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GOBankingRates

Heather Altamirano

20 Most Budget-Friendly Southern Tourist Destinations

South Texas Sean Pavone GOBankingRates DenisTangneyJr Travel Leisure

The South has it all: mountains, beaches, a unique culture, history, unforgettable cuisine and, of course, Southern hospitality. It’s a favorite region for many to visit, but vacation expenses can rack up quickly. Luckily, the South has plenty of budget-friendly getaway options

To help plan your next break, GOBankingRates analyzed popular tourist destinations and provided 20 of the most affordable Southern destinations below, with details including airfare for two, hotel, three meals at mid-range restaurants, 12 meals at inexpensive restaurants, six beers and six sodas.

20. Galveston, Texas

Airfare cost for a couple: $748
Total cost of hotel: $273
Total cost for all meals: $465
Total cost for drinks: $44
Total cost for vacation: $1,539

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19. Asheville, North Carolina

Airfare cost for a couple: $666
Total cost of hotel: $239
Total cost for all meals: $564
Total cost for drinks: $60
Total cost for vacation: $1,529

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18. El Paso, Texas

Airfare cost for a couple: $802
Total cost of hotel: $237
Total cost for all meals: $438
Total cost for drinks: $53
Total cost for vacation: $1,529

17. Alexandria, Virginia

Airfare cost for a couple: $763
Total cost of hotel: $227
Total cost for all meals: $488
Total cost for drinks: $51
Total cost for vacation: $1,528

16. Bethesda, Maryland

Airfare cost for a couple: $763
Total cost of hotel: $287
Total cost for all meals: $423
Total cost for drinks: $45
Total cost for vacation: $1,518

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15. Louisville, Kentucky

Airfare cost for a couple: $851
Total cost of hotel: $179
Total cost for all meals: $423
Total cost for drinks: $51
Total cost for vacation: $1,504

14. Frankfort, Kentucky

Airfare cost for a couple: $946
Total cost of hotel: $223
Total cost for all meals: $300
Total cost for drinks: $30
Total cost for vacation: $1,499

13. Savannah, Georgia

Airfare cost for a couple: $847
Total cost of hotel: $188
Total cost for all meals: $420
Total cost for drinks: $41
Total cost for vacation: $1,495

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12. Grand Prairie, Texas

Airfare cost for a couple: $884
Total cost of hotel: $179
Total cost for all meals: $375
Total cost for drinks: $52
Total cost for vacation: $1,491

11. Dallas

Airfare cost for a couple: $735
Total cost of hotel: $221
Total cost for all meals: $465
Total cost for drinks: $59
Total cost for vacation: $1,479

Jonathan Ross / Getty Images/iStockphoto

10. Nashville, Tennessee

Airfare cost for a couple: $794
Total cost of hotel: $203
Total cost for all meals: $423
Total cost for drinks: $59
Total cost for vacation: $1,479

9. Harlingen, Texas

Airfare cost for a couple: $754
Total cost of hotel: $180
Total cost for all meals: $474
Total cost for drinks: $46
Total cost for vacation: $1,454

8. Sugar Land, Texas

Airfare cost for a couple: $748
Total cost of hotel: $207
Total cost for all meals: $443
Total cost for drinks: $52
Total cost for vacation: $1,449

7. League City, Texas

Airfare cost for a couple: $748
Total cost of hotel: $216
Total cost for all meals: $443
Total cost for drinks: $40
Total cost for vacation: $1,447

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6. McKinney, Texas

Airfare cost for a couple: $735
Total cost of hotel: $201
Total cost for all meals: $453
Total cost for drinks: $52
Total cost for vacation: $1,441

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto

5. McAllen, Texas

Airfare cost for a couple: $754
Total cost of hotel: $159
Total cost for all meals: $447
Total cost for drinks: $45
Total cost for vacation: $1,405

4. Pearland, Texas

Airfare cost for a couple: $748
Total cost of hotel: $245
Total cost for all meals: $321
Total cost for drinks: $48
Total cost for vacation: $1,362

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3. Brownsville, Texas

Airfare cost for a couple: $831
Total cost of hotel: $145
Total cost for all meals: $285
Total cost for drinks: $75
Total cost for vacation: $1,336

2. Macon, Georgia

Airfare cost for a couple: $598
Total cost of hotel: $176
Total cost for all meals: $360
Total cost for drinks: $50
Total cost for vacation: $1,184

1. Concord, North Carolina

Airfare cost for a couple: $197
Total cost of hotel: $215
Total cost for all meals: $462
Total cost for drinks: $66
Total cost for vacation: $940

_{Methodology: GOBankingRates found the most popular tourist destinations from Travel + Leisure’s “World Best Awards 2025,” Travel + Leisure’s “Best Small Towns of 2025,” TripAdvisor’s “Things to Do in US,” US News & World Report’s “Best Places to Live,” Nomadic Matt’s Places to Visit in the United States and Holdify’s Places to Visit. For this vacation, GOBankingRates assumed two adults going on vacation for three nights (Aug. 7-10). They had three meals at mid-range restaurants, 12 meals at inexpensive restaurants, six beers and six sodas. The average prices for each activity or item were sourced from Numbeo. The average price of the three cheapest hotels within 5 miles of the downtown were sourced from Hotels.com. The average airfare was sourced from the Bureau of Transportation’s average airfare for 2025. If the exact city is not listed, the closest airport was used. The average total cost of a vacation was calculated using the total cost for meals, drinks, hotel and airfare. The vacation locations were sorted to show the most affordable locations first. All data was collected on Oct. 1, 2025.}

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 20 Most Budget-Friendly Southern Tourist Destinations

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