Austin ranked 4th best summer travel destination
Reprinted with permission from WalletHub
While the COVID-19 pandemic put many Americans’ summer travel plans on hold during the past two years, travel is much safer and much more feasible this year due to vaccines and the lack of restrictions. In fact, nearly 80% of American travelers plan to take a trip in 2022. The only question is: Where should you go? You might have a few destinations already in mind, but your travel budget might not agree, especially after the financial difficulties of the pandemic. Regardless, it’s ideal to have fun while keeping your spending in check.
So which places offer the most bang for the buck? To find out, WalletHub developed a ranking of the cheapest U.S. destinations that are also the easiest to reach. In total, we analyzed 100 of the largest metro areas across 43 key indicators. Our data set ranges from the cost of the cheapest flight to the number of attractions to COVID-19 cases.
Compared with other rankings that focus on each destination’s scenic quality, this report focuses primarily on the cost and convenience of traveling to each location as well as its affordability. However, it does take into account the number of attractions and variety of activities in each destination to ensure visitors will stay busy and entertained throughout the trip. As you plan your trip, make sure to check out WalletHub’s Best Travel Credit Cards and Currency Exchange reports.
Main Findings
City | Rank |
---|---|
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Metro Area | 1 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area | 2 |
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metro Area | 3 |
Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX Metro Area | 4 |
Salt Lake City, UT Metro Area | 5 |
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metro Area | 6 |
Urban Honolulu, HI Metro Area | 7 |
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metro Area | 8 |
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN Metro Area | 9 |
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX Metro Area | 10 |
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL Metro Area | 11 |
Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area | 12 |
Raleigh-Cary, NC Metro Area | 13 |
Jacksonville, FL Metro Area | 14 |
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area | 15 |
Oklahoma City, OK Metro Area | 16 |
Tulsa, OK Metro Area | 17 |
Knoxville, TN Metro Area | 18 |
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metro Area | 19 |
St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area | 20 |
El Paso, TX Metro Area | 21 |
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR Metro Area | 22 |
Columbia, SC Metro Area | 23 |
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area | 24 |
New Orleans-Metairie, LA Metro Area | 25 |
Springfield, MO Metro Area | 26 |
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA Metro Area | 27 |
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL Metro Area | 28 |
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Metro Area | 29 |
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL Metro Area | 30 |
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area | 31 |
Pittsburgh, PA Metro Area | 32 |
Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI Metro Area | 33 |
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN Metro Area | 34 |
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area | 35 |
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA Metro Area | 36 |
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metro Area | 37 |
Lafayette, LA Metro Area | 38 |
Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metro Area | 39 |
Wichita, KS Metro Area | 40 |
Richmond, VA Metro Area | 41 |
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Metro Area | 42 |
Fresno, CA Metro Area | 43 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metro Area | 44 |
Dayton-Kettering, OH Metro Area | 45 |
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC Metro Area | 46 |
Columbus, OH Metro Area | 47 |
San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA Metro Area | 48 |
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA Metro Area | 49 |
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metro Area | 50 |
Greenville-Anderson, SC Metro Area | 51 |
Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area | 52 |
Albuquerque, NM Metro Area | 53 |
Tucson, AZ Metro Area | 54 |
Madison, WI Metro Area | 55 |
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metro Area | 56 |
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area | 57 |
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Metro Area | 58 |
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL Metro Area | 59 |
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metro Area | 60 |
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY Metro Area | 61 |
Corpus Christi, TX Metro Area | 62 |
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR Metro Area | 63 |
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV Metro Area | 64 |
Akron, OH Metro Area | 65 |
Toledo, OH Metro Area | 66 |
Chattanooga, TN-GA Metro Area | 67 |
Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT Metro Area | 68 |
Greensboro-High Point, NC Metro Area | 69 |
Boise City, ID Metro Area | 70 |
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area | 71 |
Colorado Springs, CO Metro Area | 72 |
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA Metro Area | 73 |
Portland-South Portland, ME Metro Area | 74 |
North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL Metro Area | 75 |
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metro Area | 76 |
Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metro Area | 77 |
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area | 78 |
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL Metro Area | 79 |
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metro Area | 80 |
Rochester, NY Metro Area | 81 |
Baton Rouge, LA Metro Area | 82 |
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA Metro Area | 83 |
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA Metro Area | 84 |
Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA Metro Area | 85 |
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area | 86 |
Syracuse, NY Metro Area | 87 |
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metro Area | 88 |
Bakersfield, CA Metro Area | 89 |
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metro Area | 90 |
Lexington-Fayette, KY Metro Area | 91 |
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX Metro Area | 92 |
Jackson, MS Metro Area | 93 |
Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area | 94 |
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY Metro Area | 95 |
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT Metro Area | 96 |
Lansing-East Lansing, MI Metro Area | 97 |
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Metro Area | 98 |
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA Metro Area | 99 |
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Metro Area | 100 |
Best Places to Visit in Summer
Rank | Destination (Metro Area) |
Total Score | Travel Costs & Hassles | Local Costs | Attractions | Weather | Activities | Safety |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Metro Area | 69.97 | 35 | 25 | 6 | 62 | 1 | 8 |
2 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area | 67.10 | 9 | 76 | 13 | 19 | 12 | 15 |
3 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metro Area | 66.84 | 18 | 50 | 25 | 40 | 10 | 2 |
4 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX Metro Area | 64.37 | 32 | 27 | 11 | 21 | 23 | 38 |
5 | Salt Lake City, UT Metro Area | 63.85 | 5 | 72 | 32 | 11 | 31 | 32 |
6 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metro Area | 63.51 | 28 | 94 | 2 | 49 | 9 | 18 |
7 | Urban Honolulu, HI Metro Area | 63.16 | 11 | 98 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 33 |
8 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metro Area | 62.97 | 3 | 59 | 31 | 75 | 20 | 14 |
9 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN Metro Area | 62.95 | 2 | 28 | 34 | 48 | 13 | 72 |
10 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX Metro Area | 62.06 | 29 | 6 | 20 | 38 | 38 | 55 |
11 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL Metro Area | 61.94 | 55 | 77 | 14 | 67 | 3 | 10 |
12 | Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area | 61.84 | 66 | 16 | 61 | 3 | 14 | 37 |
13 | Raleigh-Cary, NC Metro Area | 61.43 | 49 | 18 | 41 | 22 | 59 | 23 |
14 | Jacksonville, FL Metro Area | 61.14 | 60 | 19 | 29 | 61 | 25 | 16 |
15 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area | 61.10 | 12 | 69 | 18 | 42 | 19 | 51 |
16 | Oklahoma City, OK Metro Area | 60.91 | 27 | 4 | 44 | 17 | 80 | 48 |
17 | Tulsa, OK Metro Area | 59.67 | 51 | 2 | 60 | 18 | 78 | 44 |
18 | Knoxville, TN Metro Area | 59.65 | 36 | 7 | 75 | 36 | 50 | 54 |
19 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metro Area | 59.58 | 30 | 96 | 7 | 80 | 5 | 6 |
20 | St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area | 59.56 | 63 | 21 | 28 | 12 | 24 | 66 |
21 | El Paso, TX Metro Area | 59.42 | 76 | 13 | 73 | 10 | 76 | 12 |
22 | Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR Metro Area | 59.32 | 31 | 12 | 65 | 9 | 83 | 74 |
23 | Columbia, SC Metro Area | 59.11 | 42 | 9 | 68 | 28 | 63 | 64 |
24 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area | 58.87 | 50 | 85 | 4 | 66 | 7 | 77 |
25 | New Orleans-Metairie, LA Metro Area | 58.62 | 62 | 60 | 15 | 39 | 18 | 49 |
26 | Springfield, MO Metro Area | 58.52 | 8 | 38 | 64 | 27 | 69 | 82 |
27 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA Metro Area | 58.45 | 15 | 32 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 98 |
28 | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL Metro Area | 58.43 | 33 | 29 | 99 | 45 | 79 | 7 |
29 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Metro Area | 58.38 | 16 | 92 | 63 | 7 | 73 | 13 |
30 | Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL Metro Area | 58.22 | 34 | 74 | 70 | N/A | 15 | 9 |
31 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area | 58.15 | 67 | 22 | 21 | 41 | 32 | 47 |
32 | Pittsburgh, PA Metro Area | 58.05 | 26 | 66 | 37 | 71 | 27 | 25 |
33 | Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI Metro Area | 57.89 | 13 | 57 | 54 | 76 | 52 | 31 |
34 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN Metro Area | 57.86 | 80 | 36 | 40 | 16 | 36 | 28 |
35 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area | 57.51 | 7 | 46 | 45 | 79 | 39 | 41 |
36 | Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA Metro Area | 57.29 | 68 | 43 | 69 | 44 | 37 | 20 |
37 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metro Area | 57.23 | 21 | 58 | 16 | 70 | 21 | 76 |
38 | Lafayette, LA Metro Area | 57.04 | 19 | 37 | 83 | 47 | 87 | 43 |
39 | Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metro Area | 57.00 | 81 | 42 | 22 | 6 | 42 | 53 |
40 | Wichita, KS Metro Area | 56.91 | 47 | 5 | 78 | 33 | 89 | 60 |
41 | Richmond, VA Metro Area | 56.80 | 25 | 47 | 47 | 32 | 30 | 89 |
42 | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Metro Area | 56.68 | 54 | 3 | 66 | 29 | 99 | 78 |
43 | Fresno, CA Metro Area | 56.47 | 52 | 82 | 72 | 2 | 85 | 21 |
44 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metro Area | 56.24 | 93 | 83 | 1 | 55 | 4 | 59 |
45 | Dayton-Kettering, OH Metro Area | 55.69 | 6 | 14 | 88 | 65 | 67 | 90 |
46 | Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC Metro Area | 55.67 | 53 | 80 | 59 | 26 | 34 | 36 |
47 | Columbus, OH Metro Area | 55.46 | 74 | 31 | 56 | 20 | 57 | 39 |
48 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA Metro Area | 55.44 | 10 | 95 | 5 | 95 | 8 | 27 |
49 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA Metro Area | 55.24 | 72 | 89 | 30 | 31 | 45 | 11 |
50 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metro Area | 54.87 | 85 | 41 | 26 | 23 | 47 | 40 |
51 | Greenville-Anderson, SC Metro Area | 54.87 | 24 | 24 | 55 | N/A | 17 | 85 |
52 | Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area | 54.84 | 61 | 8 | 35 | 37 | 68 | 80 |
53 | Albuquerque, NM Metro Area | 54.71 | 38 | 17 | 36 | 5 | 41 | 99 |
54 | Tucson, AZ Metro Area | 54.24 | 22 | 61 | 23 | 57 | 33 | 94 |
55 | Madison, WI Metro Area | 54.09 | 14 | 53 | 49 | 87 | 40 | 70 |
56 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metro Area | 54.02 | 70 | 48 | 27 | 43 | 49 | 61 |
57 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area | 54.00 | 83 | 35 | 38 | 52 | 54 | 26 |
58 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Metro Area | 53.98 | 92 | 11 | 9 | 50 | 28 | 73 |
59 | Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL Metro Area | 53.84 | 69 | 34 | 100 | 59 | 91 | 4 |
60 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metro Area | 53.40 | 58 | 33 | 52 | 56 | 62 | 69 |
61 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY Metro Area | 53.36 | 20 | 55 | 57 | 82 | 46 | 58 |
62 | Corpus Christi, TX Metro Area | 53.27 | 59 | 23 | 81 | 34 | 70 | 79 |
63 | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR Metro Area | 53.24 | 41 | 20 | 90 | 25 | 92 | 92 |
64 | Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV Metro Area | 53.23 | 86 | 79 | 3 | 77 | 6 | 86 |
65 | Akron, OH Metro Area | 53.22 | 39 | 49 | 79 | 74 | 96 | 42 |
66 | Toledo, OH Metro Area | 52.86 | 43 | 30 | 76 | 63 | 90 | 67 |
67 | Chattanooga, TN-GA Metro Area | 52.80 | 82 | 40 | 51 | 14 | 51 | 83 |
68 | Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT Metro Area | 52.64 | 40 | 62 | 92 | 68 | 74 | 50 |
69 | Greensboro-High Point, NC Metro Area | 52.23 | 65 | 45 | 77 | 35 | 88 | 65 |
70 | Boise City, ID Metro Area | 51.15 | 78 | 75 | 48 | 30 | 64 | 57 |
71 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area | 50.68 | 37 | 93 | 43 | 88 | 56 | 19 |
72 | Colorado Springs, CO Metro Area | 50.64 | 46 | 71 | 33 | 78 | 66 | 71 |
73 | Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA Metro Area | 50.63 | 75 | 56 | 80 | N/A | 77 | 22 |
74 | Portland-South Portland, ME Metro Area | 50.61 | 23 | 84 | 42 | 93 | 22 | 34 |
75 | North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL Metro Area | 50.38 | 79 | 73 | 91 | N/A | 71 | 5 |
76 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metro Area | 50.27 | 73 | 87 | 10 | 90 | 16 | 46 |
77 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metro Area | 50.23 | 71 | 44 | 46 | 13 | 82 | 95 |
78 | Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area | 50.14 | 91 | 54 | 39 | 51 | 44 | 52 |
79 | Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL Metro Area | 49.83 | 95 | 67 | 98 | 64 | 43 | 1 |
80 | Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metro Area | 49.69 | 87 | 63 | 87 | 60 | 61 | 29 |
81 | Rochester, NY Metro Area | 49.53 | 64 | 68 | 50 | 85 | 35 | 68 |
82 | Baton Rouge, LA Metro Area | 49.04 | 98 | 15 | 62 | 46 | 53 | 56 |
83 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA Metro Area | 48.65 | 1 | 100 | 89 | 91 | 60 | 17 |
84 | Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA Metro Area | 48.33 | 17 | 70 | 53 | 89 | 81 | 87 |
85 | Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA Metro Area | 48.19 | 57 | 86 | 95 | 81 | 93 | 24 |
86 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area | 48.19 | 77 | 91 | 12 | 73 | 29 | 75 |
87 | Syracuse, NY Metro Area | 47.93 | 48 | 65 | 67 | 84 | 55 | 91 |
88 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metro Area | 47.89 | 4 | 97 | 8 | 94 | 26 | 81 |
89 | Bakersfield, CA Metro Area | 47.08 | 90 | 90 | 82 | 4 | 98 | 30 |
90 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metro Area | 46.93 | 97 | 39 | 86 | 53 | 95 | 35 |
91 | Lexington-Fayette, KY Metro Area | 45.40 | 89 | 51 | 58 | 54 | 84 | 88 |
92 | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX Metro Area | 44.85 | 100 | 1 | 94 | 58 | 97 | 84 |
93 | Jackson, MS Metro Area | 44.82 | 84 | 10 | 97 | 8 | 100 | 96 |
94 | Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area | 44.09 | 88 | 78 | 71 | 24 | 72 | 93 |
95 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY Metro Area | 43.61 | 96 | 64 | 74 | 86 | 75 | 45 |
96 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT Metro Area | 42.38 | 94 | 88 | 84 | 69 | 58 | 62 |
97 | Lansing-East Lansing, MI Metro Area | 42.12 | 99 | 26 | 93 | 82 | 94 | 63 |
98 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Metro Area | 41.59 | 56 | 81 | 85 | 72 | 65 | 97 |
99 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA Metro Area | 41.37 | 45 | 99 | 96 | 95 | 86 | 3 |
100 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Metro Area | 41.29 | 44 | 52 | 24 | 92 | 48 | 100 |
Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that metro area, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.