How Much Does a Trip to Las Vegas Cost in 2027?
The honest answer: a three night trip for one person, flying in and sharing a room, costs about $830 budget, $1,600 mid range, or $3,700 splurge in 2027, and the swing factor is rarely the plane ticket. This page shows the whole model: every line item, where each number comes from, and the traps (resort fees, event weekends, drinks math) that move the total. Figures were checked on October 27, 2026; the sourced anchors are named inline, and the scenario tables are planning estimates built from them, which is how we would rather show it than invent a fake average.
The three budgets, line by line (3 nights, per person, room shared by two)
| Line item | Budget | Mid range | Splurge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flights (round trip) | $220 | $348 | $520 |
| Hotel (your half of the room, 3 nights, fee and tax in) | $221 | $429 | $808 |
| Food and drink (3 days) | $180 | $390 | $900 |
| Shows and attractions | $80 | $129 | $350 |
| Getting around | $28 | $55 | $120 |
| Gaming and nightlife (your call) | $100 | $250 | $1,000 |
| Total per person | about $830 | about $1,600 | about $3,700 |
Flights: the anchor is $347.68
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics put the average domestic itinerary fare at Las Vegas at $347.68 in Q2 2026, one of the cheapest big airport averages in the country thanks to the low cost carrier share. The budget line assumes a midweek low cost fare bought ahead; the splurge line assumes mainline times you actually want (for holiday context, Hopper's 2026 index put average domestic round trips at $402 for Thanksgiving and $452 for Christmas). The bigger lever is the weekend: event weekends move Vegas airfares hard, so pick dates with the flight Price Calendar, which rates all 61 weekends through New Year's 2027-28.
Hotels: the room is never the room price
LVCVA's average daily rate for January to July 2026 was $188.04 citywide and $201.82 on the Strip (the softest month, August, averaged $150.32; May peaked at $210.63). Then the fee: Strip resort fees run $45 to $55 a night (Excalibur class $45, MGM Grand $50, Flamingo $50, Caesars Palace $55), and the roughly 13.38% room tax applies to the fee as well. The mid range line above is a $202 room plus a $50 fee: $285.72 a night all in, $857 for three nights, $429 per person sharing. Every major property's fee is in our Las Vegas resort fees guide. Event weekends break the model entirely: the same room can double or triple during the big weekends on the events calendar, which is why date choice is the first budget decision.
Food: the buffet math
The budget day ($60) is the classic pattern: one buffet as the big meal plus cheap eats. The mid range day ($130) buys a serious dinner: Wynn's seafood buffet at $79.99 or a mid tier restaurant, plus drinks. Benchmarks, all from our October 27, 2026 check on the buffet prices page: Garden Court brunch $24.99, Bellagio brunch $44.99, A.Y.C.E. brunch with bottomless mimosas included $44.99, Bacchanal weekend dinner $91.99; add 8.375% tax to all of them, and note that only 11 buffets still operate in the city. Tipping is part of the real number: 18 to 22% on restaurant and bar checks, a dollar or two per drink at the bar, a few dollars a night for housekeeping.
Shows: one anchor each
The mid range show line ($129) is a verified floor: John Mayer at Sphere starts at $129 for his 21 shows in spring 2027 (see the Sphere residency calendar). The budget line buys one mid priced production show or a Sphere film showing; the splurge line is premium seats or resale for a sold out night (Metallica's Sphere run is sold out at primary, so resale is the only route). Book the anchor show first and let the rest of the budget flex around it.
Getting around
The budget line is the monorail: an eTicket day pass is $13.95 (single ride $5.75 eTicket, $6.25 at the machine), and two pass days cover most Strip trips. The mid range line is one taxi each way from the airport: flat rates by zone are $22.25 (south Strip), $26.25 (central) and $30.25 (north), plus the $2.40 airport pickup fee, a $3 card fee if you pay by card, and the tip. The full transport picture is in our getting around Las Vegas guide.
What moves your number
Dates move it most: a Grand Prix, CES or Super Bowl weekend can double the hotel line and add 50% to flights; the F1 week cost guide shows the extreme version. Room sharing halves the hotel line, the single biggest structural saving. Drinks are the silent line: a $32.99 unlimited package (Wynn's Endless Pour) can be cheaper than three Strip cocktails. Gaming is the only line that is purely your decision, so we show it as an explicit budget line instead of pretending it is zero or infinite.
Planning a specific month? The Las Vegas events calendar shows which weekends to grab and which to avoid, month by month.