺🇸 Los AngelesBig city · West | $369 | $8,136 | $18 | $5.5 |
| 🇺🇸 San DiegoBig city · coast | $369 | $7,995 | $17 | $5.5 |
| 🇺🇸 MiamiResort · South | $382 | $9,340 | $17 | $5.5 |
| 🇺🇸 SeattleBig city · West | $396 | $7,729 | $18 | $5.5 |
| 🇺🇸 Washington, D.C.Big city · East | $396 | $8,052 | $17 | $5.5 |
| 🇺🇸 BostonBig city · East | $427 | $9,315 | $18 | $5.5 |
| 🇺🇸 San FranciscoBig city · West | $442 | $10,236 | $20 | $6 |
| 🇺🇸 New YorkBig city · East | $478 | $11,647 | $20 | $6 |
| 🇺🇸 HonoluluResort | $482 | $9,020 | $18 | $6 |
Per day = one mid-range night + three meals, a coffee and two taxi rides. Open a city for item-by-item prices, rip-off thresholds and live traveler reports.
With a mid-range room, between $300 and $482 a day depending on the city — about $368 on average. Hostels and local eateries cut that by 30% or more.
Short-term rental plus living costs runs $6,147–$11,647 by city, about $7,753 on average.
By daily budget, Atlanta ($300/day) is the cheapest and Honolulu ($482/day) the most expensive.