One of Laura Martone’s favorite New Orleans jazz clubs is the Spotted Cat, which offers cachet—it’s been featured on the HBO show Treme—without high prices.
“Despite the awesome music, patrons are almost never charged a cover,” says the author of the American Nomad travel blog. “And the one-drink minimum is totally reasonable.”
See The Best U.S. Cities for Affordable Getaways >
That kind of easy-on-the-wallet atmosphere helped New Orleans place in the top 10 of America’s Most Affordable City Getaways, according to Travel + Leisure readers. In the annual America’s Favorite Cities survey, travelers ranked 35 cities for qualities that span the price spectrum: from fine dining to street food, from luxury shopping to flea markets.
Finding deals is a priority for plenty of travelers who wish to trade in staycations for a real vacation again. “I think there’s a lot of pent-up demand from people who have been working more hours and taking less time off,” says Tim Leffel, author of The World’s Cheapest Destinations.
So what makes a city a great value? Reasonably priced hotels and restaurants, certainly, as well as enticements such as budget-friendly theater tickets, free museums, or low gas prices. The survey’s winner, Kansas City, has an average nightly hotel rate of about $100 and also won the T+L survey for cheap, mouthwatering barbecue.
Kansas City’s airport offers relatively low airfares, too, as does another top-five city: Puerto Rico’s San Juan. To offset the high prices of poolside cocktails, the island city offers the nation’s top-ranked street food and walkable streets in Old San Juan.
The ability to explore a city by foot also boosts its affordability. That may explain why sprawling Dallas/Fort Worth—which has reasonably priced hotels, but ranked as the least pedestrian-friendly city in the survey—scored poorly for overall affordability.
Small costs—a taxi ride here, a club cover charge there—add up over the course of a trip and can turn off a traveler to a particular city or venue. Leffel agrees with a recent survey that revealed how much travelers dislike one particular fee: paying for Wi-Fi at a hotel. “Charging for Wi-Fi is as silly as charging for hot water,” says Leffel. “Even millionaire entrepreneurs will skip a hotel that charges for Wi-Fi, just on principle.”
This post originally appeared at Travel + Leisure.
No. 1 Kansas City, MO
Dinner for two in this midwestern city can cost as little as $25, especially if you choose a spot such as Arthur Bryant’s, one of the restaurants that helped Kansas City win the barbecuecategory. The survey’s most affordable city also entices travelers with its low airfares—no one airline dominates Kansas City International Airport—and freebies, such as tours of the Harley-Davidson Plant and Boulevard Brewing Company.
See all the America’s Favorite Cities survey results.
No. 2 Salt Lake City
Voters like this Utah city for being mellow and tidy—and it’s easy for skiers to streamline expenses here. The city’s Super Pass, a lift ticket starting at about $65 a day, gets you into Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, and Solitude and includes a free bus or light rail ride from downtown. Still others come here to explore the 10-acre Mormon complex of Temple Square, the state’s most popular attraction.
No. 3 Nashville
In the No. 2 city for live music, you can access the Nashville Sound for free, and without even trying very hard. Check out the legendary Tootsie’s or Robert’s Western Wear downtown, where you’ll pay no cover early in the day, or see who’s playing onstage in stores such as boot shop Peter Nappi or Grimey’s New & Preloved Music. Voters gave Nashville a thumbs-up for its wallet-friendly burgers, but you can also get a James Beard Award–winning meal of southern comfort food at Arnold’s Country Kitchen for about $10.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Please follow Your Money on Twitter and Facebook.