The Best Cities to Stay & Play

We are rolling fast into vacation season. School’s out and it’s time to pack up the family and …what’s that? The kids have camp? You have the club summer social to prepare for? So we aren’t going on vacation this year -- what with gas prices and crowds and all, I suppose it’s OK. So it’s a Staycation then!

ohn Moore/Getty Images

WalletHub, the personal finance social network , compared each of the 100 largest cities in the U.S. based on 20 key metrics -- ranging from the number of public golf courses and swimming pools per capita to the cost of maid services -- in order to help consumers who are on the fence about staying home or taking a trip make the best decisions for their wallets and enjoy a bit of fun this summer.

2014’s Best Cities for Staycations

	1.	Buffalo, New York
	2.	Minneapolis, Minnesota
	3.	Cincinnati, Ohio
	4.	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
	5.	Portland, Oregon
	6.	Omaha, Nebraska
	7.	New Orleans, Louisiana
	8.	Tampa, Florida
	9.	Orlando, Florida
	10.	Seattle, Washington

Key Stats

Las Vegas has 87-times more live performances per capita than Lincoln, Neb.
Tampa, Fla., has 143-times more zoos and aquariums per capita than New York.
Going bowling in New York City is 3.5 times more expensive than in Buffalo, N.Y.
Going to a beauty salon in Los Angeles or Long Beach, Calif., is three times more expensive than in Fort Wayne, Ind.
But then, hiring a maid in Fort Wayne is five times more expensive than in Winston-Salem, N.C.