New York – Summer travelers already feeling the pinch of higher gas prices may find that lodging costs more, too.
The AAA auto and travel association found in its annual vacation- costs survey, released Wednesday, that combined lodging and restaurant costs were 3.7 percent higher than last year.
The survey found that a family of two adults and two children could expect to pay an average of nearly $270 a day for food and lodging this summer. It said lodging rates averaged $152 a night, up nearly 8 percent from last year, while meals were projected at $118, down 1.3 percent.
Hawaii remained the state with the highest daily cost for food and lodging for a family of four – $650 a day. Other U.S. destinations in the top five were the District of Columbia, about $611 a day; Rhode Island, $345; New York, $326; and New Jersey, $324.
The most economical lodging and food prices were in North Dakota, about $187 per day; Nebraska, $199; Iowa and Kansas, $201; and South Dakota, $204.
