Most Expensive Cities To Visit: U.S. & the World

New York City

The latest Hotel Price Index show these 10 U.S. Cities command the highest prices per night last year. Most are expected due to its attraction to business and leisure travelers. But the list is not the most popular cities but the most expensive ones to visit. This probably explains the inclusion of Idaho Falls which is a destination in its region of the country popular for the scenery and culture. It's kind of ironic that I live in the city ranked second and the place to where I travel the most often is ranked first.

The HPI is based on bookings made on hotels.com and prices shown are those actually paid by customers for 2010. Prices are per hotel night averages.

1. New York City, New York  $194.14
2. Honolulu, Hawaii  $158.95
3. Boston, Massachusetts  $154.62
4. Santa Barbara, California  $143.33
5. Washington, D.C.  $140.33
6. Miami, Florida  $139.58
7. Chicago, Illinois  $133.93
8. Idaho Falls, Idaho  $132.53
9. New Orleans, Louisiana  $132.27
10. Monterey, California  $131.93

Bora Bora (image credits: Hotels.com L.P.)

On the flipside, the most expensive cities in the world to visit were strictly for those with deep pockets willing to indulge. Many are resort destinations catering to the wealthy.

1. Bora Bora  $605.95
2. Somerset, England  $531.87
3. Anacapri, Italy  $459.58
4. Hamilton, Bermuda  $404.12
5. Tremezzo, Italy  $366.90
6. Paradise Island, Bahamas  $365.69
7. Wailea (Maui), U.S.  $363.92
8.  Southampton, England  $347.66
9.  Paget, Bermuda  $325.07
10. Manalapan, Florida  $323.10

The HPI is a regular survey of hotel prices in major city destinations across the world.