How Much Does It Cost To Attend March Madness In 2025?

How Much Does It Cost To Attend March Madness In 2025? article feature image
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – MARCH 30: A general view of the court during the Elite Eight round of the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament held at State Farm Arena on March 30, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Grant Halverson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Thinking about making 2025 your year to experience the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament live in San Antonio?

With the Final Four set, all CBB enthusiasts begin to pack their bags before jetting off to watch Duke, Houston, Auburn, and Florida battle it out.

Well, before you and your co-fanatic put those pom-poms in a suitcase, here’s the play-by-play on what it's really going to cost you.

Cost to Attend Final Four & National Championship

Cost to Attend Final Four + National Championship2 tickets Final Four2 tickets National Championship
Average Ticket Cost$1,138.08$3,581.66
Accommodation$2,489.66$1,355.47
Average Accommodation Cost$1,922.56
3 meals a day (for two)$420.00
2 domestic beers a day (for two)$88.00
Total Cost$7,150.30

1. Ticket Talk: Double the Seats, Double the Roar

  • Final Four Tickets: Two seats for the Final Four get you to $1,138.08. This marks your first step into the heart of the action, where every dribble could lead to heartbreak or high fives.
  • National Championship Tickets: If you still have your voice left, witness the National Championship with tickets costing two fans a total of $3,581.66. Pricier, yes, but sitting on the brink of history? Priceless.

2. Lodging: Where You Lay That Fan Hat

  • Airbnb: Four nights in San Antonio with Airbnb could run you $2,489.66. Whether it's a cozy little spot or something that feels like a team mansion, the price tags are serious players.
  • Booking.com: If you prefer a hotel, budget an average of $1,355.47 through Booking.com for the stay.
  • Average Lodging Cost: Let’s split the difference — that's an average of $1,922.56 for your tournament stay, a sensible midpoint considering all traps and luxuries.

3. Culinary Court: Feeding Frenzy

  • Meals for Two: All that cheering demands fuel, and you’re looking at $420 to keep both you and your companion fed with three meals a day. A culinary slam dunk that keeps the energy flowing!
  • Liquid Refreshment: Beers Galore: Balance that with a daily total of $88 for two refreshing domestic beers. Essential for cooling down the inner fan fire.

4. Tallying the Totals: Game, Set, Match

When you lay it all out on the court, attending this full-throttle Final Four weekend costs an estimated $7,150.30 for two people. That's your courtside cocktail of sports mania, fine dining, and memorable digs — all wrapped into one jam-packed experience.

Methodology

You can find the full dataset here.

To estimate the total cost of attending the Final Four in San Antonio, we analyzed multiple expense categories for two people from April 4-8, 2025. The cost breakdown includes:

Game Tickets

We scraped over 1,500 ticket listings from Ticketmaster to determine the average price for:

  • Two tickets to the Final Four (April 5).
  • Two tickets to the National Championship (April 7).

Lodging

  • We collected hotel and Airbnb pricing in San Antonio for a four-night stay (April 4-8) from major booking platforms.

Food & Drinks

  • Estimated cost of three meals per day for two people, sourced from Numbeo.
  • Estimated cost of two beers per day (two per person), using Numbeo.

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About the Author
Ben Mendelowitz is a major sports fan who creates Digital PR content for Action Network.

Follow Ben Mendelowitz @ben_mendelowitz on Twitter/X.

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