Looking to book a romantic getaway that won’t break the bank this Valentine’s Day? According to a new study from GOBankingRates, there are 23 cities across the United States where the total cost of a three-day weekend spent with your sweetheart costs less than $2,000.
GOBankingRates found the best cities for a romantic getaway by sourcing the nation’s most romantic destinations via a variety of media outlets, including Brides.com and Travel + Leisure. We used the dates of Feb. 12-15 to estimate the cost for a couples getaway. The total long weekend cost factored in the average cost for food and drinks (including inexpensive and mid-range meals), airfare (doubled to find the cost for a couple) and a hotel (identified by finding the cheapest three hotels within five miles of the city’s downtown area and multiplied by three for the average cost of a three-night stay).
Key Findings
- Nashville, Tennessee; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Savannah, Georgia, are the nation’s three cheapest cities for romantic getaways. Each city’s total long weekend costs are under $1,500. Nashville is the most affordable at $1,398.
- Four California cities made this list: San Diego (#10 at $1,661), Palm Springs (#17 at $1,820), Napa (#20 at $1,865) and San Francisco (#21 at $1,873).
- New Mexico surprised with three cities receiving mentions. Joining Albuquerque are Santa Fe (#11) and Taos (#18).
- Southampton, New York, boasts the cheapest airfare for two. The total cost is $528, or $264 each.
- The East Coast emerged as the top region for affordable romantic getaways. Nine cities are featured in the ranking.
From coast to coast, here are the most affordable cities for romantic getaways. Plus, find out whether you can afford to live in the best cities for single retirees.
Learn More: GOBankingRates Original Research Center
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1. Nashville, Tennessee
- Total cost of all meals: $417
- Total cost of hotel: $194
- Total cost of airfare: $728
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,398
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2. Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Total cost of all meals: $426
- Total cost of hotel: $137
- Total cost of airfare: $826
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,441
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3. Savannah, Georgia
- Total cost of all meals: $473
- Total cost of hotel: $170
- Total cost of airfare: $791
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,491
4. Austin, Texas
- Total cost of all meals: $480
- Total cost of hotel: $198
- Total cost of airfare: $787
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,522
5. Southampton, New York
- Total cost of all meals: $564
- Total cost of hotel: $375
- Total cost of airfare: $528
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,530
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6. Chicago
- Total cost of all meals: $540
- Total cost of hotel: $326
- Total cost of airfare: $622
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,549
7. Newport, Rhode Island
- Total cost of all meals: $564
- Total cost of hotel: $263
- Total cost of airfare: $666
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,555
8. Moab, Utah
- Total cost of all meals: $458
- Total cost of hotel: $159
- Total cost of airfare: $913
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,590
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9. Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
- Total cost of all meals: $420
- Total cost of hotel: $275
- Total cost of airfare: $843
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,592
10. San Diego
- Total cost of all meals: $600
- Total cost of hotel: $243
- Total cost of airfare: $752
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,661
11. Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Total cost of all meals: $422
- Total cost of hotel: $158
- Total cost of airfare: $1,082
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,714
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12. St. Augustine, Florida
- Total cost of all meals: $465
- Total cost of hotel: $396
- Total cost of airfare: $821
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,726
13. Washington, D.C.
- Total cost of all meals: $660
- Total cost of hotel: $277
- Total cost of airfare: $749
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,754
14. Boston
- Total cost of all meals: $660
- Total cost of hotel: $276
- Total cost of airfare: $754
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,756
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15. Seattle
- Total cost of all meals: $615
- Total cost of hotel: $297
- Total cost of airfare: $801
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,772
16. Williamsburg, Virginia
- Total cost of all meals: $495
- Total cost of hotel: $143
- Total cost of airfare: $1,112
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,805
17. Palm Springs, California
- Total cost of all meals: $585
- Total cost of hotel: $339
- Total cost of airfare: $846
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,820
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18. Taos, New Mexico
- Total cost of all meals: $426
- Total cost of hotel: $298
- Total cost of airfare: $1,082
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,849
19. Charleston, South Carolina
- Total cost of all meals: $750
- Total cost of hotel: $343
- Total cost of airfare: $713
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,865
20. Napa, California
- Total cost of all meals: $473
- Total cost of hotel: $699
- Total cost of airfare: $628
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,865
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21. San Francisco
- Total cost of all meals: $735
- Total cost of hotel: $180
- Total cost of airfare: $890
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,873
22. Honolulu
- Total cost of all meals: $654
- Total cost of hotel: $353
- Total cost of airfare: $780
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,874
23. New York City
- Total cost of all meals: $720
- Total cost of hotel: $256
- Total cost of airfare: $863
- Total romantic getaway cost: $1,905
Discover more original studies and surveys in the GOBankingRates original research center.
Methodology: GOBankingRates sourced the most romantic U.S. destinations from LeisurelyLinds.com, Brides.com, Cosmopolitan and Travel + Leisure. Using the dates of Feb. 12-15, the cost for a three-day and three-night vacation for couples was estimated. Using Hotels.com, the cheapest three hotels within five miles of the city’s downtown area were identified and averaged, then multiplied by three to find the average cost for three nights. The average airfare cost was sourced from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ average airfare cost for Q2 of 2025. The airfare was doubled to find the cost for a couple. The average costs for goods was sourced from Numbeo’s cost of living. For this three-day vacation, the couple eats inexpensive meals for breakfast and lunch, mid-range meals for dinner, drinks two domestic beers a day and drinks two sodas a day. The average cost for food and drinks, airfare and a hotel was summed to show the total cost of a vacation in each romantic getaway. The locations were sorted to show the most affordable places first. All data was collected on Jan. 27, 2026.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 23 Most Affordable US Cities for Romantic Getaways
