2026 Event Cost Index

What does an event cost in your city?

The same wedding can cost twice as much in one city as another. We indexed event costs across 73 US cities to local labor rates, venue prices, and cost of living — so you can see exactly where your city stands.

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Most expensive event markets

  1. 1.New York, NY~$32,200 wedding
  2. 2.Honolulu, HI~$30,800 wedding
  3. 3.Los Angeles, CA~$29,400 wedding
  4. 4.Seattle, WA~$28,560 wedding
  5. 5.San Francisco, CA~$28,000 wedding

Most affordable event markets

  1. 1.Jackson, MS~$17,920 wedding
  2. 2.Sioux Falls, SD~$18,480 wedding
  3. 3.Fargo, ND~$18,480 wedding
  4. 4.Little Rock, AR~$18,480 wedding
  5. 5.Tulsa, OK~$18,480 wedding

The full 2026 Event Cost Index

All 73 cities, indexed to the San Francisco baseline (100). A score of 85 means events cost about 85% of San Francisco prices.

#
City
Index
Typical wedding
1
New York, NY
115
~$32,200
2
Honolulu, HI
110
~$30,800
3
Los Angeles, CA
105
~$29,400
4
Seattle, WA
102
~$28,560
5
San Francisco, CA
100
~$28,000
6
Boston, MA
100
~$28,000
7
Washington, DC, DC
100
~$28,000
8
San Diego, CA
98
~$27,440
9
San Jose, CA
95
~$26,600
10
Long Beach, CA
95
~$26,600
11
Chicago, IL
92
~$25,760
12
Miami, FL
92
~$25,760
13
Berkeley, CA
92
~$25,760
14
Anchorage, AK
92
~$25,760
15
Portland, OR
90
~$25,200
16
Oakland, CA
90
~$25,200
17
Denver, CO
88
~$24,640
18
Philadelphia, PA
88
~$24,640
19
Austin, TX
85
~$23,800
20
Las Vegas, NV
85
~$23,800
21
Sacramento, CA
85
~$23,800
22
Portland, ME, ME
84
~$23,520
23
Atlanta, GA
82
~$22,960
24
Dallas, TX
82
~$22,960
25
Nashville, TN
82
~$22,960
26
Minneapolis, MN
82
~$22,960
27
Baltimore, MD
82
~$22,960
28
Charleston, SC
82
~$22,960
29
Providence, RI
82
~$22,960
30
Hartford, CT
82
~$22,960
31
Burlington, VT
82
~$22,960
32
Phoenix, AZ
80
~$22,400
33
Tampa, FL
80
~$22,400
34
Orlando, FL
80
~$22,400
35
New Orleans, LA
80
~$22,400
36
Salt Lake City, UT
80
~$22,400
37
Manchester, NH, NH
80
~$22,400
38
Houston, TX
78
~$21,840
39
Charlotte, NC
78
~$21,840
40
Raleigh, NC
78
~$21,840
41
Colorado Springs, CO
78
~$21,840
42
Wilmington, DE
78
~$21,840
43
Richmond, VA
76
~$21,280
44
Virginia Beach, VA
76
~$21,280
45
Savannah, GA
76
~$21,280
46
Columbus, OH
74
~$20,720
47
Milwaukee, WI
74
~$20,720
48
Jacksonville, FL
74
~$20,720
49
Pittsburgh, PA
74
~$20,720
50
Boise, ID
74
~$20,720
51
San Antonio, TX
72
~$20,160
52
Detroit, MI
72
~$20,160
53
St. Louis, MO
72
~$20,160
54
Kansas City, MO
72
~$20,160
55
Cleveland, OH
72
~$20,160
56
Cincinnati, OH
72
~$20,160
57
Indianapolis, IN
72
~$20,160
58
Louisville, KY
72
~$20,160
59
Fresno, CA
72
~$20,160
60
Memphis, TN
70
~$19,600
61
Birmingham, AL
70
~$19,600
62
Albuquerque, NM
70
~$19,600
63
Tucson, AZ
70
~$19,600
64
Omaha, NE
70
~$19,600
65
Oklahoma City, OK
68
~$19,040
66
Des Moines, IA
68
~$19,040
67
Billings, MT
68
~$19,040
68
Cheyenne, WY
68
~$19,040
69
Tulsa, OK
66
~$18,480
70
Little Rock, AR
66
~$18,480
71
Fargo, ND
66
~$18,480
72
Sioux Falls, SD
66
~$18,480
73
Jackson, MS
64
~$17,920

Index based on 2026 local labor rates, venue costs, and cost of living for event services. Typical wedding = 100 guests, mid-range vendors. Click any city for its full cost breakdown.

Cite this data

Writing about event costs? You're welcome to reference the Picnyk Event Cost Index. Please link back to this page as the source.

Suggested citation

“Event Cost Index: How Much Events Cost in 73 US Cities.” Picnyk, 2026. https://www.picnyk.com/cost

Methodology

Costs are modeled per city from 2026 local labor rates, venue pricing, and cost of living for event services, then blended with live vendor rates and market benchmarks where available. Each city page shows its data source and freshness.

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