With the biggest sporting event of the year approaching, so too does an opportune time to review the prices associated with enjoying that experience — whether in the stadium or among the comforts of home. Like last year, this article will break down costs associated with attending the game in person (ticket prices, travel, and accommodations) as well as the cost of hosting a Super Bowl party at home from food and drinks to energy costs. Those prices are all the more meaningful when viewed in historical context, so changes over the past year and since the pandemic are offered to highlight not only the impact of inflation but shifts in the demand for high-end experiences. One of the unseen costs of inflation is the erosion of traditions and cultural celebrations. We can understand the personal finance implications with some Super Bowl fandom data points.
Attending Super Bowl LIX in Person
As Sunday, February 11 approaches, airlines have responded to increased demand by adding flights to New Orleans, leading to elevated airfares. Southwest Airlines has introduced 31 additional flights connecting the championship team cities of Kansas City and Philadelphia to New Orleans, with one-way fares ranging from $384 to $798. Delta Air Lines has added seven extra flights, expanding their typical capacity by 1,300 seats. Those prices vary, with the most basic economy fares from Kansas City starting at $201 and from Philadelphia at $500. Return trips are approaching $980 for return flights on Monday, February 10th.
Despite these additions, the surge in demand has resulted in higher ticket prices compared to typical rates. For instance, flights from Kansas City to New Orleans on Super Bowl Sunday are priced between $300 and nearly $700. Peak demand pricing is a dynamic pricing strategy where the cost of a good or service increases during periods of high demand to balance supply constraints and maximize efficiency. It’s commercially viable because the demand is highly inelastic, with consumers provably willing to pay significantly more even as supply expands.
Travelers should also anticipate increased hotel rates, with some accommodations near the stadium costing between $2,000 to $3,000 for a three-night stay. Overall, attending the Super Bowl, including airfare, lodging, and game tickets, could total between $5,000 and $8,000 per person.
As Super Bowl LIX approaches in New Orleans, both hotel and Airbnb prices have seen significant increases compared to typical rates. Two-star hotels are nearing $1,000 per night, while four- and five-star accommodations often exceed $4,000 per night, typically with a three-night minimum stay requirement. Short-term rentals, such as those on Airbnb, are also experiencing heightened demand, with average nightly rates between $670 and $690 during Super Bowl weekend, substantially higher than the usual sub-$400 per night in New Orleans. In contrast, last year’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas saw hotel rates averaging $747 per night, indicating that current prices in New Orleans are slightly lower on average. However, the limited availability of accommodations in New Orleans compared to Las Vegas has contributed to the surge in prices this year.
Ticket prices, most interestingly, have decreased notably compared with last year. Currently, the average ticket price is approximately $6,552, down from $9,136 for Super Bowl LVIII. Factors contributing to this decline include the Kansas City Chiefs’ frequent recent appearances, leading to fan fatigue, and the larger capacity of New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome, which accommodates around 74,000 spectators. Despite the drop in ticket prices, premium experiences remain available. For instance, luxury suites are offered for up to $2 million, featuring gourmet catering and exclusive amenities. Additionally, official ticket packages through providers like On Location include verified tickets, premium hospitality, and exclusive experiences. Fans of means have a range of options to enhance their Super Bowl experience.
Attending Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans entails various expenses beyond airfare, lodging, and ticket prices. Concession prices within the Caesars Superdome have seen a notable increase, with specialty cocktails like the “Loaded Spicy Bloody Mary” and “Voodoo Magic” priced at $60 each. Gourmet food options, such as Tomahawk steaks and Fried Oyster Po’Boys, are also available at premium prices. Luxury suites, offering exclusive amenities and catering, can cost up to $2 million. In comparison, during last year’s Super Bowl at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, similar luxury suites were priced around $3 million, indicating a decrease in suite costs this year. Overall, while certain premium offerings have become more accessible, attendees should still anticipate elevated prices for food, beverages, and exclusive experiences during the event.
Watching from Your Living Room
Food and drinks for ten people this year will run an estimated $139, up ten cents from last year, according to Wells Fargo. Over the past five years, the average price of a large cheese pizza in the United States has experienced a notable increase. In 2019, prices varied by region, with some areas reporting averages between $15 and $20. By 2024, the national average had risen to $18.33, reflecting a broader trend of rising food costs. Factors contributing to this increase include higher ingredient prices, labor costs, and general inflation. Despite these rising costs, pizza remains a popular choice for events like the Super Bowl, with many consumers seeking out deals and promotions to enjoy this staple affordably.
Over the past year, the price of beer in the United States has seen a modest increase. According to a report from The Associated Press, beer and wine prices have risen by approximately 2 percent compared to the previous year.
Looking back over the past decade, the cost of beer at NFL games has experienced a more significant rise. Data indicates that in 2023, the average price of a beer at an NFL game was $8.81, marking a 25 percent increase over the past ten years. This increase is slower than the overall rate of inflation during the same period.
As the Super Bowl approaches, these price trends are particularly relevant for consumers planning their game-day festivities. While the recent annual increase in beer prices is relatively modest, the cumulative rise over the past decade may influence purchasing decisions for those hosting or attending Super Bowl parties.
Tracking the Changes
Price indices, like all measurement approaches, require tradeoffs. Tracking prices through an index provides a single, aggregate measure of inflation by weighting goods according to their share in overall consumption, which makes it easier to assess broad trends over various periodicities (monthly, annually, etc). That method, however, obscures the price movements of individual goods, meaning that sharp increases or decreases in specific items may be lost within the overall average, masking their real impact on consumers.
For reference, below are the five- and one-year percentage changes in major food (and other relevant) prices. For comparison, the values from last year are available. When considering these five year percent changes in price–eggs, for example, up 170 percent–bear in mind that the US CPI Food-at-Home index shows a 27.6 percent increase from December 2019 (241.750) to December 2024 (308.380) and the headline US CPI suggests a 22.8 percent increase (256.97 in December 2023 to 315.61 in December 2024) over the period. Comparing the five-year changes in individual food prices with either the food-at-home or headline CPI index reveals the subpar representativeness of the official indices.
Dec 2019Dec 2024% chgGrade A Large Eggs$1.54$4.15170.10%Price Frozen Concentrate OJ$2.34$4.2983.60%White Sugar All Sizes$0.59$0.9968.40%Coffee$4.05$6.7867.20%Round Roast Choice Boneless$5.07$7.4947.70%All Ham Ex Canned and Slices$3.04$4.4145.20%Ground Beef 100% Beef$3.86$5.6145.10%Long Grain White Rice$0.71$1.0344.50%Piped Utility Gas$1.06$1.5244.00%Whole Wheat Bread$1.96$2.8042.40%Fresh Whole Chicken$1.45$2.0642.10%White Bread$1.36$1.9140.30%Potato Chips$4.53$6.3239.50%All Uncooked Beef Roasts$5.54$7.7239.40%Grapefruits$1.25$1.7338.20%All Uncooked Beef Steaks$7.71$10.6337.80%Chuck Roast Choice Boneless$5.65$7.7737.60%Sirloin Steak Boneless$8.48$11.6737.60%All Other Uncooked Beef ExVeal$5.05$6.9537.40%Ground Chuck$4.07$5.5837.10%Romaine Lettuce$2.18$2.9736.40%All Uncooked Ground Beef$4.30$5.8636.30%Round Steak Boneless$5.98$8.1436.10%Boneless Ham Excluding Canned$4.07$5.4634.10%Chocolate Chip Cookies$3.58$4.7733.20%All Other Pork Ex Can/Sliced$2.76$3.6632.40%Electricity$0.13$0.1832.30%Ice Cream$4.74$6.2732.30%Boneless Chicken Breast$3.11$4.1031.80%Iceberg Lettuce$1.30$1.7130.80%Lean Ground Beef$5.52$7.1229.10%Fresh Fortified Whole Milk$3.19$4.1028.60%Boneless Beef for Stew$5.75$7.3928.60%All Purpose White Flour$0.43$0.5527.70%Processed American Cheese$3.91$4.9827.50%Malt Beverages$1.42$1.8127.40%All Pork Chops$3.39$4.3127.00%Sliced Bacon$5.47$6.9226.30%Unleaded Premium Gasoline$3.19$3.9824.80%Gasoline All Types$2.65$3.2823.60%Unleaded Midgrade Gasoline$2.92$3.5922.70%Boneless Chops$3.81$4.6622.40%White Potatoes$0.78$0.9521.70%Unleaded Regular Gasoline$2.59$3.1521.60%Center Cut Bone In Chops$3.77$4.5821.40%Chicken Legs Bone In$1.51$1.7818.30%Dried Beans$1.40$1.6618.00%Navel Orange$1.33$1.5617.90%Red and White Table Wine$12.04$13.9916.10%Spaghetti and Macaroni$1.19$1.3816.10%Automotive Diesel Fuel$3.09$3.5214.00%Fuel Oil #2$3.04$3.4613.90%Dry Pint Fresh Strawberries$3.10$3.5113.20%Bananas$0.57$0.627.30%Lemon$2.00$2.126.30%Natural Cheddar Cheese$5.30$5.626.00%Field Grown Tomatoes$1.95$2.075.80%
One year changes in individual goods versus the broader indices show a similar, but smaller, gap. The percent change for the CPI Food-at-Home index from December 2023 to December 2024 is approximately 1.8 percent, while the headline CPI rose roughly 2.9 percent. Over the 12 months displayed, there was in fact some price deflation in goods likely to factor into Super Bowl celebrations: potato chips, chicken legs, and across various grades of gasoline.
Dec 2023Dec 2024% chgGrade A Large Eggs$2.51$4.1565.40%Price Frozen Concentrate OJ$3.72$4.2915.40%Iceberg Lettuce$1.53$1.7111.40%Coffee$6.09$6.7811.20%Romaine Lettuce$2.68$2.9710.60%Ground Chuck$5.12$5.588.90%Round Roast Choice Boneless$6.89$7.498.70%Ground Beef 100% Beef$5.21$5.617.60%Lean Ground Beef$6.67$7.126.70%Piped Utility Gas$1.43$1.526.50%Center Cut Bone In Chops$4.33$4.585.80%Whole Wheat Bread$2.65$2.805.60%Fresh Whole Chicken$1.96$2.065.40%All Uncooked Ground Beef$5.57$5.865.30%Chuck Roast Choice Boneless$7.38$7.775.30%Boneless Beef for Stew$7.03$7.395.20%All Uncooked Beef Roasts$7.35$7.725.00%Red and White Table Wine$13.32$13.995.00%Long Grain White Rice$0.99$1.034.20%Ice Cream$6.02$6.274.20%Electricity$0.17$0.184.10%Dried Beans$1.59$1.664.00%White Sugar All Sizes$0.96$0.993.80%Field Grown Tomatoes$2.00$2.073.60%Malt Beverages$1.75$1.813.60%Lemon$2.07$2.122.70%Fresh Fortified Whole Milk$4.01$4.102.30%Boneless Chops$4.56$4.662.20%Sliced Bacon$6.77$6.922.10%All Purpose White Flour$0.54$0.551.90%Round Steak Boneless$7.99$8.141.80%Natural Cheddar Cheese$5.55$5.621.40%All Pork Chops$4.26$4.311.20%All Other Uncooked Beef ExVeal$6.91$6.950.60%Processed American Cheese$4.96$4.980.50%Boneless Chicken Breast$4.08$4.100.50%All Other Pork Ex Can/Sliced$3.64$3.660.40%Spaghetti and Macaroni$1.38$1.380.20%All Ham Ex Canned and Slices$4.40$4.410.10%All Uncooked Beef Steaks$10.65$10.63-0.20%Sirloin Steak Boneless$11.69$11.67-0.20%Boneless Ham Excluding Canned$5.50$5.46-0.70%White Potatoes$0.96$0.95-1.20%Potato Chips$6.41$6.32-1.30%Bananas$0.63$0.62-1.60%Dry Pint Fresh Strawberries$3.57$3.51-1.90%Navel Orange$1.60$1.56-2.30%Grapefruits$1.78$1.73-2.60%Gasoline All Types$3.41$3.28-3.90%Chicken Legs Bone In$1.86$1.78-4.00%Unleaded Premium Gasoline$4.16$3.98-4.40%Unleaded Regular Gasoline$3.29$3.15-4.40%Unleaded Midgrade Gasoline$3.75$3.59-4.40%White Bread$2.02$1.91-5.50%Chocolate Chip Cookies$5.12$4.77-6.70%Fuel Oil #2$3.82$3.46-9.50%Automotive Diesel Fuel$4.13$3.52-14.80%
If by chance your game-day tradition consists of a breakfast-like meal of omelets, roast beef, orange juice, and coffee, you may consider switching over to a more accommodatingly affordable (and unusual) celebration featuring chicken legs, chocolate chip cookies, and grapefruit. Inflation probably didn’t ruin your Super Bowl party this year, but sluggish disinflation and price spikes in key items made it more expensive than anyone would prefer.
