Going to NFL games has gotten more and more expensive, with the average 2022 ticket price coming in at $111.75, but some fan bases are forced to shell out much more money to attend games than others. In addition to ticket prices, fans must also consider the costs of concessions and parking when determining the affordability of their NFL gameday experiences.
Which team's home games offer the best bargains in the NFL? Here are some of the most affordable gameday experiences for fans.
Ticket Prices
There's a dramatic difference in ticket prices between the cheapest and priciest NFL venues, as average 2022 prices ranged from $84.76 (Jacksonville) to $153.47 (Vegas). With such limited gate revenue, it's no wonder the NFL sends the Jaguars to London every chance they get. Other teams with sub-$100 tickets were the Bengals ($87.36), Chargers ($89.01), Bills ($89.65), Cardinals ($91.34), Lions ($91.89), Dolphins ($94.95), Jets ($98.21), and Colts ($99.51). On the opposite end of the spectrum, the priciest tickets after the Raiders belonged to the 49ers ($144.81), Packers ($134.81), Patriots ($131.45), and Bears ($130.29), with the rest of the league somewhere between $100 and $130.
Affordable Gameday Concessions
Paying for tickets is one thing, but what about costs when you're actually at the game? When it comes to affordable concessions, the Falcons are in a league of their own relative to the rest of the NFL. Falcons owner Arthur Blank has made sure food and drinks at Mercedes-Benz Stadium remain affordable, even through the recent inflation on seemingly everything else. Fans in Atlanta still enjoy $5 beers and $2 hotdogs, and affordable concessions coupled with middling ticket prices ($110.66) lead to all-in average costs of just $135.67 to go see a Falcons game. Miami's Hard Rock Stadium isn't too far behind when it comes to affordable concessions, matching Atlanta's $5 beers while charging a reasonable $4 per hot dog.
Pricy GameDay Experiences
While NFL fans in the Southeast United States enjoy some of the best deals on gameday, a few of the priciest NFL experiences are found in the Southwest, namely at Allegiant Stadium (Raiders), SoFi Stadium (Chargers/Rams), and Levi's Stadium (49ers). Along with the league's most expensive tickets, Vegas also has the priciest parking at $100, but at least the team dropped hot dog prices from $8 to $3. Throw in $10 beers, and you get a staggering $266.47 for a gameday experience consisting of an average ticket, a parking spot, a hot dog, and a beer in Vegas. SoFi Stadium has the priciest beer + hot dog combo of $19 ($11 per beer, $8 per hot dog), and the parking ($80) costs almost as much as the average Chargers ticket. San Francisco has the second-highest overall gameday price after Vegas, as the 49ers charge $85 for parking and $17 for a beer+hot dog for all-in gameday costs of $246.81.
Best Bargains in the NFL
Atlanta's cheap concessions put the Falcons near the top of the list, but there are even better deals to be found around the NFL than Atlanta's $135.67 all-in price. A hot dog and a beer cost under $12 combined in Cincinnati and tickets are just $87.36, but $40 parking bumps the Bengals into honorable mention territory alongside the Falcons. Ditto for the Bills and Lions, so now these four teams have something else in common besides having failed to win a Super Bowl.
The Dolphins' $94.95 average ticket is accompanied by $9 concessions and $25 parking, which works out to a total of $128.95. Cardinals fans can park for $20 and enjoy a beer ($7) and hot dog ($4.75) for $11.75. Throw in Arizona's $91.34 ticket and you get an all-in gameday cost of just $123.09, so you don't have to be Mahomes to get the Patrick Price at State Farm Stadium. Jacksonville has the cheapest ticket ($84.76) and $20 parking, so even though a beer ($11.50) and a hot dog ($6.75) at EverBank Stadium work out to one of the NFL's priciest combos at $18.25, the Jaguars still wind up with the league's most affordable all-around gameday experience at $123.01, edging out the Cardinals by a mere eight cents.
