By kind of trip · 14 destinations

What a beach trip costs

Sand, water and a rental with a porch. Fourteen of them, and the price between the cheapest and the most expensive is wider than most people expect.

Through the year

Median of these 14Cheapest to priciest of the 14All destinations median of 40

Nightly lodging for a property sleeping four. The band spans the cheapest and the most expensive of the 14 each month, so its width is the disagreement between them.

The typical beach runs $277 a night across the year, against $295 for the library as a whole.
They are not one price. Destin, FL averages $209 a night and San Diego, CA averages $480 — 2.3× the difference, for the same kind of trip.
As a group they are cheapest in January and most expensive in July, a 61% swing on the median.
Season matters far more at some than others: Ocean City, MD swings 157% between its cheapest and most expensive months while San Diego, CA moves only 19%.
The group sits below the all-library median for 9 months of the year and above it for the rest.

The 14 of them, cheapest first

Destination	Per nightyear average	A weekfor eight	Swinglow to high	Cheapest
Destin, FL	$209	$10,700	136%	Jan
Myrtle Beach, SC	$237	$10,000	65%	Jan
Panama City Beach, FL	$239	$10,800	76%	Jan
Cape Cod, MA	$258	$11,900	60%	Jan
Virginia Beach, VA	$261	$11,000	69%	Jan
Gulf Shores, AL	$278	$11,200	61%	Jan
Sanibel / Fort Myers, FL	$285	$8,910	55%	Apr
Ocean City, MD	$287	$14,200	157%	Jan
Hilton Head, SC	$303	$11,500	82%	Jan
Outer Banks, NC	$310	$12,500	91%	Jan
Newport, RI	$333	$13,300	90%	Jan
Monterey / Big Sur, CA	$375	$14,300	46%	Jan
Naples, FL	$389	$9,740	91%	May
San Diego, CA	$480	$15,000	19%	Jan

Per night is the average of twelve monthly rates for a property sleeping four, so it is lower than a July quote and higher than a January one. A week for eight adds lodging at the larger property size and the daily spend for eight people, and is rounded because it is several estimates multiplied together.

Other kinds of trip

Cities Lakes Mountains Parks

Price a beach trip for your group →