Best and worst cities for New Year's Eve

Published Tue, Dec 19 20178:30 AM EST

Key Points

WalletHub compared New Year's Eve celebrations in the 100 biggest cities based on 25 key indicators, including the cost of a night out.
Of course, New York ranked best, but the other hot spots are a lot less predictable.

When it comes to watching the ball drop, Times Square is considered the place to be.

About 2 million people head to the center of the city on New Year's Eve or shell out as much as $1,000 for a nearby hotel party pass.

But with hotel rates also jacked up nearly 300 percent from regular rates, New York is the most expensive spot to spend Dec. 31. Tacking on party clothes and peak Uber pricing, ringing in the new year could break the bank if you're not careful.

Image source: Getty Images

Nearly three-quarters of Americans mark the occasion in some way and about 83 percent of those who do said they plan to spend less than $200 on the evening's activities, according to a report by WalletHub.

For those who want to watch their wallet — or spare no expense — the personal finance site compiled a list of the most fun and affordable spots for counting down to 2018, by comparing 100 cities in the U.S. using criteria such as the average price of a New Year's Eve party ticket and a bottle of wine, to the crime rate, traffic and probability of rain.

Of course, New York ranked No. 1, but the other hot spots might surprise you.

Best cities for New Year’s Eve

Overall Rank	City	Total Score	Entertainment & Food Rank	Costs Rank	Safety & Accessibility Rank
1	New York, NY	77.23	1	99	6
2	Orlando, FL	76.47	4	21	75
3	Atlanta, GA	72.93	5	41	88
4	Los Angeles, CA	72.63	6	56	47
5	San Francisco, CA	72.52	2	97	71
6	San Diego, CA	71.51	11	54	39
7	Chicago, IL	71.14	9	70	40
8	Miami, FL	70.21	3	100	72
9	Washington, DC	69.27	10	88	35
10	Las Vegas, NV	68.55	7	69	84

Source: Source: WalletHub

Worst cities for New Year’s Eve

Overall Rank	City	Total Score	Entertainment & Food Rank	Costs Rank	Safety & Accessibility Rank
90	Fort Wayne, IN	44.17	86	52	31
91	Stockton, CA	43.87	82	63	85
92	Anchorage, AK	43.09	84	73	60
93	Garland, TX	42.55	96	84	12
94	Chula Vista, CA	42.14	98	57	13
95	Lubbock, TX	42.1	93	64	66
96	Irving, TX	42.06	95	85	15
97	Hialeah, FL	41.42	92	94	20
98	Newark, NJ	39.98	85	98	50
99	Fremont, CA	38.37	99	92	25
100	North Las Vegas, NV	34.96	94	96	80

Source: Source: WalletHub