Survey
The most expensive car rental destinations over the Christmas holidays
December 16, 2021

Boston is the second priciest destination in the US for hiring a car over Christmas this year, a new survey has revealed.

The survey compared car rental rates across 50 US destinations for the period spanning 21-27 December. Each city's major airport was set as the rental pick-up and drop-off location.

With a rate of $718 for 7 days’ rental of the most affordable available car, prices in Boston are a staggering 192% more expensive over the festive period than average rates at other times of the year, the survey showed.

Only the Hawaii capital of Honolulu emerged as more expensive, with travellers having to spend a minimum of $754 for a rental car over the same week. The top three is completed by the Florida city of Fort Lauderdale, where rates are around twice as high this Christmas as you’d normally find. Other destinations with substantial price rises include Orlando, San Francisco, and Atlanta.

The following table compares 50 destinations for renting a car this Christmas. For comparison, alongside this year’s rates the average rates during January 2022 are shown in brackets. The initial prices reflect the rate for the cheapest available car during the period December 21-27, 2021. Only rental car companies located at each destination’s major airport were considered for the survey.
  • 1. Honolulu $754 (+64%)
  • 2. Boston $718 (+192%)
  • 3. Fort Lauderdale $709 (+111%)
  • 4. Charleston $677 (+15%)
  • 5. Sarasota $646 (+49%)
  • 6. Orlando $631 (+84%)
  • 7. Tampa $580 (+52%)
  • 8. San Francisco $561(+89%)
  • 9. Los Angeles $539 (+33%)
  • 10. Atlanta $511 (+89%)
  • 11. Las Vegas $511 (+61%)
  • 12. Pittsburgh $506 (+48%)
  • 13. Richmond $483 (+80%)
  • 14. San Antonio $471 (+2%)
  • 15. New Orleans $468 (-1%)
  • 16. New York City $461 (+47%)
  • 17. Albuquerque $455 (+10%)
  • 18. Houston $434 (+34%)
  • 19. Sacramento $433 (+41%)
  • 20. Minneapolis $427 (+14%)
  • 21. Miami $416 (+6%)
  • 22. Fresno $410 (+411%)
  • 23. Nashville $407 (+11%)
  • 24. Dallas $401 (+6%)
  • 25. St Louis $396 (+5%)
  • 26. Seattle $390 (+41%)
  • 27. Kansas City $383 (-5%)
  • 28. Portland $380 (+27%)
  • 29. San Diego $374 (+10%)
  • 30. Salt Lake City $371 (-37%)
  • 31. Charlotte $366 (-16%)
  • 32. Memphis $358 (-19%)
  • 33. Philadelphia $357 (+27%)
  • 34. Wichita $353 (-10%)
  • 35. Milwaukee $352 (+27%)
  • 36. Buffalo $351 (+70%)
  • 37. Detroit $350 (+36%)
  • 38. Phoenix $345 (-11%)
  • 39. Tucson $341 (+5%)
  • 40. Denver $335 (-18%)
  • 41. Louisville $315 (+27%)
  • 42. Washington DC $308 (+12%)
  • 43. Cincinnati $305 (-19%)
  • 44. Indianapolis $300 (+39%)
  • 45. Chicago $296 (+12%)
  • 46. Baltimore $291 (+31%)
  • 47. Dallas $288 (-2%)
  • 48. Cleveland $287 (+49%)
  • 49. Savannah $255 (-31%)
  • 50. Anchorage $224 (-33%)


About the Survey:
Rates were established on December 15, 2021 via a leading car rental comparison engine.

Press Contact: Michelle Walters, press@cheapcarrental.net