DALLAS — If you’re trying to squeeze in a beachfront vacation before the end of summer, your budget-conscious best price might be closer than you think.
Two Texas towns on the Gulf of Mexico rank among the most inexpensive in the nation, according to Austin-based travel company Upgraded Points. Port Aransas and Galveston claim the fourth and fifth spots in its ranking of beach towns where you’ll spend the least.
A week in Port Aransas costs on average $2,048, while the same stay in Galveston runs $10 more, according to Upgraded Points’ analysis. Only Cedar Key, Fla.; Ocean Springs, Miss.; and Ocean Shores, Wash., are more economical.
Port Aransas broke records last year for visits and visitor spending. A study by Philadelphia-based Tourism Economics showed more than 1 million people traveled to the resort area along the Gulf of Mexico — an increase of 637,000 since 2018. Visitors spent more than $372 million, nearly double what they shelled out in pre-pandemic 2019.
Galveston, the fourth-busiest cruise port in the U.S., reported more than 7 million visitors last year.
The big caveat with Texas beaches this time of year is this: Some of the most popular can contain high levels of fecal bacteria, making them potentially unsafe for swimming. Nonprofit group Environment Texas found that 90 percent of Texas beaches sampled in 2022 for fecal bacteria tested positive at least one day.
Upgraded Points’ researchers analyzed data for 75 of the most popular U.S. beach towns, gathering information on nightly prices from Airbnb listings and hotels with beachfront views. They then extrapolated those prices over a seven-day period.
A weeklong ocean-view rental runs $3,353 on average across all 75 of the destinations. The research determined that beachfront hotels are typically $120 cheaper a night than home rentals.
Here are three other key findings of the research:
- On average, you’ll pay about 27 percent more for an ocean-view vacation home than one without a view. But there are interesting outliers. In Malibu, Calif., there’s an eye-popping $5,383 weekly difference between beachfront and non-beachfront stays. In Myrtle Beach, S.C., it’s just a $35 price gap.
- Booking an ocean-view Airbnb is 25 percent more expensive than renting a hotel room overlooking the water. The typical nightly price to rent an entire beachfront home on the Airbnb is $538 vs. $419 for a beachfront hotel.
- In some destinations, the hotel vs. home difference is even more striking. Take North Carolina’s Outer Banks. In Corolla, N.C., the average nightly price at a beachfront home is $668, while beachfront hotels average $255 — a $413-a-night difference.
If money is no object, Upgraded Points also ranked the most splurge-worthy locations.
Long Island’s popular summertime getaway beaches — Montauk, Southhampton and East Hampton — claimed the top three spots for most expensive destinations. They each average more than $6,000 for a one-week vacation. Malibu and Folly Beach, S.C., took the next two spots.
The travel company advises to also consider the premium you’ll pay to get that waterfront view.
