A new study ranks San Antonio as the fourth-most affordable city for concert-goers nationwide with a median entry-level ticket price well below the $107 national average.
Indeed, the Alamo City’s average $88 entry price for large-venue concerts isn’t just below the national average but below the medians of $150 in Austin, $97 in Houston and $90 in Dallas, according to a report compiled by the research division of tutoring marketplace Wiingy. The only places included in the 20-city study with cheaper tickets are Cleveland ($68), Pittsburgh ($71) and Indianapolis ($80).
Researchers based their report on select shows in each city’s major concert venues. In San Antonio’s case, that came down to 23 shows hosted in the Alamodome, the Frost Bank Center and Freeman Coliseum.
“[San Antonio] is not simply a ‘cheap’ city, it is a city where concert access is broadly available at prices that are competitive nationally, driven in large part by a robust mid-size venue ecosystem and a strong Latin music market that consistently prices tickets within reach of its core audience,” according to the study’s authors. “The gap with Austin is real and measurable. A concert-goer saving $62 per ticket by choosing San Antonio over Austin can attend nearly two concerts for the price of one Austin show at the same tour.”
While San Antonio’s comparatively low ticket prices appear to be an across-the-board win for fans, a deeper analysis suggests they’re still beyond the financial reach of many residents.
San Antonio’s median household income of $78,112 is considerably below the study’s national average, which means residents of our city spend a higher share of their earnings on concert tickets than people in other metros.
That’s reflected in the study’s “Ticket Accessibility Index,” which compares each city’s entry-level ticket price with its median income. San Antonio’s index of 11.3% places at No. 12 in the nation, meaning its budget-friendliness depends on where fans are on the income scale.
“San Antonio is the second-largest city in Texas by population and serves as the economic anchor of South Texas, yet its median household income remains below the national study average,” the authors note. “For the working-class fans who make up much of its concert-going population, even a $68 entry ticket at Freeman Coliseum represents a meaningful expenditure.”
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