The highest per diem destinations in FY 2027
Averaged over the whole of FY 2027, Key West has the highest lodging cap in the continental U.S., $334 a night, followed by Park City and New York City. Measured by the single most expensive month instead, Park City leads with $499 from December to March.
The top 20
| Area | State | Full-year average | Peak cap | Peak months | M&IE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Key West | FL | $334 | $452 | Feb–Apr | $86 |
| 2. Park City | UT | $317 | $499 | Dec–Mar | $92 |
| 3. New York City | NY | $292 | $358 | Oct–Dec, Sep | $92 |
| 4. Martha’s Vineyard | MA | $291 | $473 | Jun–Sep | $92 |
| 5. Jackson / Pinedale | WY | $291 | $441 | Jun–Sep | $92 |
| 6. Boston / Cambridge | MA | $285 | $365 | Oct, Sep | $92 |
| 7. Santa Monica | CA | $283 | $283 | all year | $92 |
| 8. Nantucket | MA | $277 | $487 | Jun–Sep | $92 |
| 9. Aspen | CO | $277 | $419 | Dec–Mar | $92 |
| 10. Vail | CO | $275 | $417 | Dec–Mar | $92 |
| 11. San Francisco | CA | $271 | $325 | Jan–Mar | $92 |
| 12. Sun Valley / Ketchum | ID | $264 | $316 | Dec–Mar | $80 |
| 13. Charleston | SC | $247 | $288 | Mar–May | $92 |
| 14. Telluride | CO | $246 | $367 | Dec–Mar | $92 |
| 15. Washington, DC | DC | $246 | $295 | Mar–Jun | $92 |
| 16. Napa | CA | $242 | $266 | Oct–Nov, Apr–Sep | $92 |
| 17. Nashville | TN | $230 | $230 | all year | $86 |
| 18. Santa Barbara | CA | $225 | $277 | Jul–Aug | $92 |
| 19. Naples | FL | $225 | $326 | Feb–Apr | $80 |
| 20. Big Sky / West Yellowstone / Gardiner | MT | $221 | $326 | Jun–Sep | $80 |
The list is a mix of three kinds of place: resort towns with a short, steep high season, a handful of big cities that stay expensive all year, and coastal destinations in between. Of the twenty, 2 (Santa Monica, Nashville) have a single cap for every month; all the others change during the year.
The spread inside the top 20 is wide. Big Sky / West Yellowstone / Gardiner, in 20th place, averages $221, $112 a night less than Key West. By the 20th place the averages are already close to $220, while the median of all 295 areas is $148.
Average and peak tell different stories
Ranking by full-year average and ranking by peak month give different orders. Nantucket has the second highest peak cap ($487 from June to September) but ranks eighth on the full-year average, because the rest of its year is capped at $171. Places with one rate all year move the other way: Santa Monica ranks seventh by average but 22nd by peak.
Which measure matters depends on the trip. A winter week in a ski town is priced at the peak; a contract that sends someone to the same place every month is closer to the average. Every destination page shows both, with the month-by-month caps that sit behind them.
States at the top
The top 20 come from 11 states and DC. California has the most entries (4), then Colorado (3) and Massachusetts (3). Colorado’s three are its ski towns (Aspen, Vail, Telluride); Massachusetts’s are two islands and Boston / Cambridge.
The highest single months
Sorted by peak month instead, the order changes again. The ten highest monthly caps of FY 2027:
| Area | State | Peak cap | Peak months | Low cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park City | UT | $499 | Dec–Mar | $227 |
| Nantucket | MA | $487 | Jun–Sep | $171 |
| Martha’s Vineyard | MA | $473 | Jun–Sep | $199 |
| Key West | FL | $452 | Feb–Apr | $267 |
| Jackson / Pinedale | WY | $441 | Jun–Sep | $215 |
| Aspen | CO | $419 | Dec–Mar | $173 |
| Vail | CO | $417 | Dec–Mar | $205 |
| Telluride | CO | $367 | Dec–Mar | $186 |
| Boston / Cambridge | MA | $365 | Oct, Sep | $213 |
| New York City | NY | $358 | Oct–Dec, Sep | $189 |
All ten peaks belong to seasonal areas; January falls in 4 of them and July in 3. A traveler who books Park City in its peak pays a cap $272 a night higher than in its low months.
Meals at the top
Of the top 20, 15 pay M&IE at the highest tier, $92. The exceptions show that the two parts of the rate are set separately: Key West ($86), Sun Valley / Ketchum ($80), Nashville ($86), Naples ($80), Big Sky / West Yellowstone / Gardiner ($80).
The most expensive single days
Adding M&IE to the peak lodging cap gives the largest allowance any one day can reach. The top five: Park City ($591), Nantucket ($579), Martha’s Vineyard ($565), Key West ($538) and Jackson / Pinedale ($533). All five combine a peak lodging cap above $400 with a meal rate of $86 or more, and all of them reach that day only in their high months; outside them, the same places are capped far lower.
The leader in each state
Every state with listed areas has its own most expensive one, and the gaps between them are large. Only 16 state leaders average $200 or more over the year: Key West (FL), Park City (UT), New York City (NY), Martha’s Vineyard (MA), Jackson / Pinedale (WY), Santa Monica (CA), Aspen (CO), Sun Valley / Ketchum (ID), Charleston (SC), Washington, DC (DC), Nashville (TN), Big Sky / West Yellowstone / Gardiner (MT), Seattle (WA), Sedona (AZ), Bar Harbor / Rockport (ME) and Chicago (IL). At the other end, the top area of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Iowa averages no more than $122, so even the dearest place in those states sits close to the standard rate.
The other end of the list
At the bottom, the listed areas are barely distinguishable from the standard rate. The ten lowest full-year averages:
| Area | State | Full-year average | M&IE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry Hill / Moorestown | NJ | $115 | $80 |
| Columbia | SC | $115 | $74 |
| Hot Springs | AR | $115 | $68 |
| Columbia | MD | $116 | $86 |
| Aberdeen / Bel Air / Belcamp | MD | $117 | $74 |
| Charleston | WV | $117 | $68 |
| Dallas | IA | $117 | $80 |
| Alexandria / Leesville / Natchitoches | LA | $118 | $68 |
| Bolingbrook / Romeoville / Lemont | IL | $119 | $74 |
| Boone | KY | $119 | $68 |
Some of them pair a near-standard lodging cap with a higher meal rate. Columbia (MD), for instance, has a lodging cap only $3 above the standard but pays $86 for M&IE.
The top five in FY 2021
Ranked by FY 2021 full-year average, the five highest of today’s areas were San Francisco ($292), Telluride ($270), Vail ($251), Boston / Cambridge ($251) and Santa Monica ($250). Today they rank 11th, 14th, tenth, sixth and seventh respectively. The changes guide follows the movement year by year.
To compare any of these with a trip of your own, use the trip calculator; the full ranking of all 295 areas continues the table above.
Sources: U.S. General Services Administration, per diem rate files FY 2021 to FY 2027; figures computed by Per Diem Rates. See reading the rates for how each measure is defined.