Is Las Vegas expensive, and can you do it on a budget?
1 answer
More expensive than it used to be, mostly because of what is not in the advertised price. It can still be done cheaply if you plan around those extras.
Where the money goes
- A $45 to $55 resort fee on most Strip rooms, plus 13.38% tax on room and fee: a "$69" room becomes $160 or more
- Parking at $20 to $25 a day if you drive
- Cocktails at $22 to $32 on the Strip
- Service fees added to show tickets at checkout
- Event weekends (F1 in November, CES in January, big fights) that can double the room
How to do it cheaply
- Go midweek. The same room is often $120 on a Tuesday and $350 on a Saturday.
- Pick the cheap seasons: summer, or the quiet January weeks.
- Sleep Downtown or fee-free: Casino Royale on the Strip, Four Queens or Binion's on Fremont. Downtown rooms ran about $100 in January 2026 against $215 on the Strip.
- Eat off the Strip or at the food courts.
- Make the free things the itinerary: the Bellagio fountains and Conservatory, Fremont Street's canopy shows, walking the themed resorts.
- Look under $50 for shows; the good cheap ones are mostly magic and comedy.
Our budget line for one person is roughly $100 to $160 a day before flights and gambling, sharing a cheap room. A mid-range couple spends about $1,400 to $2,200 for three nights. Gambling is what blows budgets, so set that number before you land and keep it separate.
The tactics are in Las Vegas on a budget, the full ledger in how much a Las Vegas trip costs, and the extras in hidden fees.