A Week at the Olympics: What Would It Cost?

I’ve never even thought about going to the Olympics, because I’ve always assumed it would be crazy, jam-packed, and EXPENSIVE. Despite the crowds and hefty price tag, however, I would like to go one day. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness world history in the making.

Someone told me they had a friend who was going to the London Olympics to see the powerwalking competition. Yes, you read that right, POWERWALKING. And they are paying about $300 to witness that event.

That made me a little bit curious: how much does it actually cost the average person to visit the Olympics? With skyrocketing airfares and the high demand for hotel rooms, I’m sure it would be completely unaffordable for me.

I decided to do a little bit of investigating to find out exactly how much a trip to the Olympics would cost me.

Flight

I used a popular travel website to research flights. I chose to search roundtrip flights that leave on Tuesday and return the following Tuesday, since that’s one of the cheapest days to fly. Leaving August 7 and returning August 14 and flying directly from Detroit to London, it would cost me $1,001, round trip. This was the cheapest flight listed on the website.

Hotel

I found a decent hotel located about half an hour from the Olympic Stadium. To book a room at the Holiday Inn Express Wandsworth-Battersea, it will cost you an average of $195 a night. The plus side is that this price includes a breakfast buffet. For a one week stay, the hotel would cost a total of $1,365.

Tickets

Tickets to Olympic events are in high demand, and do NOT come at a cheap cost. The closing ceremony is taking place on August 12, and it’s being held at the Olympic Stadium.

How much are tickets for this? The best seats available will run you €1,500, which equates to about $1,862.

There are a range of tickets to the closing ceremony available, and the cheapest will cost you only $25 in U.S. currency. A mid-range ticket costs an average of $813 each. In other words, if you want to actually see any of the event, you’ll pay dearly.

I was curious to see how much sporting events would cost, as well. The women’s football (AKA soccer) matches still had tickets available. The prices for the women’s gold medal match actually weren’t bad; prices ran between $37 and $155 per ticket.

Food

While breakfast would be included with the price of my hotel, I would still have to pay for two meals per day. According to eurotriptips.com, a typical pub meal in London will run you between 5 and 10 euros. In U.S. currency, this is between 6 and 12 dollars per meal. I estimate that a week of meals would run me about $150-$200.

Transportation

Obviously, I’m not going to have a car if I’m traveling overseas and I’m too chicken to drive on the right-hand side of the car. Therefore, a taxi would be my best bet for getting to and from the events. If I were to go to both the closing ceremony and the football match, I’d have to pay four separate cab fares.

I used Taxi Fare Finder to calculate the cost of my trip. According to the website, a trip from my hotel to Olympic Stadium would cost about 43 euros, or $53 USD. Multiply that by four and my taxi fare would cost about $212 — just to get to and from two of the Olympic events.

While I could probably walk to restaurants and other destinations during my stay, I would need to also take a cab to get to and from the airport. My chosen hotel is located about 25 minutes from the airport. This equates to about $70 in cab fares. Doubling that for my trip to the hotel, and my trip back to the airport, I would spend another $140 in cab fares.

Grand Total

So when all’s said and done, how much would going to the Olympics actually cost?

Here is my rough estimate of the cost for a week at the Olympics:

• Flight: $1,001
• Hotel: $1,365
• Tickets: $930 (This is using B-Level Tickets for both events.)
• Food: $150
• Transportation: $352

Total: $3,798

That’s one pricey week of fun!

I did calculate the cost with nicer tickets, which was a difference of about $860. You should also keep in mind that I didn’t factor in costs for things like sightseeing, souvenirs, tips, or any other incidental charges that it’s hard to account for when planning a trip.

“A Week at the Olympics: What Would It Cost?” was provided by QuickenLoans.