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 80 US cities to local labor rates, venue prices, and cost of living — so you can see exactly where your city stands.

Calculate your event cost See the rankings

Most expensive event markets

  1. 1.New York, NY~$32,200 wedding
  2. 2.St. Helena, CA~$31,920 wedding
  3. 3.Atherton, CA~$31,360 wedding
  4. 4.Napa, CA~$31,360 wedding
  5. 5.Honolulu, HI~$30,800 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 80 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
St. Helena, CA
114
~$31,920
3
Atherton, CA
112
~$31,360
4
Napa, CA
112
~$31,360
5
Honolulu, HI
110
~$30,800
6
Palo Alto, CA
108
~$30,240
7
Menlo Park, CA
108
~$30,240
8
Sonoma, CA
108
~$30,240
9
Los Angeles, CA
105
~$29,400
10
Mountain View, CA
104
~$29,120
11
Seattle, WA
102
~$28,560
12
San Francisco, CA
100
~$28,000
13
Boston, MA
100
~$28,000
14
Washington, DC, DC
100
~$28,000
15
San Diego, CA
98
~$27,440
16
San Jose, CA
95
~$26,600
17
Long Beach, CA
95
~$26,600
18
Chicago, IL
92
~$25,760
19
Miami, FL
92
~$25,760
20
Berkeley, CA
92
~$25,760
21
Anchorage, AK
92
~$25,760
22
Portland, OR
90
~$25,200
23
Oakland, CA
90
~$25,200
24
Denver, CO
88
~$24,640
25
Philadelphia, PA
88
~$24,640
26
Austin, TX
85
~$23,800
27
Las Vegas, NV
85
~$23,800
28
Sacramento, CA
85
~$23,800
29
Portland, ME, ME
84
~$23,520
30
Atlanta, GA
82
~$22,960
31
Dallas, TX
82
~$22,960
32
Nashville, TN
82
~$22,960
33
Minneapolis, MN
82
~$22,960
34
Baltimore, MD
82
~$22,960
35
Charleston, SC
82
~$22,960
36
Providence, RI
82
~$22,960
37
Hartford, CT
82
~$22,960
38
Burlington, VT
82
~$22,960
39
Phoenix, AZ
80
~$22,400
40
Tampa, FL
80
~$22,400
41
Orlando, FL
80
~$22,400
42
New Orleans, LA
80
~$22,400
43
Salt Lake City, UT
80
~$22,400
44
Manchester, NH, NH
80
~$22,400
45
Houston, TX
78
~$21,840
46
Charlotte, NC
78
~$21,840
47
Raleigh, NC
78
~$21,840
48
Colorado Springs, CO
78
~$21,840
49
Wilmington, DE
78
~$21,840
50
Richmond, VA
76
~$21,280
51
Virginia Beach, VA
76
~$21,280
52
Savannah, GA
76
~$21,280
53
Columbus, OH
74
~$20,720
54
Milwaukee, WI
74
~$20,720
55
Jacksonville, FL
74
~$20,720
56
Pittsburgh, PA
74
~$20,720
57
Boise, ID
74
~$20,720
58
San Antonio, TX
72
~$20,160
59
Detroit, MI
72
~$20,160
60
St. Louis, MO
72
~$20,160
61
Kansas City, MO
72
~$20,160
62
Cleveland, OH
72
~$20,160
63
Cincinnati, OH
72
~$20,160
64
Indianapolis, IN
72
~$20,160
65
Louisville, KY
72
~$20,160
66
Fresno, CA
72
~$20,160
67
Memphis, TN
70
~$19,600
68
Birmingham, AL
70
~$19,600
69
Albuquerque, NM
70
~$19,600
70
Tucson, AZ
70
~$19,600
71
Omaha, NE
70
~$19,600
72
Oklahoma City, OK
68
~$19,040
73
Des Moines, IA
68
~$19,040
74
Billings, MT
68
~$19,040
75
Cheyenne, WY
68
~$19,040
76
Tulsa, OK
66
~$18,480
77
Little Rock, AR
66
~$18,480
78
Fargo, ND
66
~$18,480
79
Sioux Falls, SD
66
~$18,480
80
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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