US Airports With The Most Expensive Beer – 2024
US Airports With The Most Expensive Beer – 2024
Grabbing an airport beer while you’re waiting for your flight is an America tradition. But given today’s economy, 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 13.83 a beer LaGuardia airport in New York needs to be avoided like the plague. But NYC’s other airports are pricy as well.
On the other hand, Salt Lake City International has the cheapest airport beer ($6.40) of any US airport followed by Portland International Airport ($6.81) and Southwest Florida International Airport ($7.29)
The average cost for a beer across America’s 50 busiest airports in 2024 is $8.97.
But travelers should plan to shell out at least $10 if they want a brew at any of the 10 most expensive airports in the country. Not that 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. Eight 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 Rank | Airport | Location | Average Beer Cost |
| 50 | LaGuardia Airport (LGA) | New York, New York | $13.83 |
| 49 | San Francisco International Airport (SFO) | San Francisco, California | $12.61 |
| 48 | Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) | Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas | $11.99 |
| 47 | John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) | New York, New York | $11.82 |
| 46 | Honolulu International Airport (HNL) | Honolulu, Hawaii | $11.41 |
| 45 | Seattle/Tacoma International Airport (SEA) | Seattle, Washington | $11.21 |
| 44 | Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) | Las Vegas, Nevada | $11.00 |
| 43 | Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) | Chicago, Illinois | $10.85 |
| 42 | Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) | Newark, New Jersey | $10.41 |
| 41 | Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) | Austin, Texas | $10.0 |
But in case you want to rethink your travel plans…
10 US Airports Where Beer is the Least Expensive
| Beer Cost Rank | Airport | Location | Average Beer Cost |
| 1 | Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) | Salt Lake City, Utah | $6.41 |
| 2 | Portland International Airport (PDX) | Portland, Oregon | $6.81 |
| 3 | Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) | Fort Myers, Florida | $7.29 |
| 4 | New Orleans International Airport (MSY) | New Orleans, Louisiana | $7.31 |
| 5 | Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) | Houston, Texas | $7.36 |
| 6 | San Diego International Airport (SAN) | San Diego, California | $7.38 |
| 7 | Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) | Cleveland, Ohio | $7.41 |
| 8 | Nashville International Airport (BNA) | Nashville, Tennessee | $7.51 |
| 9 | Dulles International Airport (IAD) | Washington, DC | $7.79 |
| 10 | John Wayne Airport (SNA) | Santa Ana, California | $7.81 |
At each of the 10 airports where beer is the least expensive, passengers can expect to pay $7.81 or less for a cold one — more than a full dollar less than the national average of $8.97.
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.
About the Author: American Craft Beer
