Everything—everything—is getting more expensive. Buying that morning coffee now comes with a slight eye twinge. Pumping gas can be downright miserable, and going on a vacation can feel like you need to take out a second mortgage. And as a new Forbes report explains, some of America’s most popular cities are becoming downright unmanageable.
“Travel costs are climbing across the U.S., and in some cities, prices are surging faster than others,” Forbes shared via email about its report. “As a result, Americans may find their favorite destinations more expensive than ever.”
In its new report, it analyzed 75 major U.S. cities to identify which spots have seen the largest surges in hotel, meal, car rental, and flight costs over the past year. According to their findings, across all 75 cities, hotel costs increased an average of 3 percent, while meal costs increased an average of 24 percent. Getting there is also expensive, with airfare costs increasing an average of 8 percent.
As for the spot experiencing the biggest surge in pricing, it was actually a tie between Detroit and Chicago.
But before you write these destinations off forever, remember that the data covers the largest surges in pricing, not the most expensive overall. Detroit, for example, is still relatively affordable, with Budget Your Trip reporting that the average hotel costs between $144 to $269 per night. Joining these two cities at the top of the list are Atlanta, Denver, and Charleston, rounding out the top five.
The report specifically called out New York City for having the largest hotel price increases at 27 percent, and noted that flights to Austin had the largest jump at 21 percent.
But it wasn’t all bad news: the data also showed that Pittsburgh experienced the largest decrease in food costs, with a 20 percent drop, while New Orleans experienced the largest decrease in hotel costs, with a 27 percent drop.
While these spots are getting pricier, there are still destinations that offer an affordable escape. In January, Travel + Leisure asked Kayak to pull its data and find the cheapest spots to travel to in 2025, with Raleigh, North Carolina, coming in at No. 1, thanks to an average combined flight and hotel cost of just $493. It’s followed by Minneapolis; Denver; Portland, Oregon; and Jacksonville, Florida, rounding out the top five.
See the full results and more affordable destinations to look forward to for 2026 here.
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