Survey
The Most Expensive Car Rental Destinations in the USA
October 1, 2015

Philadelphia has just earned the distinction of being the United States’ costliest destination in which to rent a car. CheapCarRental.net came to this conclusion after conducting a survey that compared car rental rates over the past year in 50 destinations across the nation.

In the City of Brotherly Love, the price to rent a car over the past 12 months averaged $65 daily. Trailing by just $4 in second place was New York City. Rounding out the top three were Detroit and Indianapolis, where an average daily car rental rate of $58 put both cities in the third spot.

It must be pointed out that the rates mentioned by the survey are yearly averages. Rates fluctuate significantly in certain destinations, Boston being a good case in point. There, car renters could snag a vehicle for less than $30 per day in early December, but they were hard pressed to find one below $80 throughout most of the month of August. In Philadelphia, however, rates remained relatively stable during the 12-month period. Indeed, only on the rare occasion did car renters enjoy a rate that was less than $50 per day.

The following table compares car rental rates of 50 destinations in the USA. The prices shown reflect the average daily rate for the cheapest available rental car in each destination during the period spanning Oct 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015. Each city’s main airport was chosen as the Pick-Up and Drop-Off location.
  • 1. Philadelphia $65
  • 2. New York City $61
  • 3. Detroit $58
  • 3. Indianapolis $58
  • 5. Austin $56
  • 6. Charlotte $55
  • 7. Cincinnati $53
  • 7. St. Louis $53
  • 9. Baltimore $52
  • 9. Cleveland $52
  • 11. New Orleans $51
  • 11. Boston $51
  • 13. Kansas City $50
  • 14. Memphis $49
  • 14. Chicago $49
  • 14. Reno $49
  • 17. Nashville $48
  • 17. Portland $48
  • 19. Tucson $47
  • 20. Milwaukee $46
  • 21. Anchorage $45
  • 21. Houston $45
  • 23. Albuquerque $44
  • 24. Phoenix $41
  • 24. Washington $41
  • 26. Dallas $40
  • 27. Buffalo $39
  • 27. Denver $39
  • 29. Honolulu $38
  • 30. Minneapolis $37
  • 30. San Antonio $37
  • 30. Salt Lake City $37
  • 30. Atlanta $37
  • 30. Pittsburgh $37
  • 35. Sacramento $36
  • 36. Oakland $35
  • 37. Seattle $34
  • 38. San Jose $33
  • 39. Savannah $32
  • 40. Las Vegas $31
  • 41. Los Angeles $29
  • 41. Fort Lauderdale $29
  • 41. Jacksonville $29
  • 41. San Diego $29
  • 45. Myrtle Beach $28
  • 45. Tampa $28
  • 47. Orlando $27
  • 48. San Francisco $26
  • 48. Charleston $26
  • 50. Miami $20