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The Best and Worst Cities in the US for Staycations

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by Jori Ayers Jun 3, 2021

While others are planning to vacation abroad this summer and make up for lost time, others are staying in. But taking a staycation doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom — there are plenty of cities around the US that offer great relaxation, entertainment, and other vacation-like amenities where you and your family have a ton of fun.

If you’re trying to find your dream staycation then look no further. Wallethub, with the help of experts, compared more than 180 cities across 46 key metrics that are divided up between three categories: recreation, food and entertainment, and rest and relaxation. These categories take into account the number of swimming pools per capita in each city examined, the cost of a restaurant meal, and the number of public beaches per capita, among dozens of other criteria.

Using those key metrics, Wallethub ranked 182 US cities, including the 150 most populated ones, from best to worst cities for a staycation.

The top 10 cities for staycations according to Wallethub:

  1. Honolulu, HI
  2. Orlando, FL
  3. San Francisco, CA
  4. Charleston, SC
  5. Las Vegas, NV
  6. Portland, ME
  7. Chicago, IL
  8. Seattle, WA
  9. San Diego, CA
  10. Cincinnati, OH

While the top two cities remain the same as last year’s ranking, the rest of the top 10 has shifted a lot. The worst city in the US for a staycation in 2021 remains the same as in 2020, however.

The worst five cities for staycations according to Wallethub (ranked last during the study):

  1. Fremont, CA
  2. Chula Vista, CA
  3. Hialeah, FL
  4. North Las Vegas, NV
  5. Aurora, CO

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