The Four-Sport Price Check
Not all game days are created equal. An NFL Sunday and a Tuesday night MLB game are completely different experiences at completely different price points. We pulled data from all 124 teams across the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB to see how the four major sports stack up on cost.
The short version: basketball is the most expensive, baseball is the cheapest, and football and hockey land in between. But the details are more interesting than the headline.
Average Game Day Cost (One Person)
| League | Ticket (avg. resale) | Parking (cheapest lot) | Food and drink | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFL | $219 | $19 | $20 | $258 |
| NBA | $248 | $19 | $20 | $287 |
| NHL | $164 | $17 | $20 | $201 |
| MLB | $86 | $14 | $20 | $120 |
These are league-wide averages. Individual teams vary a lot. An Atlanta Falcons game day costs less than a lot of NBA and NHL games, and a Yankees game costs more than some NFL matchups.
Why MLB Is the Cheapest
A long home schedule means a lot of supply, and many parks are accessible by transit, which cuts parking costs.
The downside: the atmosphere at a poorly attended midweek game is, well, quiet. You're getting what you pay for.
NBA vs. NHL
Basketball and hockey play in arenas of a similar size, from 16,600 to 20,917 seats in the NBA and 15,321 to 21,105 in the NHL, and both have similar concession setups.
Where they differ is the ticket, and the NBA has the wider range. The average resale ticket runs from $131 for the Spurs to $649 for the Knicks on the NBA rankings, against $81 for the Senators to $288 for the Rangers on the NHL rankings.
Cost by City (Same City, Different Sports)
This is where it gets interesting. In cities with teams in multiple leagues, you can compare the experience dollar-for-dollar:
New York
Chicago
Los Angeles
Denver
Best Value Across All Sports
If you want the best experience for the least money, these are the standouts:
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium has NFL food at MLB prices. $2 hot dogs and $5 beer
- Fiserv Forum gives you a great arena and affordable tickets in a fun city
- PNC Park has cheap tickets, the best view in baseball, and Pittsburgh food
- Amerant Bank Arena offers some of the cheapest NHL tickets in the league
- Petco Park combines perfect weather, good food, and reasonable prices
Tools for Planning
- Game Day Cost Calculator estimates your total for any team in any sport
- Game Day Price Index sorts all 124 teams by specific cost categories
- Compare Teams puts any two teams side by side
- League-specific rankings: NFL | NBA | NHL | MLB