Las Vegas bills itself as the Entertainment Capital of the World. It has earned this title due to its excessive number of gambling establishments and playing part-time home to some of the world’s top entertainers. The supply of things to do here is immense, extending beyond the limits of most people’s imaginations.
However, a question that is on the minds of everyone considering making the trip to this Mojave Desert spot is – how much money should they have in their pockets to enjoy all the magic that it has to provide? In the subheadings below, we analyze what a five-day stay in Sin City will set back the average tourist who wants to let loose and experience this destination in its entirety. Note that we do not include the travel expenses needed to reach Vegas, only the spending budget a person requires once they find themselves within its borders.
Accommodation
According to some estimates, there are over 150,000 hotel rooms in Vegas. The Venetian Resort leads in terms of rooms per hotel with 7,092, with the MGM Grand coming in in second place, trailing by some 240 rooms. Naturally, these are five-star Strip hotels, so their room prices are some of the highest in town, reaching up to $250 for standard one-person accommodation.
The Excalibur, the OYO, and the Strat Hotel are all decently located and feature rooms below $40 for one to two adults. Few more three-star hotels offer more-than-decent accommodations for prices that fall into the $35 to $50 per night range.
Casino Budget
You cannot go to Vegas without testing your luck on a game of chance. It may have lost the title of the planet’s gambling mecca close to a decade ago, but the city’s 144 casinos are sights to behold. In general, $15 is the new blackjack low limit in almost all Vegas casinos. If this is too much for you, try live dealer blackjack options, which are the same but through webcam. The OYO is a unique case of a near Strip establishment that features $1 blackjack tables. If you do not mind walking away far from the Strip or going outside the city borders, you can find multiple venues that host tables with $3 and $5 minimum limits. With this information in mind, let us round up a daily gambling bankroll of around $50. Remember, not all slots spins, and table hands will be losing ones, so you’ll likely play with more than this amount per day.
Dining Funds
Meal prices vary wildly in Vegas, depending on what you want to eat and where. The food on the Strip can range from substantial splurges to incredibly cheap. It caters to all tastes. For example, if you walk into Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen at Caesars Palace, an average meal should run you around $75. His STEAK restaurant at the Paris hotel for a similar quality meal will set you back $90. These are higher-end options for the average tourist. Gordon Ramsay Burger at Planet Hollywood features more affordable prices, with full meals in the $25 range. Grimaldi’s at Palazzo Hidden Pizza at The Cosmopolitan, Carlos ‘n’ Charlie’s at Flamingo Las Vegas, and Beijing Noodle No. 9 all offer sizeable portions for similar prices. Always wait until happy hour to get drinks in Vegas, or take advantage of free ones on gaming floors. So, you are looking at a daily budget of $60 for food and refreshments in Sin City.
Leisure Activities
There are a ton of things to do in America’s favorite gambling destination. However, they all cost money. If your hotel does not have a pool, you may have to pay $5 to $10 to go for a swim in a neighboring resort one. Close to one hundred museums are open in and around Clark County, and their tickets generally are $5 to $25. A Las Vegas sightseeing Flex Pass will run you $70, and it is valid for one month. Balloon rides and expensive tours come with fees above $200, so most people cannot afford more than one such activity per trip. All in all, around $50 per day is a reasonable amount for leisure activities if you do not plan on seeing any expensive shows.
Transport
The cheapest way to get around Vegas is by bus. The Strip & All-Access Pass offers flexibility and costs only $20 for three days’ worth of transit. A 24-hour one has a price tag of $8. For comparison, a 6,5-mile taxi ride will run you $25, and using Uber or Lyft to cover that same distance will incur a fee of around $12-$13. Thus, taking the bus is a no-brainer in terms of cost-efficiency, which you are trading in for time-wasted.
To Sum Up
Overall, if you want to have a decent five-day Vegas experience, look to budget around $1,250 in total. That will not let you indulge in all the splendor that the City of Lights has to offer, but it will ensure that you have a terrific time and not feel like you are missing out on much.
About the Author
Shelly Schiff has been working in the gambling industry since 2009, mainly on the digital side of things, employed by OnlineUnitedStatesCasinos.com. However, over her eleven-year career, Shelly has provided content for many other top interactive gaming websites. She knows all there is to know about slots and has in-depth knowledge of the most popular table games. Her golden retriever Garry occupies most of her leisure time. Though, when she can, she loves reading Jim Thompson-like crime novels.
