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A Comparison of Car Rental Rates in the USA - Fall 2026
September 15, 2026
Boston is the most expensive destination in the United States for renting a car this fall, according to a survey by Cheapcarrental.com.
The survey compared rental car rates at 100 U.S. airports for the period from September through November 2026. With an average daily rate of $118 for the most affordable rental car, Boston Logan International Airport tops the rankings.
Portland International Jetport in Maine and Reno Airport in Nevada follow, with average daily rates of $97 and $90, respectively. Madison and Rochester share fourth place, with an average rate of $89 for the least expensive rental car.
Comparing current car rental rates with data from last fall’s survey reveals significant fluctuations across U.S. airports. The most dramatic increase in average daily rental rates was recorded in Boston, where prices surged by 71%, followed by Buffalo with a 63.3% rise and Burbank with a 63% increase.
Conversely, travelers looking for better-value deals will find the steepest price drop in Spokane, where rates fell by nearly 24% compared with 2025. Oklahoma City and Long Beach also saw notable declines in rental costs, with rates dropping by 23.7% and 20%, respectively.
Overall, across all 100 airports included in the survey, the average daily rental rate is $63.50 – an increase of almost 15% compared with fall 2025. This continues the trend of rising car rental rates already evident in the summer data
The following table compares car rental rates at 100 destinations across the U.S. this fall. Prices shown reflect the average daily rate for the most affordable rental car available during the period from September 1 through November 30, 2026.
About the Methodology
Rates were established in late August 2026, based on the CarTrawler comparison technology. For each destination, the leading 10 car rental companies located at the airport terminal or the airport’s official rental center were identified. Rates include all taxes and fees.
For all of CheapCarRental's surveys, please click here
Press Contact:
Charlotte Smith: charlotte@cheapcarrental.com
Boston is the most expensive destination in the United States for renting a car this fall, according to a survey by Cheapcarrental.com.
The survey compared rental car rates at 100 U.S. airports for the period from September through November 2026. With an average daily rate of $118 for the most affordable rental car, Boston Logan International Airport tops the rankings.
Portland International Jetport in Maine and Reno Airport in Nevada follow, with average daily rates of $97 and $90, respectively. Madison and Rochester share fourth place, with an average rate of $89 for the least expensive rental car.
Comparing current car rental rates with data from last fall’s survey reveals significant fluctuations across U.S. airports. The most dramatic increase in average daily rental rates was recorded in Boston, where prices surged by 71%, followed by Buffalo with a 63.3% rise and Burbank with a 63% increase.
Conversely, travelers looking for better-value deals will find the steepest price drop in Spokane, where rates fell by nearly 24% compared with 2025. Oklahoma City and Long Beach also saw notable declines in rental costs, with rates dropping by 23.7% and 20%, respectively.
Overall, across all 100 airports included in the survey, the average daily rental rate is $63.50 – an increase of almost 15% compared with fall 2025. This continues the trend of rising car rental rates already evident in the summer data
The following table compares car rental rates at 100 destinations across the U.S. this fall. Prices shown reflect the average daily rate for the most affordable rental car available during the period from September 1 through November 30, 2026.
- 1. Boston (BOS) $118
- 2. Portland (PWM) $97
- 3. Reno (RNO) $90
- 4. Madison (MAD) $89
- 4. Rochester (ROC) $89
- 6. Grand Rapids(GRR) $83
- 6. Detroit (DTW) $83
- 8. Boise (BOI) $82
- 9. Syracuse (SYR) $81
- 10. Phoenix (PHX) $80
- 10. Buffalo (BUF) $80
- 12. St.Petersburg (PIE) $79
- 13. Louisville (SDF) $76
- 14. Burbank (BUR) $75
- 14. Ontario (ONT) $75
- 14. Newark (EWR) $75
- 17. Fresno (FAT) $74
- 17. Little Rock (LIT) $74
- 17. Richmond (RIC) $74
- 20. Des Moines (DSM) $73
- 20. Hartford (BDL) $73
- 20. San Jose (SJC) $73
- 23. Oakland (OAK) $71
- 23. Palm Springs (PSP) $71
- 23. Norfolk (ORF) $71
- 23. Cleveland (CLE) $71
- 23. Pittsburgh (PIT) $71
- 28. San Francisco(SFO) $70
- 28. Providence (PVD) $70
- 28. Baltimore (BWI) $70
- 31. Dallas (DFW) $68
- 31. Cincinnati (CVG) $68
- 31. Albany (ALB) $68
- 31. St Louis (STL) $68
- 31. Long Beach (LGB) $68
- 36. Washington (IAD) $67
- 36. Milwaukee(MKE) $67
- 38. Sacramento (SMF) $66
- 38. Houston (HOU) $66
- 38. Chicago (MDW) $66
- 38. Indianapolis (IND) $66
- 38. Colorado Springs (Cos) $66
- 38. Houston (IAH) $66
- 44. Charleston (CHS) $64
- 44. Columbus (CMH) $64
- 44. Washington (DCA) $64
- 44. New York City (JFK) $64
- 48. Wichita (ICT) $63
- 48. Memphis (MEM) $63
- 50. New York City(LGA) $62
- 50. Minneapolis (MSP) $62
- 50. Santa Ana (SNA) $62
- 50. Los Angeles (LAX) $62
- 54. Knoxville (TYS) $61
- 54. Nashville (BNA) $61
- 54. Anchorage (ANC) $61
- 57. Philadelphia (PHL) $60
- 57. New Orleans (MSY) $60
- 59. Charlotte (CLT) $59
- 59. Portland (PDX) $59
- 59. Chicago (ORD) $59
- 62. Salt Lake City(SLC) $58
- 62. Las Vegas (LAS) $58
- 62. Tucson (TUS) $58
- 62. Orlando (MCO) $58
- 62. Kona (KOA) $58
- 62. Oklahoma City (OKC) $58
- 68. Austin (AUS) $57
- 68. Albuquerque (ABQ) $57
- 70. Atlanta (ATL) $56
- 70. Savannah (SAV) $56
- 70. Seattle (SEA) $56
- 73. Sanford (SFB) $55
- 73. Denver (DEN) $55
- 75. Spokane (GEG) $54
- 75. Lihue (LIH) $54
- 75. Kahului (OGG) $54
- 75. Raleigh (RDU) $54
- 75. Myrtle Beach (MYR) $54
- 80. Honolulu (HNL) $53
- 80. Kansas City (MCI) $53
- 80. Greenville (GSP) $53
- 83. F. Lauderdale (FLL) $51
- 83. Palm Beach (PBI) (DJT) $51
- 83. El Paso (ELP) $51
- 86. Birmingham (BHM) $50
- 86. Dallas (DAL) $50
- 86. Bozeman (BZN) $50
- 89. Sarasota (SRQ) $49
- 89. San Antonio (SAT) $49
- 91. Tampa (TPA) $48
- 91. Pensacola (PNS) $48
- 91. Fayetteville (FAY) $48
- 94. Jacksonville (JAX) $47
- 94. Omaha (OMA) $47
- 96. San Diego (SAN) $46
- 97. Tulsa (TUL) $45
- 98. Miami (MIA) $44
- 99. Fort Myers (RSW) $43
- 100. San Juan (SJU) $26
About the Methodology
Rates were established in late August 2026, based on the CarTrawler comparison technology. For each destination, the leading 10 car rental companies located at the airport terminal or the airport’s official rental center were identified. Rates include all taxes and fees.
For all of CheapCarRental's surveys, please click here
Press Contact:
Charlotte Smith: charlotte@cheapcarrental.com