What’s the Cost of Being an NBA Fan in 2023-24?

Being an NBA fan has never been more expensive. Inflation and lucrative broadcasting deals have driven up ticket prices, the general cost of attendance, and subscriptions to watch from home. Though fan attendance at games is actually down, profits are up because ticket prices have risen substantially to compensate. 

That leads to a vicious cycle – tickets are more expensive, so less fans want to attend games, which potentially leads to even higher ticket prices to compensate for the losses, and so forth. 

We’re crunching the numbers to figure out the current average attendance fees, from tickets to concessions. Currently, this is what the average ticket for each team costs:

NBA Ticket Prices (average):

Then, other than the actual ticket, there’s a variety of other fees associated with game attendance. The cost of food and parking at NBA arenas can vary widely, but there are some general trends that can be observed.

For one, food prices are relatively consistent across the league. The average price for a hot dog is $6.50, while the average price for a beer is $11.25. There is some variation in prices, but it is generally within a few dollars of the average.

Parking prices are more variable than food prices. The average parking price is $35.00, but there is a wide range in prices, from $25.00 to $55.00. Some arenas, such as the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, offer free parking for season ticket holders.

Here are the stats:

Price of a hot dog at an NBA game: 

• Atlanta Hawks $6.25 
• Boston Celtics $6.75 
• Brooklyn Nets $7.25 
• Charlotte Hornets $5.75 
• Chicago Bulls $7.00 
• Cleveland Cavaliers $6.50 
• Dallas Mavericks $6.75 
• Denver Nuggets $6.25 
• Detroit Pistons $6.25 
• Golden State Warriors $7.50 
• Houston Rockets $6.25 
• Indiana Pacers $6.25 
• Los Angeles Clippers $7.75 
• Los Angeles Lakers $7.75 
• Memphis Grizzlies $6.25 
• Miami Heat $7.25 
• Milwaukee Bucks $6.75 
• Minnesota Timberwolves $6.75 
• New Orleans Pelicans $6.25 
• New York Knicks $8.25 
• Oklahoma City Thunder $6.25 
• Orlando Magic $6.25 
• Philadelphia 76ers $7.25 
• Phoenix Suns $7.25 
• Portland Trail Blazers $6.75 
• Sacramento Kings $6.25 
• San Antonio Spurs $6.25 
• Toronto Raptors $7.25 
• Utah Jazz $6.75 
• Washington Wizards $7.25

Price of a beer at an NBA game:

• Atlanta Hawks $11.00 
• Boston Celtics $11.50 
• Brooklyn Nets $12.00 
• Charlotte Hornets $9.50 
• Chicago Bulls $11.75 
• Cleveland Cavaliers $11.25 
• Dallas Mavericks $11.50 
• Denver Nuggets $10.00 
• Detroit Pistons $11.25 
• Golden State Warriors $17.50 
• Houston Rockets $10.75 
• Indiana Pacers $11.25 
• Los Angeles Clippers $14.75 
• Los Angeles Lakers $14.75 
• Memphis Grizzlies $8.95 
• Miami Heat $12.00 
• Milwaukee Bucks $11.50 
• Minnesota Timberwolves $11.50 
• New Orleans Pelicans     $10.75 
• New York Knicks $13.75 
• Oklahoma City Thunder $10.75 
• Orlando Magic $9.45 
• Philadelphia 76ers $12.95 
• Phoenix Suns $12.00 
• Portland Trail Blazers $11.00 
• Sacramento Kings $8.95 
• San Antonio Spurs $8.00 
• Toronto Raptors $9.45 
• Utah Jazz $11.25 
• Washington Wizards $12.00

Parking cost per Stadium/Team:

• Atlanta Hawks $30.00 
• Boston Celtics $40.00 
• Brooklyn Nets $45.00 
• Charlotte Hornets $23.00 
• Chicago Bulls $35.00 
• Cleveland Cavaliers $30.00 
• Dallas Mavericks $35.00 
• Denver Nuggets $30.00 
• Detroit Pistons $35.00 
• Golden State Warriors $45.00 
• Houston Rockets $30.00 
• Indiana Pacers $35.00 
• Los Angeles Clippers $45.00 
• Los Angeles Lakers $45.00 
• Memphis Grizzlies $25.00 
• Miami Heat $40.00 
• Milwaukee Bucks $35.00 
• Minnesota Timberwolves $30.00 
• New Orleans Pelicans $30.00 
• New York Knicks $55.00 
• Oklahoma City Thunder $25.00 
• Orlando Magic $30.00 
• Philadelphia 76ers $40.00 
• Phoenix Suns $40.00 
• Portland Trail Blazers $35.00 
• Sacramento Kings $30.00 
• San Antonio Spurs $25.00 
• Toronto Raptors $45.00 
• Utah Jazz $35.00
• Washington Wizards $40.00