How Much Does It Cost to Go to Disney World?

Disney World is one of the most popular tourist destinations, but it can also be very expensive. If you’re paying the standard prices, how much should you expect to pay to visit Disney World?

A NerdWallet analysis sought to find out how much a trip to Disney World costs, accounting for line items across these four categories:

• Park tickets (and add-ons, like Genie+).

• On-property hotel room rates.

• Food at park restaurants.

• Add-on activities, like spa treatments and tours.

Since you can experience Disney World on a range of budgets, NerdWallet categorized trips into three price tiers: Value, Moderate and Deluxe (the same classification that Disney World uses for its hotels).

Those variations are accounted for in NerdWallet’s price breakdown below (and you can read more about NerdWallet’s methodology at the end of this piece).

But in general, here’s what you can expect to spend on a Disney World trip per day, per person, based on travel style:

Assuming you had three meals per day and shared a hotel room with one other person, here’s how much you should expect to spend in total per day, per person across those three line items:

• Value-style traveler: $360.

• Moderate-style traveler: $455.

• Deluxe-style traveler: $785.

If those figures seem eye-popping, well, they are. But a frugal traveler shouldn’t necessarily look at the $360 daily price tag and multiply it by five to assume they need $1,800 to spend five days at Disney for one person. Seriously, check out this 5-day Disney trip for two people for just $1,600.

For starters, bulk pricing applies to many facets of your vacation budget — namely hotels and park tickets — as the average price per day drops the longer you stay. Lately, there’s a steady stream of available discounts to make your trip more affordable (particularly if you’re willing to travel during shoulder season). And if you’re willing to stay at a non-Disney-owned hotel (many are within walking distance of Disney World and can be booked on points), your overall trip cost might end up being a fraction of what’s quoted above.

Here’s a deep dive into Disney World trip costs — and how you might save in each category.

Disney World ticket prices

Disney World ticket prices vary by park and date, but one-day tickets for the Magic Kingdom (typically the most expensive of Disney’s four parks) average $160.

Prices drop the longer you stay — for example, five-day, one-park-per-day tickets average $643 (that’s $129 per day).

Some travelers might opt for upgrades like Park Hopper tickets, which let you visit multiple parks each day, or Lightning Lanes, which are priority queues for certain attractions.

Disney World hotel costs

Typically, the most affordable hotel rooms can be booked at Disney’s All-Star properties, (which are considered Value hotels). Rooms start at $168 per night, according to Disney trip planning website Touring Plans.

On the high end are the Deluxe hotels. Among the most iconic of them is Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, where room rates start at $904.

Exact prices vary based on when you visit and the individual property and room, but here are average prices broken down by type and trip length, according to NerdWallet’s analysis:

The $286 average rate for Disney’s cheapest rooms still exceeds the average hotel room off-property. According to Visit Orlando’s 2022 Travel Industry Indicators, Orlando’s average daily room rate is just $186.49, about 35% less than the cheapest Disney resort.

But a higher sticker price than average doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad deal. Among the best perks of staying at a Disney resort include complimentary parking at Disney theme parks (which costs everyone else $30).

Disney hotel guests are also allowed to enter the parks earlier, which is a prime opportunity to get in line for the most popular rides before the queues get too long. For the time-is-money crowd, that could be an especially valuable benefit.

Disney World food costs

Like the hotels, Disney World food varies widely in price and quality. You could order a turkey leg for less than $15 from a food cart or pay more than $30 for a salad at one of Disney World’s most expensive restaurants, The Hollywood Brown Derby.

To better understand Disney World food costs, NerdWallet also priced out average meals depending on restaurant type. Meals consisted of an entree and drink and — at waiter service restaurants — an appetizer or dessert.

How much should I budget for activities and expenses at Disney World?

The three costs cited above — food, tickets and hotels — are hardly the only Disney World trip costs. Because other line items like sundries and souvenirs can be highly personal, NerdWallet’s calculations did not factor those in.

You might want to consider other potential expenses, like transportation. While Disney’s transportation within the resort is free, you might end up paying if you don’t want to wait or share a bus with others.

There are other activities and entertainment that aren’t imperative, and Disney officially refers to them as part of its Enchanting Extras Collection. These tend to be more personalized, unique experiences such as animal encounters, educational classes and recreational activities.

You could pay as little as $35 per person for a 60-minute Caring for Giants tour at Animal Kingdom, or choose a three-hour, private Wild Africa Trek tour, which costs $199 per person and involves hiking, off-roading in a safari vehicle and traversing a rope bridge.

Some families with very young children might head to the Magic Kingdom’s Harmony Barber Shop. For $28, you get a haircut plus commemorative Mickey Ears, a certificate and keepsake lock of hair — ideal for a first haircut.

At the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, expect to pay at least $100 for your kid to get a fresh hairdo plus makeup, nail polish and a princess sash. The $200 package includes a full princess gown.

Methodology

To better understand how much it costs to go to Disney World, NerdWallet analyzed more than 200 ticket prices, 550 Disney-owned hotel room rates and more than 100 additional activities and restaurant prices between April 2023 and April 2024. From there, NerdWallet used average costs to build sample trip budgets.

NerdWallet’s trip costs start once you’re on property, thus don’t account for parking, airfare or driving costs. Here’s what’s included in each price tier:

Additional notes:

• Because Walt Disney World ticket prices vary by park, one-day ticket prices were based on Magic Kingdom admission. Two-day ticket prices were based on Magic Kingdom and Epcot. 

• NerdWallet’s analysis did not account for Park Hopper tickets, which allow access to multiple theme parks per day.

• Meals are based on standard menus. Families ordering from the kids menu will likely save on Disney World food costs.

These budgets should be used to estimate rather than determine your Disney trip costs. For instance, you might spend less if you pack your own snacks, or you might spend more if you spring for miscellaneous costs (e.g., taxis, Mickey-shaped balloons or PhotoPass).

Sam Kemmis and Carissa Rawson contributed to this report.