Super Bowl weekend is coming up fast, and the same question shows up every year: is a ticket worth what it costs?
The sticker shock is real, but the bigger story is how uneven it is across the country. The exact same seat can feel like a painful splurge in one city, and a full-on budget wrecking ball in another.
To show that difference more clearly, The Action Network built the Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index. It lines up the cost of one average Super Bowl ticket with what households typically earn and spend each month across U.S. cities.
The ticket price used here is a national average of $6,773, based on entry-level listings across major marketplaces including Ticketmaster, StubHub, SeatGeek, and Vivid Seats. Each city’s score is basically a “how hard does this hit” measure across everyday budget categories. Higher score, tougher trade-offs.
Key Highlights
- Topeka, Kansas ranks as the most financially burdensome city overall, with a Ticket Burden Index score of 61.99. Utilities and transportation alone equal more than seven years of typical household spending.
- Fremont, California is the least burdensome city in the study, scoring 17.63 and requiring just 72 work hours to match the price of a Super Bowl ticket.
- Alabama shows up most often among the most burdensome cities, with Mobile, Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Montgomery, Alabama all ranking near the top.
- California dominates the least-burdensome side, making up most of the cities at the bottom of the Ticket Burden Index.
- San Juan, Puerto Rico has the longest work-time burden at 454 work hours per ticket, and it also carries the highest grocery burden at 16.93 months.
- Elgin, Illinoisrecords the highest utilities burden, where one Super Bowl ticket equals 67.73 months of typical utility bills.
Top 10 Most Financially Burdensome Cities for a Super Bowl Ticket
These are the cities where a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket puts the most pressure on a typical household budget, once you stack it up against local income and monthly bills. It’s not just “tickets are pricey”: it’s what that price means where you live.
1. Topeka, Kansas
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 61.99
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 224 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 8.75 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 30.85 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 15.39 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 53.44 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 15.12 months
For Topeka residents, this ticket comes with a long list of trade-offs. Utilities alone run more than four years of typical spending, and transportation and groceries are right there too. Even with rent staying “only” moderate, the total across everyday categories is heavy.
2. Mobile, Alabama
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 59.96
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 249 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 5.99 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 37.31 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 16.93 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 40.53 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 14.85 months
In Mobile, housing isn’t the main problem. The grind is the monthly stuff you can’t dodge like transportation (37.31 months) and utilities (40.53 months). Both clear three years, and that’s before you even get to groceries or childcare.
3. Jackson, Mississippi
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 56.62
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 287 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 7.05 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 37.95 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 11.29 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 27.57 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 15.12 months
Jackson doesn’t have one single category doing all the damage. It’s the mix. Transportation, groceries, rent, and childcare all take serious chunks, so the ticket price ends up fighting with multiple “real life” expenses at the same time.
4. Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 53.58
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 256 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 5.68 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 37.31 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 6.25 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 43.14 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 14.85 months
Tuscaloosa’s numbers are driven by the fixed monthly bills. Transportation and utilities are the big ones here, even though rent stays relatively modest compared to the cities where housing is the whole story.
5. Enterprise, Nevada
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 53.34
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 133 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 12.31 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 34.00 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 11.29 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 30.79 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 14.11 months
Enterprise is the rent problem. Rent alone comes out to 12.31 months per ticket, more than a full year. Even with fewer work hours needed, housing is what pushes this city into the top tier of burden.
6. Macon, Georgia
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 52.95
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 247 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 5.18 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 33.81 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 4.67 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 56.44 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 14.85 months
Macon is here because of utilities. In this top 10, it has the biggest utilities burden, with 56.44 months of typical utility spending tied to one ticket. That’s close to five years, for one seat.
7. San Juan, Puerto Rico
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 52.54
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 454 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 3.74 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 30.10 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 7.58 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 18.91 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 16.93 months
San Juan is the clearest example of an income squeeze. It takes 454 work hours to match the ticket price, the longest work-time burden of any city in the study.
8. Evansville, Indiana
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 52.29
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 243 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 5.88 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 27.55 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 24.63 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 25.24 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 14.85 months
Evansville gets dragged up by childcare. At 24.63 months per ticket, you’re talking about roughly two years of typical childcare spending to match the cost of one ticket.
9. Montgomery, Alabama
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 51.98
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 223 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 6.23 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 37.31 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 5.99 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 40.44 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 14.85 months
Montgomery is another place where transportation and utilities do the most damage. When those bills alone stretch into multiple years of typical spending, it’s tough to justify putting a Super Bowl ticket ahead of everything else.
10. Clarksville, Tennessee
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 51.75
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 193 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 5.17 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 36.57 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 9.12 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 43.14 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 14.98 months
Clarksville closes out the top 10 with the same pattern. Transportation and utilities are the biggest weight, and they add up fast relative to a single purchase like a Super Bowl ticket.
The 10 U.S. Cities Where Super Bowl Tickets Are Least Burdensome
A $6,773 Super Bowl ticket is still a lot of money anywhere. But in these cities, local income lines up better with everyday costs, so the ticket price doesn’t bulldoze the monthly budget in the same way.
1. Fremont, California
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 17.63
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 72 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 2.41 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 24.33 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 3.80 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 19.99 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 13.33 months
Fremont ranks as the least burdensome city overall. The cleanest signal is the work-time number: 72 hours to reach the ticket price.
2. Pasadena, California
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 18.00
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 124 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 1.96 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 24.33 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 1.74 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 20.51 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 13.33 months
Pasadena stands out because rent and childcare are relatively low. That takes two big pressure points off the table.
3. Sunnyvale, California
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 18.64
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 69 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 2.03 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 24.33 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 3.20 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 26.58 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 13.33 months
Sunnyvale stays low on burden because the work-time trade-off is small, 69 hours per ticket. Utilities run higher, but earnings keep the overall hit in check.
4. San Mateo, California
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 19.47
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 81 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 2.08 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 24.33 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 3.80 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 26.11 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 13.33 months
San Mateo doesn’t have a single category that runs away from the rest. It’s a pretty even mix, so the ticket price isn’t colliding with one huge monthly bill.
5. San Francisco, California
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 19.72
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 88 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 1.98 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 24.33 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 2.18 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 29.77 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 13.33 months
Even with higher living costs, San Francisco ends up among the least burdensome because the work-time hit is still relatively low at 88 hours, and the rest of the categories don’t spike into an extreme outlier.
6. San Jose, California
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 19.84
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 89 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 2.23 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 24.33 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 3.80 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 25.49 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 13.33 months
San Jose follows the same pattern as nearby high-income markets: fewer work hours needed, and pretty steady costs across the board.
7. Santa Clara, California
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 20.74
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 73 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 2.30 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 24.33 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 3.37 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 31.07 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 13.33 months
Santa Clara’s work-time burden is low at 73 hours, which carries a lot of the weight here. Utilities are higher, but not enough to change the overall picture.
8. Seattle, Washington
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 21.15
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 104 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 2.77 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 25.59 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 2.64 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 23.38 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 13.44 months
Seattle lands in this group because the costs are fairly balanced. No single line item overwhelms the rest.
9. Anchorage, Alaska
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 21.17
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 126 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 4.48 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 26.37 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 5.84 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 23.26 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 11.14 months
Anchorage stands out on groceries. At 11.14 months per ticket, that category is less burdensome than in most cities in the study, which helps offset the higher rent.
10. Santa Clarita, California
Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index (Out of 100): 21.25
Local cost equivalents for a $6,773 Super Bowl ticket
- Work hours (per ticket): 104 hours
- Rent months (per ticket): 2.33 months
- Transport months (per ticket): 24.33 months
- Childcare months (per ticket): 3.37 months
- Utilities months (per ticket): 28.28 months
- Grocery months (per ticket): 13.33 months
Santa Clarita rounds out the list with pretty moderate numbers across categories. Nothing goes off the rails, which is the whole reason it ends up in the least-burdensome group.
To dig deeper than the overall rankings, we also broke the index out by category, because ticket burden isn’t driven by the same costs everywhere.
Use the interactive panels below to toggle between categories and compare the most and least burdensome cities across each cost category.
What This Means for Fans Going Forward
Super Bowl ticket prices keep climbing, and the “can I even justify this?” math depends a lot on where you live. Same seat, same face value, totally different hit once you stack it against local income and the bills you already pay every month. That’s what the Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index is trying to show. In some cities, it’s a short-term splurge. In others, it’s the kind of purchase that crowds out basics for months, sometimes longer.
So yeah, getting to the game isn’t only about how big of a fan you are. It’s also about regional financial pressure, and how much breathing room your budget actually has. And still, plenty of people don’t treat the Super Bowl like a spreadsheet problem. They save for it, they make it a tradition, or they do it once because they want the story.
And for fans who want a little extra sweat on every drive, some like to check out the best Super Bowl betting promos ahead of kickoff. You can also browse current sportsbook offers, including the BetMGM Bonus Code.
Methodology
The Super Bowl Ticket Burden Index measures how difficult it is for residents in different U.S. cities to afford one average Super Bowl ticket. It does that by comparing the ticket’s cost with what households typically earn and spend each month where they live.
The analysis uses a national average Super Bowl ticket price of $6,773, based on entry-level prices across major ticket marketplaces including Ticketmaster, StubHub, SeatGeek, and Vivid Seats. That same ticket price is applied across all cities so the differences reflect local household finances.
For each city, the ticket price is compared with monthly household income and five common household costs:
- Income
- Rent
- Transportation
- Childcare
- Utilities
- Groceries
Local data comes from widely used public sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economic Policy Institute, and Numbeo.
Each category shows how many months of income or household spending it would take for the average household to equal the cost of one Super Bowl ticket.
Index scoring
- 0 means the city where it takes the fewest months to match the ticket price
- 100 means the city where it takes the most months to match the ticket price
- Higher scores indicate that a Super Bowl ticket represents a greater financial burden for local residents
