While New York City is the most iconic place to ring in the New Year in the U.S., it isn’t the costliest. A new analysis of hotel rates for the holiday period finds Miami Beach to be the most expensive city worldwide for New Year’s travel.

CheapHotels.org examined the lowest available rates at three-star-and-up hotels in 60 major cities for a three-night stay from Tuesday, December 30, to Friday, January 2. Miami Beach had the highest cheapest-qualifying rate at $1,187 per night.

The study also compared holiday-week prices with typical January rates. In Miami Beach, the cheapest available room for New Year’s is 197% higher than in January — a steep premium for a few nights. Rio de Janeiro and New York City follow closely as the second and third-most expensive, at $1,172 and $1,164 per night, respectively.

In Europe, Edinburgh and Vienna are the priciest New Year’s destinations. Edinburgh ranks fourth overall with $1,040 nightly, and Vienna is sixth at $994. Since 2022, Vienna has seen a 63% increase in New Year’s rates; Bangkok experienced the largest jump, up 94%, while Copenhagen rose 72%.

For budget-minded travellers, Phnom Penh stands out: New Year’s hotel rates there have fallen more than 60% compared with three years ago, with rooms available for around $20 per night.

Most expensive cities for New Year’s (cheapest double room for Dec 30–Jan 2; per cent increase vs. January)

• Miami Beach: $1,187 (+197%)
• Rio de Janeiro: $1,172 (+284%)
• New York City: $1,164 (+236%)
• Edinburgh: $1,040 (+316%)
• Sydney: $1,035 (+248%)
• Vienna: $994 (+257%)
• Cancun: $987 (+116%)
• Amsterdam: $924 (+165%)
• Copenhagen: $814 (+110%)
• Paris: $796 (+74%)
• Madrid: $787 (+142%)
• Dublin: $778 (+134%)
• Los Angeles: $760 (+64%)
• Venice: $760 (+140%)
• Barcelona: $732 (+81%)
• Honolulu: $730 (+29%)
• Taipei City: $729 (+281%)
• Nashville: $727 (+45%)
• London: $707 (+97%)
• Punta Cana: $676 (+17%)
• Hong Kong: $654 (+127%)
• Cape Town: $632 (+245%)
• Las Vegas: $605 (+204%)
• Rome: $602 (+104%)
• New Orleans: $589 (+103%)
• Boston: $585 (+32%)
• Marrakech: $585 (+79%)
• Dubai: $579 (+196%)
• Toronto: $541 (+15%)
• Singapore: $525 (+91%)
• Cairo: $493 (+159%)
• Stockholm: $489 (+37%)
• Chicago: $467 (+77%)
• Berlin: $446 (+56%)
• Macao: $425 (+136%)
• Seattle: $423 (+17%)
• Vancouver: $392 (+23%)
• Bangkok: $359 (+160%)
• Seoul: $349 (+61%)
• Tokyo: $342 (+60%)
• Montreal: $333 (+26%)
• Lisbon: $329 (+19%)
• Melbourne: $328 (+45%)
• Nairobi: $316 (-2%)
• Santo Domingo: $297 (+11%)
• Buenos Aires: $257 (+66%)
• Lagos: $254 (+55%)
• Istanbul: $239 (+134%)
• Doha: $238 (+39%)
• Mexico City: $234 (+24%)
• Wellington: $232 (+46%)
• Manila: $224 (+47%)
• Bali: $198 (+125%)
• Shanghai: $198 (+25%)
• Kuala Lumpur: $175 (+69%)
• Mumbai: $148 (+8%)
• Bogota: $137 (+46%)
• Lima: $135 (-14%)
• Hanoi: $114 (+4%)
• Phnom Penh: $61 (+5%)

 

Tolga CAKIR