Hickory's Most Expensive U.S. Cities
Most Expensive U.S. Cities
1. New York
2. Chicago
3. Las Vegas
4. San Diego
5. Dallas
6. Charlotte, N.C.
7. Atlanta
8. Orlando
9. Houston
10. Columbus, Ohio
Most Expensive International Cities
1. London
2. Paris
3. Tokyo
4. Amsterdam
5. Singapore
6. Toronto
7. Montreal
8. Calgary
9. São Paulo
10. Rio de Janeiro
New York kept its crown as the most expensive U.S. city for business travel in Hickory Global Partners' annual ranking, with such "second cities" as San Diego and Dallas also rising into the top 10. London led Hickory's list of most expensive cities for business travel outside of the United States.
The list, based on 2025 booking data for the consortium's platform for agencies and corporations, showed New York, Chicago and Las Vegas were the top three most expensive cities last year. Chicago and Las Vegas ranked seventh and ninth respectively on Hickory's list last year.
Hickory noted that the next two cities on the list, San Diego and Dallas, have been seeing higher average daily rates amid increased demand for business travel. Other cities new to the top 10 this year seen stronger demand due to specific industries, including Charlotte, N.C., with increased demand from the energy and life sciences industry and Columbus, Ohio, with companies including Abercrombie & Fitch, DSW and Bread Financial having headquarters in or near the city.
Among cities outside the U.S., the most expensive cities for business travel were London, Paris and Tokyo, according to Hickory.