Survey
Portland, OR Boasts Highest Car Rental Rates in the United States
August 5, 2014

Portland, Oregon has just been named the U.S. city with the highest car rental rates this summer. A recent survey from CheapCarRental.net came to this conclusion after comparing the average cost to rent a car at over 100 destinations across the United States. The current month of August served as the basis of comparison.

Car renters in Portland, the Pacific Northwest’s third most populous city, can expect to pay an average daily rate of $111 this August. And that’s for the cheapest available rental car. Just a couple dollars less expensive and taking the number two spot on the survey is Anchorage, Alaska, the state’s most populous city. An average rate of $109 per day makes Anchorage the second most expensive destination to rent a car this August.

Rounding out the Top 3 is Kailua, Hawaii. A tourist center on the Big Island of Hawaii, Kailua rounds out the Top 3. An average daily price tag of $101 positions this North Kona District destination in the survey’s third spot. It bears pointing out that the survey selected the Pick-Up and Drop-Off location to be each destination’s main airport. So for Kailua, the survey took into consideration the Kona International Airport.

The following table shows the 20 most expensive U.S. destinations in which to rent a car this end of summer. The prices shown reflect the average daily rate for the cheapest available rental car in each destination during the period spanning August 1–31, 2014.
  • 1. Portland, OR $111
  • 2. Anchorage, A $109
  • 3. Kailua, HI $101
  • 4. Louisville, KY $99
  • 5. Detroit, MI $90
  • 6. Denver, CO $88
  • 6. Seattle, WA $78
  • 6. San Jose, CA $76
  • 9. Tulsa, OK $75
  • 10. Hartford, CT $75
  • 11. New York City $68
  • 12. Destin, FL $67
  • 13. Reno, TX $66
  • 14. Milwaukee, WI $65
  • 15. Key West, FL $65
  • 16. Cleveland, OH $63
  • 17. Boston, MA $60
  • 18. Oakland, CA $59
  • 19. Des Moines, IA $59
  • 20. Fresno, CA $59


About the methodology:
The car rental rates expressed in the survey were established in late July via Expedia’s car rental comparison engine. For 107 popular destinations in the United States, the car rental rate for the cheapest available car during the following time periods was calculated: August 6–10, August 13–17, August 20–24 and August 27–31. Each city’s main airport was chosen as the Pick-Up and Drop-Off location.