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Grabbing an airport beer while you’re waiting for your flight is an America tradition. But some of those beers are more affordable than others.
A new report by FinanceBuzz indicates that beer prices can vary as much as $8 at airports across the country. At the top of the list is New York’s LaGuardia Airport, where the average cost for a beer is a whopping $12.33, which is 66% higher than the national average.
On the other hand, Portland, Oregon has the cheapest airport beer for $4.33 per regular serving, followed by Salt Lake City International Airport ($5.00), Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport ($5.32), Charlotte Douglas International Airport ($5.50), and San Antonio International Airport ($5.83).
The average cost for a beer across America’s 50 busiest airports is $7.42.
But travelers should plan to shell out at least $8.30 if they want a brew at any of the 10 most expensive airports in the country. Not surprisingly, eight of the 10 on the most expensive list sell beer for a full dollar more than the national average.
Beer does tend to be more expensive at the busiest airports in the country. Six of the 10 airports where beer is most expensive also rank in the top 15 in terms of passenger volume according to the survey.
The lowest average beer costs were all found in airports that see fewer passengers.
This survey reflects the average cost of macro brews like Budweiser. Unfortunately, we’re not talking craft beers here, which tend to be pricier, but so much better.
10 US Airports Where Beer is the Most Expensive
| Beer Cost | Airport | Location | Average Beer Cost |
| 1 | LaGuardia Airport (LGA) | New York, New York | $12.33 |
| 2 | Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) | Detroit, Michigan | $9.36 |
| 3 | Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) | Newark, New Jersey | $9.31 |
| 4 | Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) | Las Vegas, Nevada | $8.86 |
| 5 | John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) | New York, New York | $8.80 |
| 6 | Honolulu International Airport (HNL) | Honolulu, Hawaii | $8.69 |
| 7 | Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) | Seattle, Washington | $8.63 |
| 8 | San Francisco International Airport (SFO) | San Francisco, California | $8.49 |
| 9 | Dallas Love Field (DAL) | Dallas, Texas | $8.32 |
| 10 | Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) | Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas | $8.30 |
But in case you want to rethink your travel plans…
Airports Where Beer is the Least Expensive
| Beer Cost | Airport | Location | Average Beer Cost |
| 1 | Portland International Airport (PDX) | Portland, Oregon | $4.33 |
| 2 | Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) | Salt Lake City, Utah | $5.00 |
| 3 | Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) | Cincinnati, Ohio | $5.32 |
| 4 | Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) | Charlotte, North Carolina | $5.50 |
| 5 | San Antonio International Airport (SAT) | San Antonio, Texas | $5.83 |
| 6 | Nashville International Airport (BNA) | Nashville, Tennessee | $5.83 |
| 7 | Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) | New Orleans, Louisiana | $6.08 |
| 8 | Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) | Cleveland, Ohio | $6.17 |
| 9 | Tampa International Airport (TPA) | Tampa, Florida | $6.33 |
| 10 | Bradley International Airport (BDL) | Hartford, Connecticut | $6.33 |
At each of the 10 airports where beer is the least expensive, passengers can expect to pay $6.33 or less for a cold one — more than a full dollar less than the national average of $7.42.
Methodology
Prices from the 50 busiest US airports were manually collected and averaged together. In most cases FinanceBuzz defaulted to Budweiser and Bud Light. In other instances, the prices for Coors or Millers were used where Budweiser products were not available.
