Budget · St. Louis · United States
St. Louis on a budget
What a trip to St. Louis really costs, and where the savings are.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: hickory hardscrabble, CC BY 2.0
Quick answer
St. Louis is affordable for most international visitors. Budget roughly $80–$130 per person per day on a tight budget, $180–$290 mid-range and $400–$800 for luxury, excluding flights. Hotel prices are usually lowest in January.
Key facts
- Budget traveller
- $80–$130 a day
- Mid-range
- $180–$290 a day
- Luxury
- $400–$800 a day
- Local currency
- USD
- Free sights
- 12
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 | $80–$130 | $240–$390 | $400–$650 | $560–$910 |
| Mid-range | $180–$290 | $540–$870 | $900–$1,450 | $1,260–$2,030 |
| Luxury | $400–$800 | $1,200–$2,400 | $2,000–$4,000 | $2,800–$5,600 |
Typical prices
Approximate prices in St. Louis, October 2026. They change; use them for planning, not as quotes.
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| MetroLink fare | about $3 |
| Gateway Arch tram ticket | about $16–$22 |
| City Museum ticket | about $25–$30 |
| Toasted ravioli appetiser | about $9–$13 |
| Frozen custard concrete | about $5–$8 |
| Cardinals game ticket | about $15–$80 |
| Mid-range dinner, before tip | about $35–$60 per person |
| Downtown hotel parking, per night | about $20–$40 |
Money-saving tips
- The zoo, art museum, history museum and science centre in Forest Park are free.
- Citygarden, the Cathedral Basilica, the Pulitzer, Laumeier Sculpture Park and the Chain of Rocks Bridge cost nothing.
- Take MetroLink from the airport instead of a taxi.
- Hotels downtown rise on Cardinals home games and big conventions; check the calendar.
- The Muny keeps a block of free seats at the back for every performance, first come, first served.
Free things to do
- Forest Park — Larger than Central Park, Forest Park covers about 525 hectares of lawns, lakes and woods and was the site of the 1904 World's Fair.
- Saint Louis Zoo — One of the few major zoos in the United States with free general admission, the Saint Louis Zoo has more than 10,000 animals in areas such as Penguin and Puffin Coast, Sea Lion Sound with an underwater viewing tunnel and the River's Edge.
- Saint Louis Art Museum — Housed in Cass Gilbert's Palace of Fine Arts built for the 1904 World's Fair, the free museum's collection ranges from Egyptian mummies and Chinese bronzes to Monet's Water Lilies and the world's largest public collection of paintings by Max Beckmann.
- Missouri History Museum — In the Jefferson Memorial Building in Forest Park, the free history museum covers St.
- Saint Louis Science Center — The free science centre has hands-on galleries on dinosaurs, space and engineering, the McDonnell Planetarium and a glass bridge over the interstate where children can clock passing cars with radar guns.
- Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis — Inside this Romanesque-Byzantine cathedral, completed in the early 20th century, more than 41 million pieces of glass tesserae cover the domes and walls in one of the largest mosaic collections in the world.
Where to stay on a budget
$$ · Best for nightlife, food lovers and budget
Soulard
French-founded brick neighbourhood of blues bars, the farmers market and the brewery
$$ · Best for couples, quiet stays and food lovers
Lafayette Square
Painted Victorian townhouses around one of the oldest parks west of the Mississippi
$$ · Best for food lovers, families and quiet stays
The Hill
Italian-American neighbourhood of bakeries, delis and red-sauce restaurants
Eating well for less
- Toasted ravioli — Italian restaurants on The Hill and appetiser menus all over the city.
- Slinger — All-night and old-fashioned diners across the city.
- Soft pretzel sticks — Gus' Pretzels on Arsenal Street, open since 1920, and street vendors around the city.
Getting around for less
MetroLink day pass
Unlimited rides on MetroLink and MetroBus for a day, sold at station machines.
Questions travellers ask
+How much does a trip to St. Louis cost?
About $900–$1,450 per person for five days mid-range, excluding flights (estimate), or $400–$650 on a tight budget.
+Is St. Louis expensive?
It is affordable for international visitors. The zoo, art museum, history museum and science centre in Forest Park are free.
+How much money do I need per day in St. Louis?
Roughly $80–$130 on a budget and $180–$290 mid-range (estimates).
+When are hotel prices lowest in St. Louis?
Usually in January.