We checked real hotel rates in all 26 towns we cover, with the same week and the same family filters, and ranked every town with at least four in-town 3-star hotels that week. The rest are listed under each table with the reason. Outside summer the most affordable towns are often too cold for swimming, so each row also shows the average daytime high for that week. Use the season tabs to pick the week you are traveling. The figures above change with the tab.
The index, from most affordable to most expensive
To keep the comparison fair, every town is measured against the same standard, its kid-friendly 3-star hotels. Each figure is the median nightly rate across that tier, and the weekly total is that median times seven nights. Lodging only.
Median nightly rates for the week of August 8 to 15, 2026. Collected by hand on 2026-07-14.
Read the weather column before the price column. It is the average daytime high for the week priced, from NOAA normals. All 26 towns in this index are warm enough to actually use the beach that week, so here the price column is a straight value comparison with nothing hidden behind it. That is not true year round, which is the whole reason this column exists. Check the winter tab for the same towns.Beach weather 70°F and up Mild 60 to 69 Cold 45 to 59 Too cold under 45
| Rank | Town | Weather that week | Median nightly rate | Lowest listed rate | 7-night lodging total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orlando, FL | 92°FBeach weather | $85 | $62 | $595 | Check rates |
| 2 | Galveston, TX | 92°FBeach weather | $136 | $87 | $952 | Check rates |
| 3 | Anaheim, CA | 89°FBeach weather | $136 | $95 | $952 | Check rates |
| 4 | Amelia Island, FL | 90°FBeach weather | $143 | $116 | $1,001 | Check rates |
| 5 | Clearwater Beach, FL | 91°FBeach weather | $149 | $134 | $1,043 | Check rates |
| 6 | South Padre Island, TX | 90°FBeach weather | $156 | $115 | $1,092 | Check rates |
| 7 | Myrtle Beach, SC | 87°FBeach weather | $163 | $78 | $1,141 | Check rates |
| 8 | Key West, FL | 91°FBeach weather | $174 | $166 | $1,218 | Check rates |
| 9 | Hilton Head Island, SC | 90°FBeach weather | $177 | $114 | $1,239 | Check rates |
| 10 | Destin, FL | 91°FBeach weather | $182 | $125 | $1,274 | Check rates |
| 11 | San Diego, CA | 77°FBeach weather | $191 | $133 | $1,337 | Check rates |
| 12 | Virginia Beach, VA | 87°FBeach weather | $218 | $146 | $1,526 | Check rates |
| 13 | Ocean City, MD | 83°FBeach weather | $273 | $205 | $1,911 | Check rates |
| 14 | Ogunquit, ME | 79°FBeach weather | $293 | $255 | $2,051 | Check rates |
| 15 | Sanibel Island, FL | 92°FBeach weather | $315 | $223 | $2,205 | Check rates |
Carried but not ranked (11)
These towns are part of the index but cannot be given a fair rank for this week, so they are listed rather than scored.
- Siesta Key, FL 92°F, only 1 qualifying hotel
- Gulf Shores, AL 89°F, only 1 qualifying hotel
- Cape May, NJ 84°F, only 3 qualifying hotels
- Kitty Hawk, NC 83°F, only 2 qualifying hotels
- Chatham, MA 76°F, only 1 qualifying hotel
- Provincetown, MA 78°F, only 3 qualifying hotels
- Asbury Park, NJ 82°F, only 2 qualifying hotels
- St. George Island, FL 89°F, no qualifying hotels that week
- Mackinac Island, MI 76°F, only 3 qualifying hotels
- Coronado, CA 77°F, only 2 qualifying hotels
- Santa Monica, CA 70°F, only 3 qualifying hotels
Median nightly rates for the week of October 24 to 31, 2026. Collected by hand on 2026-07-31.
Read the weather column before the price column. It is the average daytime high for the week priced, from NOAA normals. Only 18 of the 26 towns in this index are warm enough to actually use the beach that week, so a low price often means the town is out of season rather than good value.Beach weather 70°F and up Mild 60 to 69 Cold 45 to 59 Too cold under 45
| Rank | Town | Weather that week | Median nightly rate | Lowest listed rate | 7-night lodging total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Myrtle Beach, SC | 76°FBeach weather | $87 | $48 | $609 | Check rates |
| 2 | Gulf Shores, AL | 79°FBeach weather | $97 | $54 | $679 | Check rates |
| 3 | Ocean City, MD | 68°FMild | $101 | $53 | $707 | Check rates |
| 4 | Orlando, FL | 85°FBeach weather | $104 | $63 | $728 | Check rates |
| 5 | Galveston, TX | 82°FBeach weather | $112 | $57 | $784 | Check rates |
| 6 | South Padre Island, TX | 85°FBeach weather | $113 | $56 | $791 | Check rates |
| 7 | Virginia Beach, VA | 72°FBeach weather | $127 | $72 | $889 | Check rates |
| 8 | Hilton Head Island, SC | 79°FBeach weather | $133 | $93 | $931 | Check rates |
| 9 | Destin, FL | 81°FBeach weather | $134 | $79 | $938 | Check rates |
| 10 | San Diego, CA | 75°FBeach weather | $167 | $98 | $1,169 | Check rates |
| 11 | Anaheim, CA | 83°FBeach weather | $181 | $101 | $1,267 | Check rates |
| 12 | Coronado, CA | 75°FBeach weather | $196 | $158 | $1,372 | Check rates |
| 13 | Clearwater Beach, FL | 84°FBeach weather | $204 | $157 | $1,428 | Check rates |
| 14 | Provincetown, MA | 61°FMild | $213 | $119 | $1,491 | Check rates |
| 15 | Cape May, NJ | 68°FMild | $223 | $157 | $1,561 | Check rates |
| 16 | Santa Monica, CA | 68°FMild | $225 | $136 | $1,575 | Check rates |
| 17 | Key West, FL | 86°FBeach weather | $319 | $226 | $2,233 | Check rates |
Carried but not ranked (9)
These towns are part of the index but cannot be given a fair rank for this week, so they are listed rather than scored.
- Siesta Key, FL 86°F, only 2 qualifying hotels
- Kitty Hawk, NC 70°F, only 1 qualifying hotel
- Chatham, MA 61°F, only 1 qualifying hotel
- Ogunquit, ME 60°F, only 3 qualifying hotels
- Asbury Park, NJ 66°F, only 2 qualifying hotels
- Amelia Island, FL 80°F, only 3 qualifying hotels
- Sanibel Island, FL 87°F, only 3 qualifying hotels
- St. George Island, FL 81°F, a vacation rental town, with no hotels listed here in any season
- Mackinac Island, MI 54°F, the island has closed for the year and the ferries have stopped
Median nightly rates for the week of January 23 to 30, 2027. Collected by hand on 2026-07-29.
Read the weather column before the price column. It is the average daytime high for the week priced, from NOAA normals. Only 6 of the 26 towns in this index are warm enough to actually use the beach that week, so a low price often means the town is out of season rather than good value.Beach weather 70°F and up Mild 60 to 69 Cold 45 to 59 Too cold under 45
| Rank | Town | Weather that week | Median nightly rate | Lowest listed rate | 7-night lodging total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gulf Shores, AL | 61°FMild | $74 | $59 | $518 | Check rates |
| 2 | Destin, FL | 63°FMild | $91 | $64 | $637 | Check rates |
| 3 | Ocean City, MD | 45°FCold | $102 | $59 | $714 | Check rates |
| 4 | Myrtle Beach, SC | 56°FCold | $105 | $41 | $735 | Check rates |
| 5 | Virginia Beach, VA | 51°FCold | $116 | $72 | $812 | Check rates |
| 6 | Galveston, TX | 63°FMild | $119 | $52 | $833 | Check rates |
| 7 | Hilton Head Island, SC | 61°FMild | $121 | $103 | $847 | Check rates |
| 8 | Orlando, FL | 72°FBeach weather | $123 | $57 | $861 | Check rates |
| 9 | South Padre Island, TX | 68°FMild | $127 | $86 | $889 | Check rates |
| 10 | San Diego, CA | 66°FMild | $159 | $102 | $1,113 | Check rates |
| 11 | Anaheim, CA | 71°FBeach weather | $215 | $109 | $1,505 | Check rates |
| 12 | Santa Monica, CA | 62°FMild | $240 | $151 | $1,680 | Check rates |
| 13 | Clearwater Beach, FL | 70°FBeach weather | $253 | $189 | $1,771 | Check rates |
| 14 | Coronado, CA | 66°FMild | $293 | $202 | $2,051 | Check rates |
| 15 | Sanibel Island, FL | 75°FBeach weather | $338 | $229 | $2,366 | Check rates |
| 16 | Key West, FL | 76°FBeach weather | $387 | $279 | $2,709 | Check rates |
Carried but not ranked (10)
These towns are part of the index but cannot be given a fair rank for this week, so they are listed rather than scored.
- Siesta Key, FL 73°F, only 2 qualifying hotels
- Cape May, NJ 43°F, no hotels taking bookings that week
- Kitty Hawk, NC 50°F, only 1 qualifying hotel
- Chatham, MA 39°F, no hotels taking bookings that week
- Provincetown, MA 38°F, only two hotels open, both at off-season rates that are not real prices
- Ogunquit, ME 32°F, only 1 qualifying hotel
- Asbury Park, NJ 41°F, only 1 qualifying hotel
- Amelia Island, FL 63°F, only 3 qualifying hotels
- St. George Island, FL 64°F, a vacation rental town, with no hotels listed here in any season
- Mackinac Island, MI 24°F, the island is closed for winter and the ferries are not running
Median nightly rates for the week of March 13 to 20, 2027. Collected by hand on 2026-07-31.
Read the weather column before the price column. It is the average daytime high for the week priced, from NOAA normals. Only 12 of the 26 towns in this index are warm enough to actually use the beach that week, so a low price often means the town is out of season rather than good value.Beach weather 70°F and up Mild 60 to 69 Cold 45 to 59 Too cold under 45
| Rank | Town | Weather that week | Median nightly rate | Lowest listed rate | 7-night lodging total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ocean City, MD | 53°FCold | $124 | $59 | $868 | Check rates |
| 2 | Orlando, FL | 79°FBeach weather | $132 | $60 | $924 | Check rates |
| 3 | Gulf Shores, AL | 69°FMild | $136 | $93 | $952 | Check rates |
| 4 | Galveston, TX | 72°FBeach weather | $142 | $61 | $994 | Check rates |
| 5 | Virginia Beach, VA | 60°FMild | $149 | $72 | $1,043 | Check rates |
| 6 | Myrtle Beach, SC | 64°FMild | $154 | $63 | $1,078 | Check rates |
| 7 | Hilton Head Island, SC | 72°FBeach weather | $161 | $111 | $1,127 | Check rates |
| 8 | Destin, FL | 71°FBeach weather | $173 | $120 | $1,211 | Check rates |
| 9 | San Diego, CA | 67°FMild | $192 | $117 | $1,344 | Check rates |
| 10 | South Padre Island, TX | 75°FBeach weather | $215 | $110 | $1,505 | Check rates |
| 11 | Anaheim, CA | 74°FBeach weather | $244 | $121 | $1,708 | Check rates |
| 12 | Santa Monica, CA | 62°FMild | $281 | $155 | $1,967 | Check rates |
| 13 | Coronado, CA | 67°FMild | $294 | $214 | $2,058 | Check rates |
| 14 | Clearwater Beach, FL | 77°FBeach weather | $349 | $260 | $2,443 | Check rates |
| 15 | Key West, FL | 80°FBeach weather | $437 | $289 | $3,059 | Check rates |
Carried but not ranked (11)
These towns are part of the index but cannot be given a fair rank for this week, so they are listed rather than scored.
- Siesta Key, FL 78°F, only 1 qualifying hotel
- Kitty Hawk, NC 57°F, only 1 qualifying hotel
- Cape May, NJ 52°F, no hotels taking bookings that week
- Chatham, MA 43°F, no hotels taking bookings that week
- Provincetown, MA 44°F, only two hotels open, both at off-season rates that are not real prices
- Ogunquit, ME 42°F, only 1 qualifying hotel
- Asbury Park, NJ 49°F, only 1 qualifying hotel
- Amelia Island, FL 72°F, only 3 qualifying hotels
- Sanibel Island, FL 81°F, only 3 qualifying hotels
- St. George Island, FL 71°F, a vacation rental town, with no hotels listed here in any season
- Mackinac Island, MI 36°F, the island is still closed in mid-March and the ferries are not running
What stands out
- The Gulf is the value play in summer. Galveston ($136), Clearwater Beach ($149), South Padre Island ($156) and Destin ($182) are Gulf of Mexico towns, and all four make the ten most affordable in the August week. Sanibel Island is the exception, last of the ranked towns that week at $315 a night. Gulf Shores had only one qualifying hotel in August, so it is listed rather than ranked, but it is the most affordable town in January ($74) and second in October ($97).
- Key West is the splurge outside summer. It carries the highest median in the October, January and March weeks, peaking at $437 a night in March for a $3,059 lodging week. In August the two most expensive ranked towns are Sanibel Island ($315) and Ogunquit ($293). Cape May, Chatham and Mackinac Island each had three or fewer qualifying hotels that August week, so they sit in the list under the table instead of the ranking.
- Theme park towns lead in summer. Orlando ($85) is the most affordable town in the August week, and Anaheim ($136) matches Galveston for the second-lowest median. Anaheim drops to 11th in each of the other three weeks, while Orlando stays in the top eight and comes second in March at $132.
- The lowest rate can sit far below the median. In Myrtle Beach the lowest listed 3-star rate came in under half the town median in three of the four weeks, $41 against $105 in January. Outside August the gap is narrower in the most expensive towns, where Key West’s lowest March rate was $289 against a $437 median. Cape May ranks only in the October week, at a $223 median with a lowest listed rate of $157, and our family friendly Cape May hotels guide covers its hotels with pools.
Methodology
Every rate here was collected by hand, one town at a time. Nothing is estimated, modeled or pulled from an API. Each season prices the same 26 towns for one Saturday to Saturday week, using identical filters for every town in that season, which is what makes the ranking within a season a fair comparison. The index is anchored to each town’s 3-star hotels, so a $90 roadside motel or a $900 five-star resort cannot skew a town’s number, and the town figure is the median of that tier.
| Season | Week priced | Source | Collected | Hotels priced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 2026 | August 8 to 15, 2026 | Google Hotels | 2026-07-14 | 317 |
| Fall 2026 | October 24 to 31, 2026 | Booking.com | 2026-07-31 | 271 |
| Winter 2027 | January 23 to 30, 2027 | Booking.com | 2026-07-29 | 248 |
| Spring 2027 | March 13 to 20, 2027 | Booking.com | 2026-07-31 | 247 |
How far the seasons can be compared with each other. Within a season, every town is priced for the identical week from a single source, so the table is a true apples-to-apples index. Across seasons it is less simple. Summer 2026 came from Google about three weeks ahead of the stay, before we moved to pricing each season six to eight months out, which is when families book. Fall, winter and spring all come from Booking. Winter against spring is the cleanest pairing in the set, same source, same filters, and a similar booking lead. Fall 2026 was collected around three months ahead rather than six, so its own table is sound while its change figures against other seasons carry that shorter lead.
Each row also carries the average daytime high for the week priced, from NOAA and National Weather Service monthly normals. That column exists because outside summer the most affordable towns are frequently the ones nobody can swim in, and a price with no weather next to it quietly misleads. Rates are snapshots and change daily. We refresh this index each season.
A town needs at least four 3-star hotel rates inside the town itself for a given week before it gets a median and a rank. With three or fewer, one hotel added or removed moves the median too far to compare fairly. Hotels outside the town are left out of the count, except in Orlando and Anaheim, where the resort corridors around the parks are included. A town can also miss a week because it has no bookable family inventory, or because the only listings left are off-season rates the hotel does not expect anyone to take. Each season’s table names those towns underneath it and says why.
Thinking about renting a whole place instead? See the companion Sloth Value Index: Vacation Rentals, which prices a 2+ bedroom rental week in the same towns for the same dates and compares it against these hotel figures.
Planning one of these towns? Every town name in the table links to our full hub of family guides, including where to stay, real budget breakdowns, and what to do with kids. Or start from the full destinations directory.