The Real Cost of Attending a Daytona 500 Weekend in 2026

As one of NASCAR’s biggest weekends, the 2026 Daytona 500 combines race-day demand with live entertainment, including a Miranda Lambert pre-race concert, helping push lodging prices higher.

VegasInsider analyzed Airbnb and Booking.com pricing snapshots and found that average nightly accommodation rates for two adults rise from $249 on a normal weekend to $588 on Daytona 500 weekend—an increase of 136.1%.

In plain terms: race weekend acts like a surge-pricing window. If you’re traveling for the event, lodging is likely to be your biggest cost driver before food, transportation, and other expenses are added.

Key Takeaways

• Overall average nightly accommodation rises from $249 to $588 on Daytona 500 weekend (+136.1%).
• Airbnb nightly rates increase from $334 to $623 (+86.5%).
• Booking.com nightly rates increase from $164 to $553 (+237.2%), the largest jump in this dataset.
• Estimated Daytona weekend trip cost (accommodation + tickets) is $1,828 for a couple and $2,715.20 for a family of four.
• The average estimated per-person trip cost is $914 (based on the couple scenario).
• In Daytona Beach, that $914 equals 23.04% of monthly median household income and about 7.01 days of income.
• Across Florida places in this dataset, the per-person estimate ranges from 8.26% of monthly household income in Weston to 25.05% in Gainesville.
• For major Florida cities, the per-person estimate equals 19.99% in Miami, 16.54% in Orlando, and 16.42% in Tampa.

Accommodation Cost Jump During Daytona 500 Weekend

To showcase the Daytona 500 effect on lodging prices, we used the same 2-adult settings on Airbnb and Booking.com and compared race weekend rates with a normal weekend baseline.

This comparison shows a clear event premium across both platforms. Booking.com records the steepest increase (+237.2%), while Airbnb also rises sharply (+86.5%) versus the normal-weekend baseline. Overall accommodation rates increase by +136.1%.

How Big a Role Ticket Prices Play in Daytona 500 Weekend Costs

Ticket demand is through the roof, and Daytona International Speedway directs buyers and sellers of reserved grandstand seats to Ticketmaster, NASCAR’s official ticket marketplace, so we use an average two-ticket cost of $652 based on observed listings ranging from $408.60 to $1,366.54.

How Much a Daytona 500 Weekend Costs: Couple vs Family

A Daytona 500 trip cost can vary significantly depending on who you’re traveling with.

To make that difference clear, we modeled two common travel scenarios: a couple (2 adults) and a family of four.

Note: Family-of-4 accommodation is estimated using a +20% base-case uplift from observed 2-adult rates; actual family pricing may vary by property type, occupancy limits, and extra-guest fees.

Total trip cost rises sharply with group size, increasing from $1,828 for a couple to $2,715.20 for a family of four (+$887.20, +48.5%).

Tickets are the largest scaling cost, with spend doubling from $652 (2 tickets) to $1,304 (4 tickets), adding $652 on its own.

Accommodation costs also rise with occupancy, with the modeled 2-night total increasing from $1,176 for a couple to $1,411.20 for a family (+$235.20).

Platform pricing remains directionally consistent in this snapshot, with Booking.com lower than Airbnb for both scenarios (Couple: $1,106 vs $1,246; Family: $1,327.20 vs $1,495.20).

Even before adding food, fuel, parking, and local transport, the modeled base totals are already high at roughly $1.8K for couples and $2.7K for families.

How Big Is This Cost for Florida Households?

Because the Daytona 500 is an in-state event for many Florida residents, we compared the average estimated per-person trip cost ($914) against ACS median household income across Florida places with populations over 50,000.

Florida Affordability Snapshot 

• Daytona Beach ranks 78th out of 80, with the per-person cost equal to 23.04% of monthly median household income.
• Most affordable in this dataset: Weston, FL, where the per-person cost equals 8.26% of monthly median household income.
• Least affordable in this dataset: Gainesville, FL, where the same cost equals 25.05% of monthly median household income.
• In Miami, the $914 per-person estimate equals about 19.99% of monthly median household income.
• In Orlando and Tampa, the same cost equals about 16.54% and 16.42%, respectively, showing that even in larger markets the trip can still represent a sizable monthly-income share.

This indicates that Daytona 500 travel costs can create a meaningful monthly income burden for many Florida households, with the pressure most pronounced in lower-income markets.

The Big Picture: Fan Cost Impact

Daytona 500 weekend pricing is far above a typical February weekend, reflecting a concentrated demand spike in a short travel window. For fans, that creates a high entry cost even for a two-night trip, and for families, total spend scales quickly as ticket volume increases.

For Floridians, this means the race can still take a meaningful share of monthly household income, especially in lower-income markets, despite avoiding long-distance travel. For out-of-state U.S. travelers, added airfare or long-drive costs, extra nights, and local transport can push total trip spend well beyond the base estimates shown here.

From a local market standpoint, this demand pattern can support stronger weekend tourism revenue, but it also raises affordability pressure for price-sensitive fans.

Methodology

We analyzed publicly available accommodation pricing snapshots for Daytona 500 weekend and compared them with a normal-weekend benchmark.

Dates Used

• Daytona 500 weekend: February 13–15, 2026
• Normal weekend benchmark: the weekend after Daytona 500

Accommodation Inputs

• Airbnb
• Booking.com
• Base observed rates reflect 2-adult search settings

Ticket Inputs

• Average listed cost for 2 Daytona 500 tickets: $652
• Implied average per ticket: $326

Travel Group Assumptions

• Couple scenario = 2 adults, 2-night stay, 2 tickets
• Family scenario = 4 travelers, 2-night stay, accommodation uplifted by +20%, 4 paid tickets

Affordability Model

• Income source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2022 5-year, Florida place-level median household income
• Universe: Florida places with population 50,000+
• Metrics:
  • Cost as % of monthly income
  • Days of income needed
  • Affordability rank (lower burden = more affordable)

Note: Children may be free in some event/ticket contexts depending on policy and inventory. To keep estimates conservative and consistent, family ticket totals are modeled using four paid tickets.