Cheapest places to travel in December: a week costs $1,309 in Myrtle Beach and $3,283 in Key West

Most "cheap December trips" lists are a mood board with no prices. We went to a number you can check. The General Services Administration publishes the lodging and meal rates that federal agencies use to reimburse employees on official travel, and the FY2027 rates took effect October 1, 2026. They are set by place and by season, which makes them a clean way to see where December is cheap and where it is the peak.

The result is not the one you would guess. The same month that empties out Chicago and Boston is the most expensive time of the year in New York City.

What a December week costs, ranked

Each total is seven nights of lodging plus seven days of meals and incidentals at the rates that apply on December 1 through 31, 2026. Example: Orlando is 7 x $145 + 7 x $80 = $1,575. Airfare, a rental car, tickets and taxes are not included.

Place	Lodging a night	Meals a day	Seven days
Myrtle Beach, SC	$113	$74	$1,309
Galveston, TX	$116	$74	$1,330
Flagstaff / Grand Canyon, AZ	$113	$80	$1,351
San Antonio, TX	$149	$74	$1,561
Orlando, FL	$145	$80	$1,575
Asheville, NC	$145	$80	$1,575
Santa Fe, NM	$148	$80	$1,596
Las Vegas, NV	$147	$86	$1,631
Savannah, GA	$153	$80	$1,631
Tucson, AZ	$154	$80	$1,638
Chicago, IL	$148	$92	$1,680
New Orleans, LA	$162	$80	$1,694
Phoenix / Scottsdale, AZ	$165	$86	$1,757
Denver, CO	$170	$92	$1,834
Palm Springs, CA	$186	$86	$1,904
Napa, CA	$194	$92	$2,002
San Diego, CA	$208	$86	$2,058
Washington, DC	$203	$92	$2,065
Boston, MA	$213	$92	$2,135
Miami, FL	$219	$92	$2,177
Naples, FL	$267	$80	$2,429
New York City	$358	$92	$3,150
Key West, FL	$383	$86	$3,283

Source: GSA FY2027 per diem rates file, which we downloaded on November 3, 2026. This is a sample of 23 popular places, not every US destination, so "cheapest" here means cheapest of these.

Where December is the discount month

The better question than "what is cheap" is "where is December cheaper than the rest of the year." On the GSA schedule, these places drop their lodging rate in winter:

• Chicago: $148 a night from December 1 through March 31, against $238 from April to June and $232 in October and November. December is 38% below the yearly peak.
• Boston: $213 from November through February, against $365 in October and September. That is 42% below the peak.
• Myrtle Beach: $113 from November through February, against $202 in June through August, 44% lower.
• Washington, DC: $203 from November through February, against $295 from March through June, 31% lower.
• Napa: $194 from December through March, against $266 the rest of the year, 27% lower.
• Flagstaff / Grand Canyon: $113 from November through February, against $152 in the other months, 26% lower.
• Phoenix / Scottsdale and Tucson: $165 and $154 in December, against peaks of $232 (February and March) and $208 (January to March), so December is 29% and 26% below the winter high.

Orlando sits at its low rate of $145 through December 31, then rises to $178 on January 1. Las Vegas is at $147 until the end of December and $173 from January to March. If your dates are flexible, early December in those two cities is the cheaper side of a seasonal step.

Where December is the peak

New York City's December rate of $358 a night is the highest of the year, and the same rate applies in October and September. In January and February it falls to $189. A week in the city is $3,150 in December against about $1,967 in January on the same method (7 x $189 + 7 x $92). That is roughly $1,180 for the same week, a month apart.

Florida's resort towns also step up. Miami goes from $151 in October and November to $219 on December 1, a rise of 45%. Naples goes from $170 to $267, up 57%. Key West goes from $279 to $383 and reaches $452 from February through April. If your plan is beaches, the cheaper December picks on this list are the Gulf Coast of Texas and the Carolinas, not South Florida.

What the numbers do not tell you

This is a benchmark, not a hotel quote. The GSA rate is a ceiling the government will reimburse for a mid-priced room in that county, and it sets one rate for the whole month. Real prices in the week of Christmas and New Year's can be higher than the monthly figure, and a boutique hotel can cost much more or a motel much less. Treat the table as a way to compare places with each other, then check live prices for your own dates. The meals figure is also a per-person daily allowance, so a family should multiply it.

Flights: the booking window is open now

In its holiday travel trends post of October 5, 2026, Google said that for domestic trips the lowest average fare comes 39 days before departure, and fares stay low from 22 to 57 days out. Counting from today, November 3, 39 days out is a December 12 departure. For a December 12 trip, that window ran from October 16 to November 20.

For Mexico and the Caribbean, Google puts the low point at 43 days out, with a range of 24 to 69 days. That is a December 16 departure today. For Christmas, it says the low point is 56 days before departure and the best deals fall between late October and mid-November, five days earlier than last year. For a December 25 departure, 56 days out was October 30, and the 33 to 67 day range runs from October 19 to November 22.

Two more Google findings help a budget trip. Flying out Monday and back Tuesday or Wednesday saves about 14% against weekend flights, and nonstop tickets cost 20% more on average than connecting flights. We cover the day-of-week data in our guide to the cheapest days to fly. These are averages across routes, so test your own dates in a fare calendar before you commit.

How to pick

• If you want the lowest total: Myrtle Beach, Galveston and Flagstaff are all under $1,400 for the week on this benchmark, though the first two are beach towns in the off-season.
• If you want warm weather without the Florida step: Phoenix, Tucson and Las Vegas are $1,631 to $1,757 for a week and their December rates are below their winter peaks.
• If you want a city trip: Chicago ($1,680) and Boston ($2,135) are the big December markdowns. New York is the opposite.
• If you can move your dates: early January saves money in Santa Fe ($129 a night from January 1, against $148 in December) and Asheville ($125, against $145).

For the longer view, see what a week in Lonely Planet's US picks costs. This guide covers US destinations only. We did not price international trips, so check entry rules for any foreign destination on the State Department's travel.state.gov before you book.

FAQ

What is the cheapest US place to travel in December? Of the 23 places we priced, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, at $1,309 for seven nights and meals, followed by Galveston, Texas ($1,330) and Flagstaff, Arizona ($1,351).

Is December a cheap month to travel? It depends on the place. On government rates, December is well below the yearly peak in Chicago, Boston and Myrtle Beach, and it is the most expensive time of year in New York City.

What are these rates based on? The GSA per diem rates for fiscal year 2027, which federal agencies use for lodging and meals and incidentals on official travel. They are a benchmark, not a hotel's price.

When should I book flights for a December trip? Google's data puts the lowest average domestic fare at 39 days before departure, so a December 12 trip is at its low point on November 3. For Christmas, its best window was late October to mid-November.

Sources: GSA FY2027 per diem rates (gsa.gov); Google, "Wheels up: Trends and tips for 2026 holiday travel," October 5, 2026. Totals and percentages are our own arithmetic from those figures. Rates are benchmarks and actual prices vary. Information, not travel or financial advice.