OK, we always knew South Dakota is a great place to take a vacation. (We’re just a little biased in that regard.) But now, AAA confirms that a South Dakota vacation is a relative bargain as well.
In the AAA Vacation Costs Survey released today, South Dakota ranked as the fifth least expensive among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The average family of four can expect to pay about $175 a day for meals and lodging in the Sunshine State, according to AAA’s figures.
And South Dakota is apparently in good company. Next door neighbor North Dakota ($158 per day) was the cheapest, followed by Nebraska ($160), Kansas ($166) and Iowa ($170).
At the other end of the scale — the high end — is Hawaii. If you go to the Aloha State, you can expect to plunk down $793 a day. And that’s just for lodging and meals. It doesn’t include airfare, surfing lessons or suntan lotion.
The District of Columbia ($575) was the second spendiest destination, followed by New York ($319), Nevada ($301) and Florida ($289).
The national average, by the way, is $244 per day for meals and lodging.
AAA has been tracking vacation costs since 1950, when the average daily cost for meals and lodging was just $13 a day. (Gasoline in 1950 was 27 cents a gallon.)
If you’d like to see the state-by-state breakdown, click HERE for the AAA press release. You have to scroll to the bottom of the release, then download the spreadsheet and check out the STATES tab.
The site also has all the particulars of how they conducted their survey. Frankly, I think a family could travel in South Dakota for less. For one thing, the survey is based on three full-service meals per day for four people. But so many motels and hotels now have pretty elaborate breakfast buffets.
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Glad to see some positive news about the upcoming travel season! Should be a great year. One quick note: South Dakota is the “Mount Rushmore State”, while California holds the title of “The Sunshine State”. Nice posting!
Ugh! You caught me showing my age. You are absolutely right. It’s the Rushmore State.
South Dakota USED to be the Sunshine State. But Florida also claimed that title, and whoever decides these things decided that the U.S. can’t have two Sunshine States.
Florida somehow thought it was sunnier than South Dakota, and we finally relented. We became the Rushmore State. I found one website that said the change happened in 1992, but I think it was before then. (This coming from the guy who thinks South Dakota still is the Sunshine State.)
California, by the way, I think is the Golden State.
You’re right, Dan. Florida is the Sunshine State, and California became the Golden State in 1968. Not bad for an old guy.
I find the state-to-state comparison pretty incredible. That means that Hawaii is more than four times as expensive as South Dakota. D.C. is about three times as expensive, and New York is almost twice as expensive. And you’re right - that doesn’t even count things like shopping, buying tickets to shows, going out for the night, taking the family to an amusement park or otherwise having fun. This is just for food and hotel - you know, the things you need to stay alive.
This is huge for people from Europe. A gal from Cambridge, United Kingdom was in Deadwood last week, and she and her brother were thrilled with the drink prices at the Old Style Saloon #10. With the currency conversion being so favorable - and then factoring South Dakota’s low prices into that, too - she figured she was paying about half as much at the Ten as she would during a normal night at the pub.
I guess I need to brush up on the other states’ slogans. Thanks for the info!