The town of Nantucket is the most expensive beach destination in the world based on the cost of lodging, a survey from TravelMag.com reveals.
Nantucket (Photo: Andrew Wolff via Unsplash)
The survey considered all destinations worldwide that had a minimum of 20 hotels and inns, and at least one beach. For each destination, TravelMag.com calculated the average price for the cheapest available double room during August 2023. Only hotels rated at least three stars and located close to the town/city center or beach were considered.
Nantucket Town, located on the island of Nantucket south of Cape Cod, clearly leads the ranking at $694 per night. The second most expensive is Positano, on southern Italy’s Amalfi Coast, at $481 per night. Montauk, a village on the Long Island peninsula, is third, coming in at $478 per night on average for the least expensive double room.
Overall, the United States is home to 11 of the 20 most expensive beach destinations in TravelMag’s survey, while the other nine destinations are in Europe. With Nantucket Town, Kennebunkport, Provincetown, Bar Harbor and Portland, New England is represented by a total of five destinations.
The famous French resort town of Saint-Tropez is the fourth most expensive beach destination in the world at an average of $440 per night, while the city-state of Monaco, also located on the French Riveria, ranks ninth most expensive. A total of four Italian beach towns appear on the list: Positano, the town of Capri, Amalfi and Santa Margherita Ligure.
The following list shows the 20 most expensive beach destinations in the world this summer. Prices shown reflect the average rate for each destination’s cheapest available double room in a hotel or inn for the period August 1 to August 31, 2023.
1. Nantucket Town, Mass. (USA) $694
2. Positano (Italy) $481
3. Montauk, New York (USA) $478
4. Saint-Tropez (France) $440
5. Kennebunkport, Maine (USA) $406
6. Provincetown, Mass. (USA) $404
7. Capri Town (Italy) $399
8. Bar Harbor, Maine (USA) $384
9. Monaco $381
10. Santa Monica, Cal. (USA) $360
11. Rehoboth Beach, Del. (USA) $359
12. Cape May, NJ (USA) $346
13. Portland, Maine (USA) $317
14. Ocean City, NJ (USA) $310
15. Ibiza Town (Spain) $310
16. Santa Eulària des Riu (Spain) $307
17. Platis Gialos (Greece) $299
18. Amalfi (Italy) $295
19. Pismo Beach, Cal. (USA) $293
20. Santa Margherita Ligure (Italy) $292
A few additional notes on the methodology:
– Hotel rates were collected around July 15, based on the leading hotel booking websites
– Inns or Bed and Breakfasts were considered only if they have at least 10 rooms
– This survey did not consider Airbnbs or other vacation rentals
– Average hotel rates collected in this survey include all taxes and fees