Originally published on WalletHub.

Best & Worst Cities for Staycations (2026)

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Adam McCann, WalletHub Financial Writer

Jun 8, 2026

Best & Worst Cities for Staycations
About 72% of Americans are planning to travel this summer, but inflation may lead many to scale back spending and choose more budget-friendly vacations. The good news is that you don’t have to go far to enjoy a memorable getaway. Many nearby cities offer affordable options for entertainment, dining, and relaxation.

To identify the best destinations for an enjoyable and cost-effective staycation, WalletHub analyzed more than 180 cities using 41 key indicators, including factors such as parks per capita and average restaurant meal prices.

chip lupo

“It’s fun to visit an exotic location on vacation, but during rougher economic times, a staycation can save you a lot of money while being just as memorable. Not only do you avoid the cost of overnight accommodations and minimize travel costs, but you can also discover all kinds of fun activities close to home that you might not have tried out otherwise. Plus, you’ll feel more rested if you spend less time in transit and more time sleeping in your own bed.”

Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst

Table of Contents

Main FindingsIn-Depth Look at the Best Cities for StaycationsAsk the ExpertsMethodology

Main Findings

11182182

Location Rank
Orlando, FL 1
Cincinnati, OH 2
Las Vegas, NV 3
St. Louis, MO 4
Honolulu, HI 5
Salt Lake City, UT 6
Atlanta, GA 7
Tampa, FL 8
Chicago, IL 9
Portland, ME 10
San Diego, CA 11
New Orleans, LA 12
Denver, CO 13
Portland, OR 14
Tucson, AZ 15
Pittsburgh, PA 16
Albuquerque, NM 17
Scottsdale, AZ 18
San Francisco, CA 19
Charleston, SC 20
Philadelphia, PA 21
New York, NY 22
Fort Lauderdale, FL 23
Columbia, SC 24
Shreveport, LA 25
Houston, TX 26
Richmond, VA 27
Austin, TX 28
Reno, NV 29
Milwaukee, WI 30
Miami, FL 31
Chattanooga, TN 32
Louisville, KY 33
Springfield, MO 34
Seattle, WA 35
Los Angeles, CA 36
Knoxville, TN 37
Minneapolis, MN 38
Boise, ID 39
Omaha, NE 40
Virginia Beach, VA 41
St. Petersburg, FL 42
Washington, DC 43
Henderson, NV 44
Tulsa, OK 45
Tempe, AZ 46
Kansas City, MO 47
Fort Smith, AR 48
Sacramento, CA 49
Overland Park, KS 50
Wilmington, DE 51
Burlington, VT 52
Birmingham, AL 53
Rochester, NY 54
San Antonio, TX 55
Missoula, MT 56
El Paso, TX 57
Billings, MT 58
Columbus, OH 59
Amarillo, TX 60
Norfolk, VA 61
Cleveland, OH 62
Vancouver, WA 63
Phoenix, AZ 64
Grand Rapids, MI 65
Plano, TX 66
Jacksonville, FL 67
Dallas, TX 68
Sioux Falls, SD 69
Modesto, CA 70
Nashville, TN 71
Ontario, CA 72
Oklahoma City, OK 73
Fayetteville, NC 74
Mobile, AL 75
Rapid City, SD 76
Huntsville, AL 77
Colorado Springs, CO 78
Spokane, WA 79
Fargo, ND 80
Boston, MA 81
Akron, OH 82
Baton Rouge, LA 83
Jackson, MS 84
Buffalo, NY 85
Gulfport, MS 86
Lincoln, NE 87
Providence, RI 88
Nampa, ID 89
Las Cruces, NM 90
St. Paul, MN 91
Indianapolis, IN 92
Bakersfield, CA 93
Glendale, AZ 94
Augusta, GA 95
Madison, WI 96
Riverside, CA 97
Salem, OR 98
Fort Worth, TX 99
Bismarck, ND 100
Cape Coral, FL 101
San Bernardino, CA 102
Casper, WY 103
Charlotte, NC 104
Chandler, AZ 105
Cedar Rapids, IA 106
Raleigh, NC 107
Winston-Salem, NC 108
Columbus, GA 109
Lexington-Fayette, KY 110
Mesa, AZ 111
Tacoma, WA 112
South Burlington, VT 113
Glendale, CA 114
Corpus Christi, TX 115
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 116
Toledo, OH 117
Pembroke Pines, FL 118
Fontana, CA 119
Newport News, VA 120
Durham, NC 121
Arlington, TX 122
Lubbock, TX 123
Anchorage, AK 124
Montgomery, AL 125
Dover, DE 126
Moreno Valley, CA 127
Greensboro, NC 128
Baltimore, MD 129
Wichita, KS 130
Detroit, MI 131
Huntington Beach, CA 132
Brownsville, TX 133
Cheyenne, WY 134
Stockton, CA 135
Peoria, AZ 135
Memphis, TN 137
Fresno, CA 138
Fort Wayne, IN 139
Irvine, CA 140
Tallahassee, FL 141
North Las Vegas, NV 142
Aurora, IL 143
West Valley City, UT 144
Long Beach, CA 145
Garden Grove, CA 146
Nashua, NH 147
Charleston, WV 148
Gilbert, AZ 149
Chesapeake, VA 150
Santa Rosa, CA 151
Aurora, CO 152
Bridgeport, CT 153
Little Rock, AR 154
Worcester, MA 155
San Jose, CA 156
Port St. Lucie, FL 157
Grand Prairie, TX 158
Anaheim, CA 159
Oxnard, CA 160
Oceanside, CA 161
Des Moines, IA 162
Lewiston, ME 163
Warwick, RI 164
Garland, TX 165
New Haven, CT 166
Columbia, MD 167
Manchester, NH 168
Huntington, WV 169
Jersey City, NJ 170
Santa Clarita, CA 171
Juneau, AK 172
Oakland, CA 173
Santa Ana, CA 174
Newark, NJ 175
Hialeah, FL 176
Laredo, TX 177
Irving, TX 178
Chula Vista, CA 179
Fremont, CA 180
Yonkers, NY 181
Pearl City, HI 182

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Best Places for a Staycation

Overall Rank  City Total Score  Recreation Rank  Food & Entertainment Rank  Rest & Relaxation Rank 
1 Orlando, FL 65.13 20 1 7
2 Cincinnati, OH 63.97 9 7 8
3 Las Vegas, NV 63.01 14 4 12
4 St. Louis, MO 61.46 32 2 14
5 Honolulu, HI 60.29 1 22 117
6 Salt Lake City, UT 60.13 7 19 26
7 Atlanta, GA 59.80 13 10 58
8 Tampa, FL 58.63 30 13 20
9 Chicago, IL 58.42 6 20 70
10 Portland, ME 58.36 2 37 86
11 San Diego, CA 58.00 17 16 36
12 New Orleans, LA 57.94 40 5 39
13 Denver, CO 57.14 12 24 51
14 Portland, OR 56.98 25 3 90
15 Tucson, AZ 56.74 21 28 18
16 Pittsburgh, PA 56.37 38 9 61
17 Albuquerque, NM 56.00 28 18 33
18 Scottsdale, AZ 55.66 47 39 3
19 San Francisco, CA 55.58 5 8 166
20 Charleston, SC 55.53 34 29 25
21 Philadelphia, PA 54.07 11 23 115
22 New York, NY 53.66 4 44 146
23 Fort Lauderdale, FL 53.60 3 70 97
24 Columbia, SC 53.38 152 21 10
25 Shreveport, LA 52.33 131 65 2
26 Houston, TX 52.27 36 12 125
27 Richmond, VA 52.21 26 25 98
28 Austin, TX 51.81 39 11 132
29 Reno, NV 51.33 75 38 11
30 Milwaukee, WI 51.22 19 17 135
31 Miami, FL 50.93 29 6 163
32 Chattanooga, TN 50.90 59 54 42
33 Louisville, KY 50.76 50 41 66
34 Springfield, MO 50.61 153 77 6
35 Seattle, WA 50.43 22 15 152
36 Los Angeles, CA 50.12 16 51 126
37 Knoxville, TN 50.03 89 42 50
38 Minneapolis, MN 49.95 33 49 94
39 Boise, ID 49.95 48 73 52
40 Omaha, NE 49.89 43 50 75
41 Virginia Beach, VA 49.86 54 98 15
42 St. Petersburg, FL 49.82 42 52 85
43 Washington, DC 49.78 8 26 175
44 Henderson, NV 49.73 68 94 5
45 Tulsa, OK 49.66 93 59 4
46 Tempe, AZ 49.56 27 46 112
47 Kansas City, MO 49.46 74 27 69
48 Fort Smith, AR 49.25 130 150 1
49 Sacramento, CA 49.21 61 31 88
50 Overland Park, KS 49.02 94 105 22
51 Wilmington, DE 48.92 72 63 54
52 Burlington, VT 48.68 18 80 104
53 Birmingham, AL 48.33 129 33 76
54 Rochester, NY 48.09 52 40 128
55 San Antonio, TX 48.01 83 14 119
56 Missoula, MT 47.84 58 123 37
57 El Paso, TX 47.53 98 48 24
58 Billings, MT 47.44 110 69 62
59 Columbus, OH 47.37 69 62 60
60 Amarillo, TX 47.19 171 92 13
61 Norfolk, VA 47.15 44 112 77
62 Cleveland, OH 46.91 57 35 129
63 Vancouver, WA 46.86 104 79 49
64 Phoenix, AZ 46.71 65 57 91
65 Grand Rapids, MI 46.58 70 76 89
66 Plano, TX 46.54 60 97 73
67 Jacksonville, FL 46.54 37 61 133
68 Dallas, TX 46.38 45 64 120
69 Sioux Falls, SD 46.35 144 88 47
70 Modesto, CA 46.28 150 84 35
71 Nashville, TN 46.28 71 34 111
72 Ontario, CA 46.27 81 138 46
73 Oklahoma City, OK 46.19 116 53 23
74 Fayetteville, NC 46.11 179 103 16
75 Mobile, AL 45.95 143 78 65
76 Rapid City, SD 45.87 97 81 71
77 Huntsville, AL 45.60 151 107 34
78 Colorado Springs, CO 45.35 78 43 105
79 Spokane, WA 45.15 92 86 41
80 Fargo, ND 45.07 140 96 44
81 Boston, MA 44.93 10 45 180
82 Akron, OH 44.83 108 121 43
83 Baton Rouge, LA 44.76 95 47 93
84 Jackson, MS 44.32 180 128 9
85 Buffalo, NY 44.22 51 56 155
86 Gulfport, MS 44.03 103 126 57
87 Lincoln, NE 43.94 79 111 53
88 Providence, RI 43.94 55 71 147
89 Nampa, ID 43.92 139 160 17
90 Las Cruces, NM 43.86 121 143 28
91 St. Paul, MN 43.68 49 67 156
92 Indianapolis, IN 43.55 102 36 130
93 Bakersfield, CA 43.43 168 75 19
94 Glendale, AZ 43.39 105 100 63
95 Augusta, GA 43.28 176 115 27
96 Madison, WI 43.20 23 89 171
97 Riverside, CA 42.99 132 102 31
98 Salem, OR 42.96 157 95 79
99 Fort Worth, TX 42.94 136 90 29
100 Bismarck, ND 42.94 90 114 95
101 Cape Coral, FL 42.76 62 166 67
102 San Bernardino, CA 42.67 170 142 21
103 Casper, WY 42.48 126 99 106
104 Charlotte, NC 42.42 100 32 145
105 Chandler, AZ 42.39 133 87 59
106 Cedar Rapids, IA 42.27 147 116 80
107 Raleigh, NC 42.22 101 55 127
108 Winston-Salem, NC 42.16 146 104 38
109 Columbus, GA 42.14 178 119 48
110 Lexington-Fayette, KY 42.12 128 82 72
111 Mesa, AZ 42.06 91 101 87
112 Tacoma, WA 42.03 117 83 121
113 South Burlington, VT 41.70 56 152 122
114 Glendale, CA 41.66 35 148 124
115 Corpus Christi, TX 41.59 109 120 82
116 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 41.46 174 137 45
117 Toledo, OH 41.05 115 108 81
118 Pembroke Pines, FL 40.99 67 155 107
119 Fontana, CA 40.66 138 157 64
120 Newport News, VA 40.43 165 141 78
121 Durham, NC 40.41 118 66 123
122 Arlington, TX 40.36 106 106 99
123 Lubbock, TX 40.13 172 118 32
124 Anchorage, AK 40.12 46 74 179
125 Montgomery, AL 39.88 173 127 92
126 Dover, DE 39.84 86 163 100
127 Moreno Valley, CA 39.79 175 167 30
128 Greensboro, NC 39.77 141 72 103
129 Baltimore, MD 39.77 63 60 176
130 Wichita, KS 39.68 148 30 149
131 Detroit, MI 39.68 111 68 151
132 Huntington Beach, CA 39.66 31 134 162
133 Brownsville, TX 39.56 177 161 40
134 Cheyenne, WY 39.46 142 140 102
135 Peoria, AZ 39.43 88 158 101
135 Stockton, CA 39.43 135 146 56
137 Memphis, TN 39.37 122 58 153
138 Fresno, CA 39.35 162 110 55
139 Fort Wayne, IN 39.17 163 93 96
140 Irvine, CA 39.12 41 136 172
141 Tallahassee, FL 39.03 167 91 141
142 North Las Vegas, NV 38.63 96 165 68
143 Aurora, IL 38.42 80 162 118
144 West Valley City, UT 38.27 53 180 74
145 Long Beach, CA 38.15 73 85 174
146 Garden Grove, CA 38.00 24 147 165
147 Nashua, NH 37.92 87 171 108
148 Charleston, WV 37.88 159 124 140
149 Gilbert, AZ 37.76 160 129 84
150 Chesapeake, VA 37.70 85 149 134
151 Santa Rosa, CA 37.63 84 144 143
152 Aurora, CO 37.47 114 109 150
153 Bridgeport, CT 37.43 64 174 116
154 Little Rock, AR 37.19 164 122 136
155 Worcester, MA 36.91 112 154 131
156 San Jose, CA 36.00 76 135 167
157 Port St. Lucie, FL 35.91 181 130 83
158 Grand Prairie, TX 35.85 119 176 113
159 Anaheim, CA 35.58 145 117 138
160 Oxnard, CA 35.46 113 170 110
161 Oceanside, CA 35.37 66 151 169
162 Des Moines, IA 35.29 134 125 154
163 Lewiston, ME 35.25 137 177 109
164 Warwick, RI 34.75 77 168 157
165 Garland, TX 34.41 155 145 144
166 New Haven, CT 34.37 149 132 158
167 Columbia, MD 34.37 166 175 114
168 Manchester, NH 34.28 161 164 137
169 Huntington, WV 34.24 99 169 148
170 Jersey City, NJ 33.74 120 131 168
171 Santa Clarita, CA 32.97 154 153 142
172 Juneau, AK 32.52 15 133 182
173 Oakland, CA 32.42 82 113 181
174 Santa Ana, CA 32.33 127 139 173
175 Newark, NJ 32.26 125 156 164
176 Hialeah, FL 32.08 107 179 139
177 Laredo, TX 31.83 124 173 159
178 Irving, TX 30.08 169 159 161
179 Chula Vista, CA 28.61 158 178 160
180 Fremont, CA 27.71 156 172 178
181 Yonkers, NY 26.23 123 182 170
182 Pearl City, HI 23.47 182 181 177

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that city, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

Swimming Pools per Capita

Most

  • T-1. Cleveland, OH
  • T-1. Philadelphia, PA
  • 3. Chicago, IL
  • 4. Atlanta, GA
  • 5. Washington, DC

Swimming Pools per Capita

Fewest

  • 96. Fremont, CA
  • 97. Garland, TX
  • 98. Lubbock, TX
  • 99. Madison, WI
  • 100. Detroit, MI

Best City vs. Worst City: 52x Difference

Cleveland, OH vs. Detroit, MI

Tennis Courts per Capita

Most

  • T-1. Honolulu, HI
  • T-1. Richmond, VA
  • T-1. Norfolk, VA
  • 4. Omaha, NE
  • 5. Atlanta, GA

Tennis Courts per Capita

Fewest

  • 99. Fort Worth, TX
  • 100. Riverside, CA
  • 101. Gilbert, AZ
  • 102. Irving, TX
  • 103. Mesa, AZ

Best City vs. Worst City: 18x Difference

Honolulu, HI vs. Mesa, AZ

Ask the Experts

There’s a difference between a staycation and business as usual in the context of staying local. And it all has to do with how you spend your time in the city you call home. For advice on making the best of your staycation, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

  1. What are the best ways to enjoy a staycation?
  2. What activities can families do locally without breaking the bank?
  3. What is the best time of year to have a staycation?
  4. In evaluating the best cities for staycations, what are the top five indicators?
  5. Have staycations become more popular due to inflation?

Andrew Burnstine
Ph.D. – Associate Professor, College of Business and Management - Lynn University
Read More

David L. Corsun
Ph.D., Director & Professor, Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management, Daniels College of Business, University of Denver
Read More

Patty Janes
Ph.D., Professor, Hospitality and Tourism Management - Grand Valley State University
Read More

Matthew H. Ebbott
Senior Lecturer, Recreation & Outdoor Education and the Environment & Sustainability program, ROE Program Coordinator, Co-Director Headwaters First Year Seminar Program - Western Colorado University
Read More

Yating (Tina) Liang
Ph.D., Professor, Hospitality Leadership - Missouri State University
Read More

Jonathan Katz
Lecturer and Director, Strategic Branding and Global Experience - Boston University School of Hospitality Administration
Read More

Methodology

In order to determine the best staycation spots, WalletHub compared 182 U.S. cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across three key dimensions: 1) Recreation, 2) Food & Entertainment and 3) Rest & Relaxation.

We evaluated those dimensions using 41 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for staycationers. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), the square root of the population was used to calculate the “Number of Residents” in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.

We then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Recreation – Total Points: 33.33

  • Public Golf Courses per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.30 Points)
  • Tennis Courts per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.30 Points)
  • Swimming Pools per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.30 Points)
  • Basketball Hoops per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.30 Points)
  • Baseball & Softball Diamonds per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.30 Points)
  • Parks per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.30 Points)
  • Playgrounds per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.30 Points)
  • Walk Score: Full Weight (~2.30 Points)
  • Bike Score: Full Weight (~2.30 Points)
  • Bike Rental Facilities per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.30 Points)
  • Hiking Trails per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.30 Points)
  • Shopping Centers per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.30 Points)
  • Water & Amusement Parks per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.30 Points)
  • Boat Tours & Water Sports per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.30 Points)
  • Miles of Bicycle Lanes, Paths & Routes per Square Mile: Half Weight (~1.15 Points)

Food & Entertainment – Total Points: 33.33

  • Movie Costs: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)
  • Average Price for Two Tickets to the Theater: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)
  • Bowling Costs: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)
  • Average Cocktail Price: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)
  • Nightlife Options per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)
  • Casinos per Capita*: Half Weight (~0.85 Points)
  • Festivals per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)
  • Museums per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)
  • Zoos & Aquariums per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)
  • Paintball Fields per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)
  • Arcades per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)
  • Presence on TripAdvisor’s “Top 25 Amusement Parks or Water Parks” List: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)
    Note: This metric measures the presence and prevalence of a city in TripAdvisor’s “Top 25 Amusement Parks or Water Parks” List.
  • Theaters & Concert Halls per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)
  • Coffee & Tea Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)
  • Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)
  • Beer Gardens per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)
  • Restaurants per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)
  • Restaurant-Meal Costs: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)
  • Prevalence of Affordable Restaurants with 4.5+ Stars: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)
  • Diversity of Restaurants: Full Weight (~1.71 Points)

Rest & Relaxation – Total Points: 33.33

  • Cost of House-Cleaning Service: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
  • Spas & Wellness Centers per Capita*: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
  • Massage Costs: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
  • Beauty-Salon Costs: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
  • Public Beaches per Capita*: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
  • Idealness of Summer Weather: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
    Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Cities with the Best & Worst Weather” ranking.

 
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of May 11, 2026 from the U.S. Census Bureau, Council for Community and Economic Research, The Trust for Public Land, League of American Bicyclists, Walk Score, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Expatistan, Numbeo, MassageBook, GolfLink, Areavibes, Thumbtack and WalletHub research.

Supporting Video Files:

Visit Salt Lake (VSL) is the private, nonprofit Destination Sales & Experience Organization (DSXO) dedicated to recruiting, retaining, and activating conventions, meetings, sporting events and leisure travel that fuels the region’s visitor economy. In partnership with Salt Lake County, hoteliers, members and public-sector stakeholders, VSL helps generate $6.15 billion in annual visitor spending, $575 million in direct tax revenue and $1,700 in household tax savings while supporting more than 56,000 jobs. By championing Salt Lake's authentic urban-meets-mountain identity, VSL creates transformative experiences that benefit the community and visitors alike. For more information, visit www.VisitSaltLake.com.