2026 Winter Olympics: Total Trip Cost From New York, L.A., Chicago & Houston

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In two months, the eyes of sports fans will be cast upon Milan-Cortina as some of the world’s great athletes compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics. Most of those eyes will watch the games on their televisions or mobile devices, but upwards of 2 million people will travel to the Northern Italian city to see them in person.
Attending any major sporting event is not cheap, but the Olympics rank among the most expensive. In addition, Milan is more than 4,000 miles from the United States, with the Atlantic Ocean bridging the two, so those attending will need to buy a plane ticket.
Cost To Attend Milan Winter Olympics
Because the United States is one of the largest countries in the world, travel costs to the Olympics can vary. At Bookies.com, we wanted to know which of America’s four largest cities was the least expensive gateway to the XXV Winter Olympics.
To do that, we priced a six-day, five-night stay (from Feb. 12 to Feb. 17, during the middle of the games to avoid the peak costs at the beginning and end) in Milan. Our analysis included round-trip airfare, a stay at a three-star hotel, tickets to two events, transportation and dining.
| City | Flight | Lodging | Tickets | Transport | Food | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $432.00 | $890.00 | $594.00 | $75.60 | $320.00 | $2,311.60 |
| Los Angeles | $442.00 | $890.00 | $594.00 | $75.60 | $320.00 | $2,321.60 |
| Chicago | $460.00 | $890.00 | $594.00 | $75.60 | $320.00 | $2,339.60 |
| Houston | $534.00 | $890.00 | $594.00 | $75.60 | $320.00 | $2,413.60 |
As our study shows, the trip per person is relatively the same, with travel from Houston slightly higher due to higher airfare costs.
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What Our Winter Olympics Trips Include
So, what would you get for your trip of up to $2,413.60? Here’s how we broke it down.
Feel free to read it in your favorite game show announcer’s voice.
For airfare, we used Google Flights and identified “reasonable itinerary options” (i.e., no layovers in faraway locales). All flights selected were either direct or included one layover, with seats in the lowest-priced main cabin option.
Lodging is based on the cost of a well-reviewed hotel (7.5 or higher out of 10, with a minimum of 100 reviews) in a safe, central area of Milan. In addition, the hotel stay is based on one occupant per room.
We selected four events scheduled for our stay. The most expensive was a figure skating round, costing €280. Other events considered were a preliminary-round US men’s hockey match (estimated cost €120), an Alpine skiing session (€100) and a US curling qualifying match (€50).
Our transportation costs include €10 a day for mass transit and another €20 for a round-trip shuttle to the airport. We set aside €55 a day for three meals, snacks, and drinks.
Not going to the games? You can still watch your favorite athletes go for the gold from your home, and depending on your location, you can even bet on them as they hit the ice or snow. Check out our sportsbook reviews and be sure to take advantage of the best sports betting promo codes available.
Promo Code: BOOKIESBG150
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