The Cheapest and Most Expensive US Cities to Rent a Car This Christmas

by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 9:54 AM ET, Wed December 1, 2021

The holidays are here, and with them come family vacations, road trips, get-togethers and other fun travel plans.

It's also no surprise that some places are just going to be more expensive this year, especially when it comes to car rentals. FinanceBuzz collected data on the 100 most popular holiday cities and destinations across the country to make a list of the most expensive and least expensive cities to rent a car this Christmas season.

The Top 10 Most Expensive Cities for Car Rentals

Let's get the bad news over with: the most expensive cities for car rentals are mostly in warmer weather states. In fact, the top three most expensive cities for renting cars this Christmas are in Hawaii!

- Kona, Hawaii - Kona has a daily car rental cost of $195, with a ten-day rental fee of $1,948!
- Lihue, Hawaii - Second place goes to Lihue, with a daily car rental rate of $158.38, for a ten-day rental cost of $1,583.
- Kahului, Hawaii - In third place is Kahului, with a daily car rental rate of $156.55 for a total cost of $1,565 for ten days.
- Fort Myers, Florida - Fourth place goes to Fort Myers, where the daily car rental rate is around $146 for a total of $1,466 for ten days.
- Honolulu, Hawaii - Fifth place goes to another Hawaiian city, Honolulu, where the daily rate is $142 and a ten-day rental costs $1,420.
- Denver, Colorado - Denver takes sixth place, with a daily cost of $114.67 for a grand total of $1,146 for ten days.
- Salt Lake City, Utah - Salt Lake City is the seventh most expensive city in the country for car rentals, with a daily rate of $114 for a total of $1,141 for ten days.
- Chicago, Illinois - Eighth place goes to Chicago, with a daily cost of just under $109 for a ten-day rate of $1,089.
- Minneapolis, Minnesota - Minnesota's daily rental rate is $107, for a ten-day total of $1,070.
- Baltimore, Maryland - In tenth place is Baltimore, where the daily rental rate is $105.90 and the ten-day total is $1,059.

The Least Expensive Cities for Car Rentals

The least expensive cities for renting cars are typically going to be less tourist-heavy destinations in the winter. Anchorage takes the top spot as the least expensive city in the country to rent a car, while two cities in Washington state take prominent spots.

- Anchorage, Alaska - Anchorage is the cheapest city for car rentals in the country, with a daily cost of just under $49 for a total ten-day rental fee of $484.55.
- Cincinnati, Ohio - In second place is Cincinnati, where travelers can book a car for a daily rate of $51.13 for a ten-day cost of $511.
- Spokane, Washington - Spokane takes third place with a daily rate of just under $55 for a total ten-day cost of $544.56.
- Tulsa, Oklahoma - Tulsa is the fourth cheapest city for renting a car, with a daily rate of $55.62 for a ten-day cost of $556.
- Louisville, Kentucky - Fifth place goes to Louisville, where the daily car rental rate is $58 and the ten-day cost is $582.
- Dallas, Texas - Dallas is in sixth place, with a rental rate of just under $59 for a total cost of $588.
- Norfolk, Virginia - Norfolk's daily car rental rate is $60.27, with a ten-day total of just under $603.
- Fort Worth, Texas - Fort Worth takes eighth place, where the car rental rates are about $65 and the ten-day total is $651.
- Oakland, California - Oakland takes ninth place, with a daily rate of $67.69 and a ten-day total cost of $676.87.
- Seattle, Washington - Seattle is the tenth cheapest city for renting a car, with a daily rate of just over $68 and a total ten-day cost of $681.51.