Who Has the Cheapest Parking?
Short answer
The cheapest street meters among the 50 largest U.S. cities cost $1.00 an hour downtown, in El Paso, Detroit, Albuquerque and Omaha. The cheapest major-airport parking is $9 a day in economy lots at Kansas City (MCI), Indianapolis (IND) and Columbus (CMH). Chicago ($7.00 an hour) and LAX ($60 a day) cost the most. Rates checked November 5, 2026.
Street meters in the 50 largest U.S. cities
Downtown hourly meter rate as each city publishes it. 26 of the 50 largest cities publish one downtown rate; the rest publish only a range, post rates on the meter or publish none, so they are not ranked. Median: $2.00 an hour.
10 cheapest downtown meters
| # | City | Downtown $/hr | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Paso, TX | $1.00 | elpasotexas.gov |
| 2 | Detroit, MI | $1.00 | parkdetroit.us |
| 3 | Albuquerque, NM | $1.00 | cabq.gov |
| 4 | Omaha, NE | $1.00 | parkomaha.com |
| 5 | Phoenix, AZ | $1.50 | phoenix.gov |
| 6 | Charlotte, NC | $1.50 | charlottenc.gov |
| 7 | Tucson, AZ | $1.50 | tucsonaz.gov |
| 8 | Raleigh, NC | $1.50 | raleighnc.gov |
| 9 | Colorado Springs, CO | $1.50 | coloradosprings.gov |
| 10 | Dallas, TX | $1.75 | dallascityhall.com |
10 most expensive downtown meters
| # | City | Downtown $/hr | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago, IL | $7.00 | parkchicago.com |
| 2 | New York, NY | $5.50 | nyc.gov |
| 3 | Philadelphia, PA | $4.00 | philapark.org |
| 4 | Tampa, FL | $4.00 | tampa.gov |
| 5 | Oakland, CA | $3.50 | oaklandca.gov |
| 6 | Portland, OR | $3.20 | portland.gov |
| 7 | Sacramento, CA | $3.00 | cityofsacramento.gov |
| 8 | Long Beach, CA | $3.00 | longbeach.gov |
| 9 | Washington, DC | $2.30 | ddot.dc.gov |
| 10 | Louisville, KY | $2.25 | louisvilleky.gov |
Parking at the 50 busiest U.S. airports
Posted drive-up daily rates. See all 50 airports on our airport parking rates report.
10 cheapest airport lots
| # | Airport | Lot | $/day | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MCI Kansas City | Economy Parking | $9 | flykc.com |
| 2 | IND Indianapolis | Economy Parking | $9 | ind.com |
| 3 | CMH Columbus | Green lot | $9 | flycolumbus.com |
| 4 | DEN Denver | Pikes Peak Shuttle Lot | $10 | flydenver.com |
| 5 | IAH Houston Bush | ecopark uncovered | $10 | fly2houston.com |
| 6 | HOU Houston Hobby | ecopark | $10 | fly2houston.com |
| 7 | SAT San Antonio | Economy | $10 | flysanantonio.com |
| 8 | CVG Cincinnati | CVG Economy Lot | $10 | cvgairport.com |
| 9 | STL St. Louis | Lot D | $11 | flystl.com |
| 10 | MIA Miami | Economy Park-and-Ride Lot | $12 | miami-airport.com |
Cheapest posted drive-up economy, long-term or remote shuttle lot at each of the 50 busiest airports, as a daily maximum. Sacramento (SMF), New Orleans (MSY) and Pittsburgh (PIT) also post $12.
10 most expensive terminal garages
| # | Airport | Garage | $/day | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LAX Los Angeles | CTA Drive-up General Parking | $60 | flylax.com |
| 2 | BOS Boston | Central Parking Garage / Terminal B Garage | $46 | massport.com |
| 3 | SLC Salt Lake City | Daily Garage Parking (Levels 2-3) | $45 | slcairport.com |
| 4 | ORD Chicago O'Hare | Main Garage - Daily | $43 | flychicago.com |
| 5 | MDW Chicago Midway | Daily Garage | $43 | flychicago.com |
| 6 | SFO San Francisco | Domestic Parking Garage | $41 | flysfo.com |
| 7 | SJC San Jose | Hourly Lot 3 (Terminal B Garage) | $41 | flysanjose.com |
| 8 | DFW Dallas–Fort Worth | Terminal Parking (credit card at exit) | $40 | dfwairport.com |
| 9 | SAN San Diego | Terminal 1 / Terminal 2 Parking Plaza | $40 | san.org |
| 10 | LAS Las Vegas | Short Term garage | $38 | harryreidairport.com |
Highest posted terminal garage daily maximum: the price of parking next to the terminal without booking ahead. Pittsburgh (PIT) also posts $38.
How to pay less for parking
Park off the terminal
At the median airport in our data, the terminal garage costs $14 a day more than the cheapest economy or shuttle lot. On a seven-day trip that is $98. Private off-airport lots can cost less again; compare their all-in price, including shuttle time.
Reserve ahead
Many airports and garages sell prepaid parking online for less than the drive-up rate. The discount changes by date, which is why our tables list drive-up prices; check the booking page for your own dates before you go.
Buy a monthly pass if you park most days
Commuters and frequent flyers usually pay less with a monthly permit than with daily rates. Divide the monthly price by a day's rate to find how many days a month make it worth it.
Use early-bird rates
Downtown garages often sell a flat early-bird rate if you enter before a set morning time and leave by evening. It usually beats the meter or the hourly rate for a full workday.
Watch the app fee
Paying by app often adds a convenience fee. The median is $0.35 per session across 312 U.S. places in Park Graph's app-fee data. Among the largest cities that publish it, the fee ranges from $0.20 in New York to $0.65 in Portland. On short stays, paying at the meter can be cheaper.
App-fee median: Park Graph, U.S. parking app fees. City app fees: U.S. City Parking Meter Rates: the 50 Largest Cities.
Questions about cheap parking
Which city has the cheapest parking meters?
Among the 50 largest U.S. cities, El Paso, Detroit, Albuquerque and Omaha have the cheapest downtown meters, at $1.00 an hour. Phoenix, Charlotte, Tucson, Raleigh and Colorado Springs follow at $1.50. These are the rates each city published on its official parking page, checked November 5, 2026.
Which major airport has the cheapest parking?
Kansas City International (MCI), Indianapolis International (IND) and John Glenn Columbus International (CMH) post the cheapest drive-up parking of the 50 busiest U.S. airports: $9 a day in their economy lots. Denver (DEN), Houston Bush (IAH), Houston Hobby (HOU), San Antonio (SAT) and Cincinnati (CVG) follow at $10. Rates come from each airport's parking page, checked November 5, 2026.
Which city has the most expensive street parking?
Chicago does, at $7.00 an hour for meters in the Loop. New York follows at $5.50, then Philadelphia and Tampa at $4.00. Some cities with demand-based pricing post higher peaks on certain blocks: Los Angeles lists meters up to $8.50 an hour. Rates checked November 5, 2026.
Which airport has the most expensive parking?
Los Angeles International (LAX) has the most expensive posted terminal parking of the 50 busiest U.S. airports, at $60 a day. Boston (BOS) follows at $46 and Salt Lake City (SLC) at $45. The median terminal garage costs $30 a day, so economy lots save money on most trips.
Do parking apps charge a fee?
Often, yes. Across 312 U.S. places in Park Graph's app-fee data, the median convenience fee is $0.35 per parking session. In the largest cities it ranges from $0.20 in New York to $0.65 in Portland, and Houston charges none. On a short stay, that fee can add a large share to the price.
The data and how it was checked
City meter rates come from the Wins Parking dataset of the 50 largest U.S. cities by 2024 Census population. Each rate was read from the city's or its parking authority's official page on November 5, 2026, and each row links that page.
Airport rates come from the Wins Parking dataset of the 50 busiest U.S. airports by FAA 2024 boardings, read from each airport's own parking page on November 5, 2026. They are drive-up prices; online prebook prices change by date and are left out.
Both datasets are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Rankings on this page are computed from the rows, so they change only when the data does.
Rates checked . License: CC BY 4.0.
For property owners
Own a lot? Here's how to price it
Start from what drivers nearby already pay. Downtown meters in the largest U.S. cities run from $1.00 to $7.00 an hour (median $2.00), and airport economy lots from $9 a day. Set an hourly rate and a daily maximum that compete with them, charge more when demand peaks, and keep checkout free of app downloads and extra fees. Wins Parking and Park Graph can do the work for you.
Park Graph: price and collect it yourself
Post a QR sign and drivers pay by phone, with no app to download and no meter or kiosk on site. Dynamic pricing comes with every plan, and AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude can quote and price your lot. The Starter plan is $0 a month plus 10% per transaction (minimum $0.75); you pay only when drivers pay.
Wins management: hand it off
On the Full Service tier, at a 40% revenue share, Wins sets and adjusts your rates and handles staffing, enforcement, maintenance and customer service, with monthly distributions to you. Owners who have their own staff can use Tech + Processing at 25% for LPR cameras, dynamic pricing, payments and the analytics dashboard.
Wins design-build: start from the ground
Building a new lot or fixing a worn one? Wins designs and builds parking in all 50 states, plans the layout and access for the rates you want to charge, and can install EV charging for drivers who pay to charge.
Park Graph prices from parkgraph.com/pricing, checked Nov 8, 2026. Park Graph is operated by Wins Parking, LLC.
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