We priced the same family trip, budget and comfort, in 28 places using our own Budget Calculator. Here is what a week costs on the ground, before flights.
How much a family vacation costs in 2026 depends far more on how you travel than where you go. To show that, we ran one identical trip through the same tool, a family of four for seven nights, at two travel styles, across 28 destinations. The budget tier and the comfort tier often differ by roughly half.
Here is every destination on a budget, cheapest first.
Every figure comes from the Endless Travel Plans Budget Calculator, the same free tool on this site. We priced one identical basket in each place: a family of four (2 adults and 2 children ages 6 and 10), one room, seven nights, priced for the first week of August 2026.
On the ground cost means lodging plus food, activities, local transport, and hidden fees. Lodging uses live Google Hotels rates. The daily costs come from our cost database, which draws on Numbeo and published cost of living data. Flights sit outside these numbers because they vary so much by origin and date.
Budget covers three-star hotels or a vacation rental, mostly casual or self-catered meals, free and low-cost activities, and getting around on public transit or on foot. Comfort, where most families land, means comfortable three- to four-star hotels or resorts, a mix of cooking in and eating out, paid attractions, and the occasional taxi or rental car. Luxury steps up to four- and five-star resorts, restaurant meals most nights, private tours and premium experiences, and rental cars or private transfers, and it sits outside this index.
| Destination | Budget | Comfort |
|---|---|---|
| Bangkok | $1,233 | $2,302 |
| Mexico City | $1,618 | $3,144 |
| San Antonio | $1,700 | $4,688 |
| Myrtle Beach | $2,203 | $5,812 |
| Punta Cana | $2,319 | $5,812 |
| Grand Canyon | $2,359 | $5,131 |
| Yosemite | $2,359 | $5,131 |
| Cancun | $2,636 | $4,822 |
| Tokyo | $2,685 | $5,230 |
| Cabo San Lucas | $2,718 | $6,480 |
| Yellowstone | $2,770 | $5,145 |
| Washington DC | $2,787 | $6,341 |
| Niagara Falls | $2,843 | $6,403 |
| Nashville | $2,881 | $6,909 |
| London | $3,067 | $6,051 |
| Jamaica | $3,072 | $6,435 |
| Aruba | $3,080 | $8,782 |
| Rome | $3,221 | $5,548 |
| Chicago | $3,300 | $7,910 |
| San Diego | $3,532 | $7,486 |
| Gatlinburg | $3,639 | $7,869 |
| Paris | $3,831 | $7,021 |
| Nassau | $4,234 | $9,858 |
| Turks and Caicos | $4,247 | $6,785 |
| New York City | $4,247 | $8,321 |
| Honolulu (Oahu) | $4,430 | $9,273 |
| Maui | $4,936 | $10,592 |
| Orlando | $5,831 | $10,966 |
The same 28 places at a comfort level look like this.
US national parks still win on repeatable value. Grand Canyon and Yosemite come in near $2,360 on a budget and Yellowstone near $2,770, thanks to cheap lodging and low cost activities, since a single park pass covers the whole week.
The biggest surprise in this expanded edition is how well drive-to classics hold up. San Antonio ($1,700) is the cheapest US week we priced, and Myrtle Beach ($2,203) beats every Caribbean beach week in this index, including Punta Cana ($2,319). If the flight budget is tight, the ground numbers say drive.
Hawaii is expensive on any island, and this edition prices it more sharply than the last one. With live August hotel rates, a budget week runs about $4,430 in Honolulu and $4,936 on Maui; at a comfort level they reach $9,273 and $10,592. Only Orlando costs more.
Cities carry the heaviest hidden costs. New York and Chicago look reasonable on paper until hotel taxes and parking are added. Across all 28 destinations, hidden fees average about $1,971 at a comfort level, which is close to a third of the on the ground total and the part families most often forget to budget for.
And here is the part that surprises people: international land costs are competitive. London ($3,067) and Rome ($3,221) sit mid pack once you are there, cheaper on the ground than Gatlinburg. What makes them feel expensive is the airfare, which is exactly why we leave flights out of these figures and let you price your own.
Hidden costs are the line items that rarely show up in a headline price but always show up on the bill. In this study they cover six categories:
For most families these add up to far more than expected, which is why they sit in their own column rather than buried inside lodging or food.
Every destination and every line item, for both travel styles, in one spreadsheet. Download the dataset (Excel) or grab the plain CSV.
Costs are generated by the Endless Travel Plans Budget Calculator. Lodging is priced from live Google Hotels data. Daily costs draw on Numbeo and published cost of living data, applied through one fixed basket so every destination is measured the same way. Read more about how we research costs on our methodology page.