Budget · Minneapolis · United States
Minneapolis on a budget
What a trip to Minneapolis really costs, and where the savings are.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: McGhiever, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Minneapolis is moderately priced for most international visitors. Budget roughly $90–$140 per person per day on a tight budget, $200–$320 mid-range and $450–$900 for luxury, excluding flights. Hotel prices are usually lowest in January–February.
Key facts
- Budget traveller
- $90–$140 a day
- Mid-range
- $200–$320 a day
- Luxury
- $450–$900 a day
- Local currency
- USD
- Free sights
- 9
Daily budget and trip cost
AMZBooking estimates per person in US dollars, excluding flights, reviewed October 2026. Accommodation is the biggest variable; prices rise in peak months.
| Style | Per day | 3 days | 5 days | 7 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | $90–$140 | $270–$420 | $450–$700 | $630–$980 |
| Mid-range | $200–$320 | $600–$960 | $1,000–$1,600 | $1,400–$2,240 |
| Luxury | $450–$900 | $1,350–$2,700 | $2,250–$4,500 | $3,150–$6,300 |
Typical prices
Approximate prices in Minneapolis, October 2026. They change; use them for planning, not as quotes.
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Light rail or bus fare | about $2–$3 |
| Jucy Lucy with fries | about $13–$18 |
| Pint at a taproom | about $7–$9 |
| Lunch at Midtown Global Market | about $12–$18 |
| Mill City Museum ticket | about $15–$20 |
| Guthrie Theater ticket | about $30–$90 |
| Mid-range dinner, before tip | about $40–$65 per person |
| Downtown hotel parking, per night | about $30–$50 |
Money-saving tips
- Mia, the Sculpture Garden, the Weisman, the lakes, Minnehaha Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge are all free.
- Minnesota charges no sales tax on most clothing and shoes, which helps at the Mall of America and local shops.
- Use the Blue Line from the airport instead of a taxi; it costs a few dollars and reaches downtown in about 25 minutes.
- Hotel rates drop sharply in winter and on weekends when there are no conventions or big games.
- Check theatre websites for rush or day-of tickets, which can be much cheaper.
- Taproom happy hours and food trucks are a low-cost way to eat and drink in Northeast.
Free things to do
- Minneapolis Sculpture Garden — Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen's Spoonbridge and Cherry, a 15-metre spoon holding a cherry over a pond, is the city's best-known image and the centrepiece of this free 4.5-hectare garden of around 60 works.
- Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) — Mia's free collection of around 90,000 objects spans 5,000 years, from Chinese jade and a reconstructed Japanese teahouse to Rembrandt's Lucretia, Van Gogh's Olive Trees and period rooms from Europe and America.
- Stone Arch Bridge and St. Anthony Falls — Railroad baron James J.
- Guthrie Theater — Jean Nouvel's dark-blue theatre complex on the riverfront has three stages and the Endless Bridge, a cantilevered lobby that juts about 54 metres towards the river.
- Chain of Lakes — Bde Maka Ska, Lake Harriet, Lake of the Isles and Cedar Lake are ringed by separate paved paths for walkers and cyclists, part of the Grand Rounds parkway system.
- Minnehaha Falls — Minnehaha Creek drops about 16 metres over a limestone ledge in one of the city's oldest parks, made famous by Longfellow's poem The Song of Hiawatha.
Where to stay on a budget
$$ · Best for nightlife, food lovers, budget and culture
Northeast
Taprooms, artists' studios and old Eastern European parishes across the river
$$ · Best for budget, nightlife and solo travellers
Uptown and Lake Street
Bars, vintage shops and the lakes on the doorstep
$$ · Best for culture, couples and first-timers
Loring Park
A small lake park between downtown and the Walker Art Center
Eating well for less
- Cheese curds — Bars, brewpubs and baseball games at Target Field; the State Fair in late August.
- Hmong and Southeast Asian food — Hmong food courts and markets in Saint Paul, such as Hmongtown Marketplace and Hmong Village, and Vietnamese restaurants on Nicollet Avenue's Eat Street.
Getting around for less
Metro Transit day pass
Unlimited rides on light rail and buses for 24 hours, bought from station machines or the app.
Questions travellers ask
+How much does a trip to Minneapolis cost?
About $1,000–$1,600 per person for five days mid-range, excluding flights (estimate), or $450–$700 on a tight budget.
+Is Minneapolis expensive?
It is moderately priced for international visitors. Mia, the Sculpture Garden, the Weisman, the lakes, Minnehaha Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge are all free.
+How much money do I need per day in Minneapolis?
Roughly $90–$140 on a budget and $200–$320 mid-range (estimates).
+When are hotel prices lowest in Minneapolis?
Usually in January–February.