The Best Places for Valentine’s Day
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/02/08
Chip Lupo is an experienced personal finance writer currently contributing to WalletHub. With a background in journalism from Elon University, he has worked across various sectors, including finance, sports, politics, and religion. Chip has expertise in SEO best practices, content creation, and editing and proficiency in Microsoft and Adobe applications. His career spans over two decades, during which he has held roles as a compliance analyst, wire editor, and night city editor. Chip’s passion for media and communications drives his commitment to high-quality content. Valentine’s Day spending reaches $14.2 billion annually, with the average person spending $186 on gifts, jewelry, flowers, and dining. The top cities for Valentine’s Day—San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Denver—rank highly in budget, activities, and gift accessibility, despite some weather concerns. Meanwhile, Detroit, San Bernardino, Hialeah, Baton Rouge, and Toledo rank lowest due to high costs and limited attractions. Budget plays the largest role in rankings, as Valentine’s Day plans are more flexible than weddings. Cities with poor accessibility and affordability struggle, making stay-at-home celebrations a practical choice for many couples.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: The report opens with a quote: “Money can’t buy love.” Then it continues: “But it certainly can express it.” Charming. Americans spend approximately $14.2 billion on Valentine’s Day gifts each year, including jewelry, greeting cards, and special items.
The average person spends about $186 on that day. That seems like a lot! So what is the primary driver of this multi-billion-dollar industry—beyond just its intended purpose in American culture?
Chip Lupo: Looking at Valentine’s Day spending, you’ll likely see some parallels to wedding-related rankings—maybe not in the exact rankings, but in some of the underlying financial trends. The biggest drivers are greeting cards, jewelry, and—as we discussed earlier—the markup on flowers, which is significantly higher around Valentine’s Day.
For many florists, this is their most profitable time of year. Their financial success often depends on how well they do on Valentine’s Day.
Of course, there are romantic dinners. Many people choose to go out, and restaurant prices spike.
Another factor is inflation, which directly affects people’s willingness to spend. While $186 may seem a little on the high side for the average person, many still spend a significant amount if they celebrate Valentine’s Day traditionally.
Jacobsen: The top cities for Valentine’s Day—ranked based on budget, activities, gift accessibility, and weather forecast— are:
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- San Diego
- Las Vegas
- Denver
There isn’t a huge difference in scoring between these cities, and it’s not as lopsided as the wedding rankings. But there is a clear pattern in the top five—aside from maybe Las Vegas, which ranks lower in budget friendliness.
In some of these cities, the weather forecast isn’t ideal. However, their rankings in gift accessibility, activities, and overall affordability are so strong that they compensate for any weather-related drawbacks, leading to higher rankings.
Lupo: Right. In the four key dimensions—budget, activities, gift accessibility, and weather forecast—the top two cities rank highly.
As you mentioned, Las Vegas ranks lower in budget-friendliness but compensates in other areas. San Francisco holds the number one spot despite its unpredictable weather. Seattle, as you know, experiences rain approximately every fourth day. Yet, it still ranks high due to its strong performance in the other three categories.
This offset is due to factors like activity options. Similar to weddings, you ideally want to be in an area where everything is accessible.
Key considerations for activities include:
- Diverse restaurants
- Cafés per capita
- Number of attractions
- Nightclub options
- Amusement and entertainment venues
Access to as many of these venues as possible is crucial, especially on Valentine’s Day when demand is high.
Plenty of options prevent disappointment for couples waiting until the last minute. Otherwise, they might find themselves on the outside looking in.
Gift accessibility is another key factor. This includes:
- Jewelry stores
- Florists
- Chocolate shops (a personal favourite of my wife)
- Greeting card stores
- Wellness and spa centers per capita
That last one is interesting. A spa day for your significant other can be a great Valentine’s Day gift. Now, budget is where Las Vegas struggled, ranking 36th out of 100 cities.
Budget factors include:
- Cost of a three-course meal for two
- Average movie ticket price
- Average beverage price
- Beauty salon cost
- Massage cost
- Taxi fare cost
Taxi fares are particularly important if you’re planning a night out.
Jacobsen: That’s at least $100 if you go to and from an event. Sober costs vs. drunk costs—they add up. Some people prefer to stay home.
Lupo: Another factor is the lowest available price for three-star hotel rooms. This becomes even more important if you’re looking to book a suite. And yes—good luck finding an affordable hotel in Las Vegas on Valentine’s Day.
Jacobsen: What else can we ask here? Detroit, San Bernardino, Hialeah, Baton Rouge, and Toledo were the worst-ranked cities—although this ranking was out of 100 rather than 180-. This is almost the reverse of the top five in many ways.
These cities perform significantly worse on key metrics like budget, activities, and gift accessibility. However, they may have middle-to-high rankings when it comes to weather.So, weather alone is not the determining factor for Valentine’s Day.
It comes down to getting the right mix:
- A reasonable budget
- Good activities
- Strong gift accessibility
That’s what I’m seeing here.
Lupo: Yes, and I’m looking at the numbers now. It’s almost a total flip—the bottom five cities are:
- Toledo
- Baton Rouge
- Hialeah
- San Bernardino
- Detroit (which ranks dead last in budget-friendliness)
But take a look at Hialeah, Florida. It has one of the highest costs, yet its weather ranking is great—not surprising since it’s in South Florida. Hialeah is a suburb of Miami.
If you’re living in Hialeah and planning a Valentine’s Day getaway or a romantic weekend, chances are you’re making that 20-minute drive to Miami, where there are far more attractions and things to do.
That’s what hurts a place like Hialeah. The weather is fantastic, but accessibility to activities and affordability is poor. Now, Toledo, Ohio, has the same issue. The budget ranking is terrible, and the weather isn’t great, given that it’s in Northeast Ohio. Budget concerns are dragging down these bottom-ranking cities.
Let’s break it down further—take Detroit, for example.
- 99th in the cost of a three-course meal
- 99th in average movie ticket price
- 99th in average beverage price
- 96th for a three-star hotel room
- 94th for taxi fare costs
Yes, Detroit doesn’t rank above 90 in any major cost category. Now, San Bernardino ranks 80th for the cost of a three-course meal, which makes sense because it’s in Southern California. Hialeah, 97th. That’s not exactly good news for budget-conscious couples.
Suppose you’re planning Valentine’s Day on a budget. In that case, you might be better off taking that money and travelling somewhere more affordable. Or, as we tend to do—stay home. That’s always an option.
Jacobsen: So maybe we’ll fit in one more question before wrapping up—methodology. This ranking is significantly lopsided and more diverse than most others I’ve seen. Instead of just two or three categories, there are four categories.
One category—weather forecast—was weighted 10 points, while the budget was weighted 50 points.
The USD 186 people are spending shows that budget is the most significant factor, but none of the subcategories within the budget are drastically off—everything falls within 5 or 10 points. Why allocate half the total weighting to the budget while the other three categories are split 20, 20, and 10 points?
Lupo: When we talked about wedding expenses, the weighting was different because, with weddings, people expect to pay more. When planning a wedding, you already know you’ll spend significant money.
But with Valentine’s Day, you have more flexibility—you can adjust your plans based on budget. For weddings, you’re essentially “all in” from the start. But depending on cost, you have more room to scale your plans up or down on Valentine’s Day.
That’s why budget carries more weight in this ranking—people are more cost-conscious about Valentine’s Day than weddings. However, categories like activities, gift accessibility, and weather still matter:
- Activities—You want access to restaurants, cafés, and entertainment options.
- Gift stores and florists—Essential for last-minute shopping.
- Weather (10%)—Most people only plan for one day. If it happens to rain or snow, you adjust accordingly.
For example:
- If you’re in Seattle, bring an umbrella.
- If you’re in the Midwest, get your snow tires ready.
- If you’re in South Florida, sunscreen is a must!
Jacobsen: I agree. Let’s wrap it up there and call it a day.
Lupo: Outstanding, man. All right, Scott.
Jacobsen: Thank you so much—I appreciate it! I hope you have a great day.
Lupo: You too, Scott. Take care! Talk soon.
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