For many sports fans, a trip to the Super Bowl is the bucket-list experience they desire most of all. It is the pinnacle of American sports, giving fans the chance to have an “I was there moment.”
As you might expect, it costs a lot, too. While everyone has been talking about inflation and the cost of living over the past few years, premium sports experiences have certainly been no exception. In fact, they have far exceeded ‘normal’ inflation.
Super Bowl LX will take place on Sunday, February 8, at Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA. We know that well over 100 million Americans will watch the game, and it’s also expected that over $1 billion will be bet on the Super Bowl, but just under 70,000 will get into the stadium to watch the action. What sort of expenditures will they face? If you were wondering how much it actually costs to see the biggest game in American sports, we parse out some of the costs, including Super Bowl price surges, below:
Super Bowl LX Tickets
The first hurdle is, of course, getting a ticket, and for Levi’s Stadium that’s going to be in the range of $4,000-$6,000 for the inferior seats, above $10K for premium seats, including hospitality, and over $15K if you want to be in the best seats in the house. It is, most certainly, the ‘killer’ of your outlay, and it must be said that it alienates those fans who support their team all through the season. While some tickets do go to real fans through lotteries, etc., a huge number go to sponsors, corporate tickets, etc., so it’s a battle to get a deal on the resale sites. If you pay anything less than $4K, you’re extremely lucky.
Hotel Prices Around Santa Clara
Levi’s Stadium is in Santa Clara, which is about 50 minutes’ drive from downtown San Francisco. Obviously, hotel prices are going to vary, but the issue for the Super Bowl weekend is the surge in pricing compared to typical weekends. In San Francisco, the ADR (average rate per night) rose from $244 to just under $500 for Super Bowl 50, so we expect similar jumps ten years later. But here’s the kicker: A lot of hotels will insist on minimum lengths of stay, so you might not be able to book a single night. San Jose is a little closer to Levi’s Stadium, but you will still see jumps in hotel prices.
Flight Price Surges
If you’re flying into San Jose, San Francisco, or Oakland, you will likely see price hikes on your ticket. It does, of course, depend on your airline and where you are coming from, but media reporting has looked at direct flights into the region and quoted some high prices over Super Bowl weekend, with some outlets (Axios) publishing evidence of flights from Charlotte to San Jose at over $1000, much more than the typical average for February. The key is to shop around.
Parking at Levi’s Stadium
Of course, not everyone will fly to the Super Bowl, and if you are traveling by car or RV, you’ll have to factor in elements like gas. Parking, too, in and around the stadium can add some extra cost. It’s not abundantly clear whether there will be a Super Bowl surge for parking at Levi’s Stadium – the official website says “varies by event” – but you should factor in something in the region of $40-80 to park your vehicle.
Food and Drinks
Perhaps you don’t drink alcohol, perhaps you do. But the cost of a brew at NFL stadiums is a hot-button topic, and Levi’s Stadium is at the top end of the price range for a tipple, usually clocking in at $14 for a domestic beer. Again, we expect a Super Bowl surge as vendors try to make some profits on the big game, so don’t be surprised to see a couple of bucks thrown on the standard price. You can basically say the same about the food on offer. It will all add up across a long day.
Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gcwest/14950418961, Jim Bahn.
