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Cedar Key, located along the state’s Nature Coast, has been named the most affordable beach vacation destination in the U.S., according to a study by Upgraded Points.
Cedar Key, a quaint and old-fashioned vacation spot, is situated about 60 miles west of Gainesville and 130 miles north of Tampa. Visitors can enjoy fresh seafood from local restaurants and stay in decades-old homes standing on wooden stilts over the marsh.
“To uncover the cost of beachfront bliss across the U.S., we analyzed the average nightly and weekly cost of beachfront hotels and vacation homes across 75 popular beach towns. Further, we looked at the average cost of non-beachfront stays to find where summer travelers will pay the highest premiums for an ocean view,” Upgraded Points reveals.
The study found that the average price for a night’s stay in a hotel or vacation rental in Cedar Key is $191 and $189, respectively. A weekly stay in Cedar Key costs an average of $1,330, while a week-long stay in Key West, Florida’s priciest beach, averages $4,547. The most expensive beach town in the country, according to the study, is Montauk, New York, with a week-long stay costing tourists an average of $6,454.
According to Upgraded Points, these are the top ten most affordable ocean-view beach towns in the USA:
1. Cedar Key, Florida
2. Ocean Springs, MS
3. Ocean Shores, WA
4. Port Aransas, TX
5. Galveston, TX
6. Ocean City, MD
7. Pawley’s Island, SC
8. San Juan Island, WA
9. Myrtle Beach, SC
10. Bar Harbor, ME
The top ten most expensive ocean-view vacation spots are:
1. Montauk, NY
2. Southampton, NY
3. East Hampton, NY
4. Malibu, CA
5. Folly Beach, SC
6. Kiawah Island, SC
7. Lahaina, HI
8. Laguna Beach, CA
9. Key West, FL
10. Solana Beach, CA