The most expensive destinations in the Midwest

Updated: May 3rd, 2016

When it comes to staying overnight, no Midwestern U.S. city is more expensive than Madison. The Wisconsin capital ranks number one on the latest survey from ChicagoHotels.org, which compared the hotel rates of all the major Midwest cities during the upcoming month of May.

The survey specifically looked at 30 of the Midwest’s most popular cities. It then ranked them on the basis of their May 2016 lodging costs. That spring month represents the highest annual average rate of most cities in the Midwestern region of the country.

To spend the night in Madison, an overnight guest can expect to pay an average of $182 nightly. And that price is associated with the city’s cheapest available double room. It must be pointed out that the survey excluded accommodations that are not centrally located, that have less than a three-star rating and that possess negative average client ratings.

Coming in second on the survey is Chicago, Ill. The Midwest’s most populous city, Chicago takes the title of second most expensive city this May with an average per-night rate $176 for its least expensive room. Ann Arbor, Mich. rounds out the Top 3 with an overnight rate that is just $1 cheaper than Ann Arbor at $175.

The following table shows the 10 most expensive destinations in the Midwest based on the average rate for their cheapest available double room (minimum: 3-star hotel) during the time period spanning May 1–31, 2016.

1. Madison, WI $182
2. Chicago, IL $176
3. Ann Arbor, MI $175
4. Columbus, OH $164
5. Cincinnati, OH $155
6. Grand Rapids, MI $154
7. Fort Wayne, IN $152
8. Indianapolis, IN $147
9. Detroit, MI $144
10. Des Moines, IA $141
11. Peoria, IL $134
12. Minneapolis, MN $127
13. Rockford, IL $126
14. Cleveland, OH $125
15. Green Bay, WI $124

16. Omaha, NE $123
17. Kansas City, MO $116
18. Toledo, OH $114
19. St. Paul, MI $113
20. Rochester, MI $112
21. Springfield, IL $109
22. Sioux Falls, SD $107
23. Springfield, MO $107
24. Lincoln, NE $106
25. St Louis, MO $106
26. Milwaukee, WI $98
27. Bismarch, ND $95
28. Cedar Rapids, IA $94
29. Wichita, KS $89
30. Topeka, KS $87

About the Survey

The survey considered all destinations in the Midwest with a population greater than 250,000, another 11 important destinations with a population greater than 100,000 and Bismarck as the capital of North Dakota. For each destination, the rate of the cheapest available double room was established for the following 2016 time periods: May 4–8, May 11–15, May 18–22 and May 25–29.

Based on this data, an average price was calculated for each destination, resulting in the aforementioned rankings. Only such hotels rated 3 stars or higher and with a TripAdvisor rating of at least "Good" were included in the survey. Moreover, only those hotels located in or less than one mile from the city center were considered for the respective destinations. All prices were established between April 20 and April 25, 2016 via the hotel comparison website Kayak.