Disneyland tops list of America’s least affordable theme parks

Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park have tied for the bottom spot in a new industry ranking of America’s least affordable theme parks, each carrying an estimated cost of $331.03 per visitor for a single day, according to a report released this month by vacation rental company HomeToGo.

The HomeToGo Theme Park Index measured 40 theme parks across more than 20 states, combining the price of a single-day adult ticket, one day of parking, and the median per-person cost of a nearby vacation rental. Data for the 2026 edition was collected in June, with the two Anaheim parks landing at the very bottom of the list — each with a $199 ticket, $40 in parking and $92.03 in average lodging costs factored into the total.

Disney properties dominated the bottom of the rankings. Florida’s Magic Kingdom came in third-most expensive nationally at $296.80 per visitor, followed by Animal Kingdom at $271.80. Epcot and Hollywood Studios tied at $257.16 apiece. In all, six of the ten priciest parks in the country belong to Disney.

Universal Studios Hollywood, at $268.39, was the only non-Disney California park to crack the top 10 most expensive, while Universal’s Florida properties — Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida — tied at $246.66 each. Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park rounded out the top 10 at $231.91.

At the other end of the scale, Connecticut’s Quassy Amusement Park was ranked the most affordable theme park in the country, at just $76.43 per visitor, according to the index. Fun Spot America in Orlando followed at $117.56, with Arizona’s Castles N’ Coasters at $129.63, Georgia’s Wild Adventures at $131.84 and Oklahoma’s Six Flags Frontier City at $131.87 rounding out the five most affordable parks.

For a family of four, a day at either Disneyland property would run upward of $1,324 just for hotel, parking and admission — not accounting for airfare, meals, or other trip expenses, per the report’s methodology.

The rankings arrive as Disney’s domestic theme parks have shown signs of softening attendance even as ticket and resort prices continue to climb. In its fiscal second-quarter 2026 earnings, covering the three months ending March 28, domestic park attendance slipped 1% year over year, even as the company’s Experiences division posted record quarterly revenue and operating income of $9.5 billion and $2.6 billion, respectively. Disney attributed the decline largely to softer international visitation and said guest spending per capita rose during the quarter.

HomeToGo’s index calculated ticket prices based on the lowest available single-park, single-day adult admission purchased online in advance, using an Aug. 8, 2026, reference date where dynamic pricing applied. Parking costs reflect advance online purchase prices, and lodging figures represent the median nightly per-person cost of a vacation rental near each park for a 2026 check-in date. The company said all prices are subject to change.

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