How much should business travel cost?
It seems like everything costs more these days, particularly when it comes to travel. Hotels, flights, restaurants, transportation—it all adds up fast. But how much should a business trip actually cost? It can be hard to know the difference between reasonable and overpriced, but we have data to help guide you.
Ramp users book business travel every day through our platform, giving us unique insight into the cost of a trip. We analyzed thousands of business trips to our customers’ most-visited destinations: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. Here are the median costs of a three-night trip to these 10 cities.
Total trip spend
Based on our data, the median total spend for a three-night business trip is between $1,395 and $1,761.
New York has the highest spend at $1,761, followed by Los Angeles ($1,648) and Washington ($1,635).
San Francisco ($1,581) and Boston ($1,586) come in slightly lower but remain expensive travel hubs. Spend eases slightly in Chicago ($1,536), Las Vegas ($1,535), and Atlanta ($1,456). The most affordable of the destinations we reviewed are Austin ($1,429) and Denver ($1,395).
Airfare
Flight spend is relatively stable across destinations. Denver has the lowest median spend at $427, followed by Las Vegas ($442), Chicago ($462), New York ($467), and Atlanta ($478).
A cluster of cities hover right below $500: Boston ($486), Austin ($493), San Francisco (tied at $493), and Los Angeles ($498). Washington has the most expensive airfare of our destinations, with a median of $528.
Lodging
Hotels are the biggest expense on a three-night trip. They're also the biggest driver of cost variability among the destinations we analyzed, as spend varies by $300. New York’s lodging median of $877 leads the pack, followed by Washington ($833), San Francisco ($735), Boston ($723), and Chicago ($700).
Los Angeles ($686) and Austin ($643) are in the midrange. Las Vegas ($625) and Atlanta ($600) are more affordable by comparison, with Denver ($573) offering the lowest median hotel spend across all 10 cities.
Food and drink
The cost of food and drink across restaurants, grocery stores, and bars can add up quickly, particularly on trips that include after-hours networking.
Las Vegas leads by a wide margin, with a median food and drink spend of $201 over three days. Los Angeles ($166) comes next, followed by Boston ($149), New York ($148), and San Francisco ($147).
Washington ($144) and Chicago ($139) land in the middle. Denver ($133) holds steady just behind, while Atlanta ($124) and Austin ($118) round out the list with the most economical food spend.
Even at the lower end, travelers typically spend at least $120 per trip to cover food and drink.
Ground transportation
It’s easy to think of airfare as the only transportation expense, but don’t forget about getting around once on the ground. And cars aren’t cheap, whether it’s a taxi or a rental.
Rideshares and taxis
New York leads with a median spend of $171 on rideshares and taxis, followed by San Francisco ($150) and Los Angeles ($146). It's no surprise these three cities are the most expensive, given that their constant traffic can drive up fares.
Chicago ($125) and Denver ($114) fall in the middle, along with Atlanta ($109), Boston ($104), and Washington ($96). Austin ($98) and Las Vegas ($93) are the most affordable cities when it comes to rideshare and taxi spend.
Generally, taking taxis and rideshares over the course of three days costs at least $100.
Car rentals and driving
In cities where travelers rent cars, median driving-related costs (rental fee, fuel, and parking) can significantly impact total trip expenses. New York tops the list at $390, followed by Chicago ($382), San Francisco ($374), and Boston ($354).
Car-dependent cities Austin ($350), Atlanta ($348), Denver ($342), and Los Angeles ($338) hover in the middle of the group.
Las Vegas ($323) and Washington ($322) have the lowest spend in this category, but still clear $300. Wherever you go, getting behind the wheel comes with a sizable price tag.
Entertainment
Entertainment expenses like shows, sports, and social outings—whether with colleagues or clients—may not be part of every business trip, but spend can range widely if they are. New York ($237) and Chicago ($215) have the highest median entertainment spend for a three-night trip, followed by Las Vegas ($185), Washington ($145), and Boston ($110).
The remaining six cities come in under $100. San Francisco ($75), Denver ($73), Los Angeles ($69), Atlanta ($52), and Austin ($52) have lower entertainment spend.
Budgeting for travel
Based on what we see here, the median cost of a short business trip ranges from about $1,400 to $1,750. Flights and lodging are predictable big-ticket items, but on-the-ground spend can vary quite a bit by destination.
So, what’s a reasonable budget to build into your travel policy? It depends on where your team is headed and what they’ll be doing. But in general, earmarking around $1,600 for a three-night trip is a reasonable bet.