The Cost Of Attending An NBA Game In 2025-2026
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No other league, perhaps in the world, relies and relishes on the star power of the individual more than the NBA.
Players are known worldwide by single names – LeBron, Steph, Luka, Giannis – or even nicknames like KD or Joker.
It’s why NBA betting has become a global powerhouse, and a massive powerhouse in the sports betting landscape, especially in regards to player props.
When it comes to seeing these stars online, it’s expensive due to the teams’ Tier Pricing, which puts a major surcharge when teams such as the Lakers, Warriors and Celtics come to town.
But overall, the average NBA game has not only remained affordable in the world of rampant inflation: the cost is actually decreasing.
Bookies.com has calculated the cost of attending NBA games at each arena for the 2025-26 season. On average, families will spend $277.65 on four of the cheapest available tickets, a parking spot, two beers, two sodas and four hot dogs at an NBA arena this winter.
The cost aligns closely with the prices of 2022-23, when the price was $288.38. The NFL, in comparison, is a hefty $777.89 for a family of four, an increase of 44.9% since 2022. It’s cheaper than the $304.01 for a family to attend an NHL game this season.
The New York Knicks Are the "Most Expensive"
Costs are down for most teams, but the New York Knicks single-handedly push the average up. Exorbitant ticket costs have pushed an average Knicks game to $831.20, pushing it $270 above the second-priciest team, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Knicks were No. 2 to last year, but No. 1 in a big way now.
The top four most-expensive teams remained the top four, but in a new order. After the Knicks and Lakers, the Golden State Warriors remained No. 3 on the list, followed by the Boston Celtics.
The Oklahoma City Thunder made the biggest leap in cost – not unexpected, as they are the defending NBA champions. The Thunder ranked 26th out of 30 teams in cost last year. Now they’re 10th at $288.64.
The Los Angeles Clippers dropped from No. 5 to 15th, while the Phoenix Suns moved from 14th to 27th, the biggest droppers for 2025-26.
Cheapest Available NBA Ticket
Tickets make up the vast majority of the cost of attending an NBA game. Getting tickets to some games is very easy, for others it’s far more difficult.
We took the cheapest available tickets (4) for home games, only going through official sources and avoiding the secondary market (Ticketmaster standard tickets was the most common team partner). Those tickets were then averaged out for one cost. The tickets used for the formula were for those available as of Oct. 17, 2025.
Knicks games averaged out to a whopping $725.20 for four seats, an increase from $594.40 of just one year ago. The Lakers have a stronghold on the No. 2 spot at $436, with the Celtics and Warriors also coming over $300.
For nearly two-thirds of the NBA – 19 teams – fans can buy four tickets for less than the price of one in New York. Suns tickets can be had for about $17.50 each, thanks surely in part to trading away Kevin Durant to the Rockets. Tickets are also under $20 in Utah and Memphis.
Finding the cheapest available ticket varies wildly depending on the opponent. Teams that charge $20 for an upper-level view when the Hornets come to town will charge well over $100 for the same cushion when it’s Lakers Night.
Lot Parking
Unlike most NFL and MLB stadiums, many NBA arenas don’t have official parking lots or ramps. But most are located in downtown of a major city, offering several available locations to park. Or, in some cases, almost none at all.
We researched available spots within a half-mile from the arena. Overall, costs averaged about $21 across the board.
While ticket prices have dropped for Clippers games, parking is by far the highest in the NBA for the new Intuit Dome. Average costs are $55 to park. The Lakers games in downtown L.A. average $40, and Warriors games in the notoriously pricey Bay Area are $42.
Meanwhile, it’s $10 for less on average at Utah, Dallas, New Orleans and Minnesota games.
Beer & Soda
We took beer prices and converted them all to a 16-ounce size. After doing so, one can really see a dramatic difference in cost, depending on your venue.
Beers are roughly $18 a pop at Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors games, easily the most-expensive suds in the NBA. It’s not a lot cheaper in Brooklyn and Chicago ($16 each).
The same cup of beer costs less than half that in Oklahoma City and Atlanta, where it’s under $8 each.
Soda has its own volatility in prices, but less so than the Over-21 options. It’s over $10 on average in Los Angeles (Lakers), Golden State and Chicago, while it’s under $5 for the same drink in Milwaukee, Cleveland and Atlanta.
Hot Dogs
San Antonio is pretty middle-of-the-road on its drink prices, but nobody comes close to the expense of a hot dog. Four of them will run you over $50. Golden State is No. 2 at about $44.
Four teams – the Bucks, Hawks, Jazz and Grizzlies – offer hot dogs at half the price the Spurs charge.
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