Cheap Beers, Budget Hot Dogs: Best And Worst NFL Stadium Experiences

ACROSS AMERICA — If you find yourself sitting in front of the big screen TV on NFL Sunday with a cold brew in one hand, a hot dog in the other and a gut full of envy that you’re not there to take in the energy of the game in person, here’s some consolation:

With pricey beers and hot dogs on top of ticket prices and parking costs, a day at the stadium isn’t cheap, especially if you don’t plan to go alone. A beer-drinking, hot dog-eating couple couple could easily spend 500 bucks if they each had a couple or three beers.

At the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers stadiums, fans pay an average of $12 for beer. That compares to $5 a pop at the homes of the Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, New York Jets and New York Giants, according to a study of NFL stadium concession prices by sportsbook NJ.Bet.

The most expensive hot dogs cost an average of $8 at the Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Buccaneers and Chicago Bears stadiums. The cheapest in the league are the $2 dogs at the Atlanta Falcons and $2.99 dogs at the Las Vegas Raiders stadiums.

The study also includes a ranking of the best and worst NFL stadiums based on factors such as affordability, environment, parking, attendance, and fan feedback from Google and Yelp.

By those measures, the top five stadiums are:

1. Atlanta Falcons’ Mercedes-Benz Stadium, because of its bargain beer prices and overall affordable, lower-than-league-average general admission tickets, but also because there are more than 460 bars and restaurants in a one-mile radius.

2. Baltimore Ravens’ M&T Stadium, because of the team’s loyal fans and a 99.79 percent attendance average based on seating capacity. Relatively cheap parking prices averaging $23.50 are nearly $10 below the league average.

3. Detroit Tigers’ Ford Field, because even though the team has the worst postseason performance in the NFL and has zero Super Bowl experiences, its an affordable game day experience, with a general admission ticket, a beer, a hot dog and parking coming in at around $138.75, which is $28.74 cheaper than the league average.

4. Seattle Seahawks’ Lumen Field, because of the fans, who hold two Guinness World Records for the loudest crowd roar at an outdoor stadium, and also because more than 500 bars and restaurants within a mile are ready to cater to the energetic crowd.

5. Minnesota Vikings’ U.S. Bank Stadium, because fans pack this stadium with standing-room-only ticket purchases, and because it scores high in affordability and accessibility categories.

Rounding out the top 10, respectively are the New Orleans Saints’ Caesars Superdome, the Indianapolis Colts’ Lucas Oil Stadium, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Acrisure Stadium, the Denver Broncos’ Empower Field at Mile High, and the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium.

Without elaborating much, the authors of the study said Commanders Field in Landover, Maryland, the home of the Washington Commanders, “will leave fans with a lackluster experience.”

Beer, though.

According to top five least expensive NFL beer prices are:

1. Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, New York Jets, New York Giants ($5)
2. Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals ($6)
3. Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders ($7)
4. Cleveland Browns ($7.50)
5. Baltimore Ravens ($7.63)

The most expensive are:
1. New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers ($12)
2. Philadelphia Eagles ($11.50)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars ($11.49)
4. Chicago Bears, Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers ($11)
5. Seattle Seahawks, Las Vegas Raiders ($10.99)

Also from the study:

The most affordable NFL experience is at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals. The average general admission ticket costs $98.54, the lowest in the league. Beers cost an average of $7, hot dogs $5 and parking $13.30.

The priciest experience is at Levi Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers, where a day at the stadium can cost an average of $227.66. That buys a general admission ticket averaging $161.33, a beer at an average cost of $12, a hot dog at an average cost of $6, and parking averaging $48.33.

For more, read the full study.