If you want to get any regular concert-goer’s blood boiling all you have to do is bring up the rising costs of concert tickets. The mere mention of the buying process and especially hidden fees are more likely than not to elicit a monster, expletive filled rant. You’ll almost certainly hear the word “bots” come up about a dozen different times as well. But, while costs have increased across the board as more and more artists come to rely on touring as their primary source of income, not all American cities are created equal, and in some places, the price to see the same artist on the same tour might be double what it costs in other locales.
In a new study conducted by Wanderu, who analyzed the prices out thousands of tickets across the U.S. for shows ranging from Janet Jackson, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, and Lorde to Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars and the Killers, we now have a clearer picture than ever of where the most expensive places to cop a ticket are.
At the very top of the list is Los Angeles, not altogether surprising considering the city’s large population and outsized entertainment presence. Nearby Las Vegas was No. 2 on the list, while Houston, Texas took third. Incredibly, New York City was No. 7, while Chicago was No. 13.
As for the cheapest place in America to buy a concert ticket? Congratulations Grand Rapids, Michigan, you’re lucky No. 47 on the list! Just above them was Buffalo, New York at 46, and then incredibly New Orleans, Louisiana at 45.
You can check out the entire results of the study here.
