The price to attend an NFL game has increased by an average of 17% over 2022, a rate well above inflation. At this rate, the only ones who will be able to watch NFL games in person will be the extremely rich. Good for them.
However, some fans are willing to put up with ridiculous concessions prices or tourists might want to check out an NFL game while they’re in town. So, including the cost of concessions in your weekend plans becomes all the more important, depending on where you are.
We don’t include all the costs of going to an NFL game, like parking and the tickets themselves. For example, for a family of four to attend one Las Vegas Raiders game will cost over $1,381.96 if you opt to buy a few hotdogs and drinks due to ridiculous high ticket prices and expensive parking fees.
All these data are taken from bookies.com and are current as of the 2023 season.
Why Are We Talking About This?
High concession prices are just one way for private companies to squeeze every last cent out of customers, even after benefitting from significant corporate welfare and generous tax breaks from local governments. Sometimes, expensive concessions that you didn’t expect ruin a great night out, especially for those who are struggling to make ends meet. To avoid that heartache, we found the ten NFL stadiums with the most expensive concessions.
#10 Lumen Field
- Team: Seattle Seahawks
- Price for two 16oz beers: $19.00
- Price for two 20ox sodas: $11.00
- Price for four hot dogs: $30.00
This stadium was completed in 2002 and replaced the previous Seahawks stadium on the same site. It cost $430 million to build and the state implemented new lottery games, taxes, and fees to pay for it. Washington held a state-wide vote to approve the new stadium and retains ownership today. There are 48 concession stands, lounges, and restaurants in the stadium.
The crowd at Lumen Field has set two world records for the loudest roar in an outdoor stadium, reaching 137.6 decibels and contributing to the Seahawk’s significant home-field advantage. It has been so loud, in fact, the nearby earthquake sensors have been tripped during particularly exciting moments at the stadium.
#9 Acrisure Stadium
- Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
- Price for two 16oz beers: $20.00
- Price for two 20ox sodas: $13.80
- Price for four hot dogs: $22.75
This stadium originally opened in 2001 under the name Heinz Field, a name which locals still use to refer to the stadium. It cost $281 million to build (equal to $483.52 million in 2023). The city originally planned to raise taxes to pay for the stadium since the Steelers were only paying $76 million of the full price but instead resorted to a separate plan to pay for it. The building of the stadium has often been criticized as corporate welfare since the Steelers threatened to leave the city if it didn’t pay for their fancy new stadium.
#8 Nissan Stadium
- Team: Tennessee Titans
- Price for two 16oz beers: $21.00
- Price for two 20ox sodas: $12.00
- Price for four hot dogs: $24.00
The Tennessee Titans used to be the Houston Oilers but its owner, Bud Adams, wanted to move the team to a different city because Houston wasn’t willing to build him a football-only stadium, so in his temper tantrum, he took his ball and went home, moving his team to Tennessee and getting a new stadium in the process.
The stadium cost $144 million to build, paid for by the taxpayers of Nashville, and hosted its first NFL games in 1999.
#7 Soldier Field
- Team: Chicago Bears
- Price for two 16oz beers: $22.00
- Price for two 20ox sodas: $13.80
- Price for four hot dogs: $30.00
Soldier Field originally opened in 1924 and was rebuilt in 2003, and is the smallest and oldest stadium in the NFL. The renovation in 2003 destroyed the original historical structure, lowered the seating capacity, and led to the building being removed from the list of National Historic Landmarks, it cost $632 million to renovate and the taxpayers were responsible for $432 million of that price.
The city of Chicago is building a new stadium for the Bears that will open in 2028, it is publicly funded and will be publicly owned. The stadium is planned to cost around $3.2 billion, not including the infrastructure around the building which will cost another $1.5 billion.
#6 Lincoln Financial Field
- Team: Philadelphia Eagles
- Price for two 16oz beers: $22.00
- Price for two 20ox sodas: $11.00
- Price for four hot dogs: $25.00
The Lincoln Financial Field opened in 2003 and cost $188 million to construct, paid for by the taxpayers of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. Even though the city of Philadelphia owns the stadium, and it was paid for by taxpayers, the Eagles manage, operate, and effectively control everything happening within and around the facility. This includes when they tried to ban fans from bringing hoagies and cheesesteaks into the stadium and when they began trying to ban and discourage tailgating in 2007.
#5 Levi’s Stadium
- Team: San Francisco 49ers
- Price for two 16oz beers: $23.00
- Price for two 20ox sodas: $9.45
- Price for four hot dogs: $22.00
Like many other NFL stadiums, Levi’s Stadium is owned by a tax-exempt organization, in this case, the Santa Clara Stadium Authority. Levi’s Stadium opened in 2014 and cost $1.3 billion to build, most of which was paid for by taxpayers. It features a rooftop farm that grows vegetables that are served in dishes available within the stadium.
#4 Caesars Superdome
- Team: New Orleans Saints
- Price for two 16oz beers: $23.00
- Price for two 20ox sodas: $12.00
- Price for four hot dogs: $24.00
The Caesars Superdome opened in 1975 and is the largest fixed-dome structure in the world. It cost $165 million to build, being paid for by taxpayers. The Caesars Superdome was famous in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as it was a large shelter of last resort location for those who could not evacuate New Orleans in time. Well-known Navy sniper Chris Kyle claimed that during the hurricane, he went to the top of the dome and killed 30 armed looters.
#3 EverBank Stadium
- Team: Jacksonville Jaguars
- Price for two 16oz beers: $23.00
- Price for two 20ox sodas: $13.00
- Price for four hot dogs: $27.00
This stadium opened in 1995, replacing the old stadium on the same site. It cost $134 million to build, of which the taxpayers of Jacksonville paid $60 million. In 2013, the city approved renovations for $63 million and additional improvements in 2016 for $90 million. Additional improvements are planned for 2025. The improvements continue even though EverBank Stadium has often struggled to fill all its seats for regular season games.
#2 Raymond James Stadium
- Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Price for two 16oz beers: $24.00
- Price for two 20ox sodas: $11.00
- Price for four hot dogs: $28.00
Raymond James Stadium opened in 1998, financed by the taxpayers of Tampa Bay at a cost of $168 million, paid for through increased taxes. When Malcolm Glazer bought the Buccaneers in 1995, he said that the stadium was too small and asked the government to give him a shiny new one. When voters reacted negatively to Glazer’s tactics and didn’t want to subsidize his business, he threatened to take his new team to another city. The vote to build it narrowly passed and the city ended up building the stadium entirely at its own expense. The city has paid for additional improvements in the years since.
#1 SoFi Stadium
- Team: Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams
- Price for two 16oz beers: $27.50
- Price for two 20ox sodas: $12.00
- Price for four hot dogs: $32.00
Our award for the most expensive NFL stadium concessions goes to SoFi Stadium, and it should almost get two awards since two NFL teams call this stadium home which means that double the amounts of fans have to pay these outrageous prices.
SoFi Stadium opened in 2020 and was built and financed privately, but the owners of the stadium were awarded significant tax breaks. The total cost was $5.5 billion, making it the most expensive sports stadium in the world.
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