The US Cities With The Highest Airbnb Fees

Travelers used to be fairly restricted regarding the sort of accommodation they could stay in when away from home. Thankfully, times have changed, and there's now no shortage of options for anyone looking to enjoy a relaxing vacation. Unfortunately, just because there's a broader range of places to choose from, that doesn't mean all of them are ideal.

While Airbnb has become one of the more popular companies to book accommodation, not all of their properties are on the affordable side. Depending on where you visit, you could find yourself facing some exorbitant fees. If you're planning on traveling soon, the US cities with the highest Airbnb fees might be the ones to avoid if you’re on a budget.

New Orleans, Louisiana seemingly offers great Airbnb accommodation with many added costs

Out of all of these cities with the highest Airbnb fees, New Orleans in Louisiana definitely has one of the best ratings. 4.7 out of 5 indicates that the properties on offer here are bound to give you a vacation worth remembering, especially with the average nightly rate being $203. Unfortunately, a significant portion of what you're paying goes toward fees. That includes 13% for cleaning and 15% for service, along with 17% in taxes. Even if there are far more expensive places to stay in the US, all those added costs can really start to pile up.

Nearly half of an Airbnb booking in Atlanta, Georgia goes toward fees

One of the most expensive cities in the US when it comes to Airbnb fees is Atlanta, Georgia. Forbes Advisor previously found that nearly 50% of the cost of a booking here was formed of taxes and fees. This included 16% for both cleaning and service charges, along with 17% in taxes. Fortunately, the average nightly rate here isn't as high as in some places, being listed at $192. However, when you consider that only around $100 of that is for the accommodation, you may feel like your money is better off going somewhere else.

You can expect a high cleaning fee when visiting Phoenix, Arizona

A clean property is usually one that's worth staying in. However, that doesn't mean everyone would be happy about so much of their money going towards cleaning fees. If you stay in Phoenix, Arizona, though, you can expect 20% to go towards this, alongside 16% being for the service fee. Considering the average nightly rate here is $202, that's roughly $40 a night for the cleaning. Does that sound right to you? If it doesn't, you might want to look elsewhere for your next city break.

Fort Myers, Florida has high fees to accompany a high price

Another location that's high on the cleaning fee front is Fort Myers in Florida. Here, Forbes Advisor has it at 19%, with the service fee a little higher at 17%, too. That's significant, especially as this tends to be a more expensive place to stay. Your nightly rate here might be around $248, which makes it one of the more costly cities to visit on vacation. Compared to some of these other cities with high Airbnb fees, it also has one of the lower average ratings at 4.2 out of 5.

Memphis, Tennessee is lower in cleaning fees but much higher in taxes

A city that's a bit more reasonable regarding cleaning fees is Memphis, Tennessee, with Forbes Advisor listing it at 11%. Unfortunately, it's still listed as one of the worst cities for Airbnb fees because of the taxes you have to pay. This stands at around 19%, which is higher than all but one city - Chicago, Illinois. Chicago has lower average cleaning fees at 9%, too, although the nightly rate of $257 does make it more expensive than Memphis' $215. So, it's not really that much better than the Tennessee city.

Park City, Utah is better on taxes but notably more expensive

Somewhere that doesn't charge as much with taxes is Park City, Utah, where the figure stands at 12%. There are definitely a ton of places you can visit where this is lower, but as the cities with the highest Airbnb fees go, it's definitely not the worst. Still, this does combine with 16% for both cleaning and service fees, so it's still not the best spot in the US. When you factor in that the average nightly rate is $293, too, this probably isn't somewhere you should be staying at an Airbnb in.

When you're trying to vacation on a budget, having to spend so much money on fees and taxes can really put a damper on your trip. Still, while the US cities with the highest Airbnb fees might sit at the top end of the scale, there are still plenty of other beautiful places to visit.