How Much We Paid for a Weeklong Trip to San Diego (Full Cost Breakdown)
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San Diego ranks near the top of our favorite United States destinations. From the culture, the wildlife, hikes, activities, there is so much to do in and around San Diego. California is known for being pricey. Part of our trip was spent at a theme park and staying on property. As a family of 4, we have to be cognizant of our budget but we also want to enjoy our time while on vacation. So how much did we spend? This breakdown details everything we spent from flights, accommodations, theme park tickets, and more. I also go through ways we saved money and the things we splurged a bit on.
San Diego Zoo
SEALIFE aquarium in Carlsbad, on Legoland property
A bit about our trip first
To learn about our entire itinerary and what we did each day, head to our trip report and guide. To provide an overview, we went from February 13th to 19th leaving from Seattle. Our trip was 7 days and 6 nights and overlapped with our school district’s mid-winter break. So while February is typically a cheaper time to visit – flight prices were a bit higher than other weeks when it wasn’t a school break for the largest district in our area. We split up our trip and spent 4 nights in the San Diego/La Jolla area and the other 2 nights in Legoland. We stayed in hotels and ended up eating out more than we normally do on vacations. We used hotel points and credit card rewards to cover some of our large expenses, and that will be pointed in the detailed breakdown below. We also made use of sales and deals when we could. Expenses are listed as the combined price for our family of four.
Total Expenses
Total Expenses a 7-day trip to San Diego for 4 people
Flights: $68
$68 – SEA -> SAN round trip tickets for 4 people
We paid for our the majority of the cost of our flights using credit card points, the remaining amount that was billed to our card was $68. If we were to pay for our flights, it would have cost $1387.80 total for 4 people round trip. Or $346.95 per person. We used our chase points from our Chase Sapphire Reserve cards to pay for the flights. We flew on delta airlines as it was the best option for this trip for price and time of flights. We booked 2 months before our trip. Looking at flight prices for traveling from SEA to SAN this coming February, prices range from $150 to $300 per person 5 months out with the higher prices near mid-winter break/president’s day.
If you are looking for getting the cheapest flights to San Diego, here are a few tips. January and February are the cheapest times to visit San Diego. If you are flexible with your dates, Tuesday or Wednesday departures and returning on a weekday (especially avoiding Sunday) will give you the best price typically. Check multiple sources for flight prices. I typically check google flights first to get a good overview. Then I look specifically on the airline websites, as sometimes Southwest doesn’t appear on google flights and also airlines might have different deals running that are only on select dates that might be able to apply to my trip. For Seattle to San Diego, the airlines that fly this route are Alaska, Delta and Southwest.
Sometimes it is best to just lock in and buy the tickets at a decent price rather than waiting for the absolute best price. Especially with kids, if you can find a flight price that seems reasonable to you – book it to take one less stressor off our plate.
Scripps Pier in San Diego
La Jolla’s Children’s Cove with mom and baby seals
Ground Transportation: $727
$493 – 7 day car rental from San Diego Airport
We rented an SUV sized car for 7 days from Avis’s San Diego airport location.
$70 – 2 days of parking at the Legoland Castle Hotel Parking lot
We never needed to use the car while we were on the property, parked it the night we got in and didn’t move it until we left 2 days later. The parking charge was included in our bill when we checked out of the hotel.
$120 - 4 days of parking at the Sheraton La Jolla Hotel
Uncovered, surface lot with unlimited in and out privileges.
$44 – Gas for 7 days of driving
We drove around the San Diego area and to and from Carlsbad for Legoland. We ended up just needing to fill up before dropping off our car back at the airport and it cost $44.
Accomodations: $1414
$841 - 4 nights at Sheraton La Jolla Hotel
Legoland Castle Hotel Entrance
We had one free night that we could redeem at a Marriott hotel and chose to stay at the Sheraton La Jolla Hotel. We loved the pool, close proximity to food options and the sights we wanted to see. There was quite a bit of traffic and construction in the area when we went, so some travel times did end up taking longer than expected. However we enjoyed this hotel. There are quite a lot of options of places to stay in the San Diego area and prices vary. We were happy at getting this hotel for about $210/night after our one night discount. Depending on location and quality and date, expect to pay between $150-$330 per night.
$573 – 2 nights at the Legoland Castle Hotel
We got a Black Friday deal for 2 nights at Legoland resort and 2 days of park tickets for 4 people. The deal included all of the perks that come with staying on property (early access to Legoland, free breakfast, etc) and park hopper tickets to both Legoland and the Sealife aquarium that is on property. The deal cost $989 in total for everything, I estimated that the accommodation part of the charge was $573 and the remaining $416 was for the tickets using current ticket prices. Legoland regularly runs these deals, especially if you are planning to visit in the winter. If you are visiting early in the new year, I would wait to see if they come out with Black Friday deals again. While we possibly could have gotten cheaper accommodations near Legoland, we felt like this was a good deal and it made our days a lot easier with being able to just walk right from our hotel to the theme park. A breakfast buffet was included and everyone in the family loved it. The hotel was very themed, included a king sized bed and bunk beds for our kids. There were activities and meet and greets happening at the hotel and there was a scavenger hunt that ended with a free lego set.
Sights/ACTIVITIES: $656
A lot of the activities we did in San Diego were completely free! We watched multiple sunsets on the beach, hiked a slot canyon, explore Torrey Pines natural reserve, walked through Balboa Park, watched newborn seals learning to swim, and visited the cool playgrounds at Mission Bay Park. There were just two activities which spanned 3 days of our trip that cost money (and they were pricey!):
San Diego Zoo: $240
Looking back at the San Diego Zoo admission price, I am still shocked at how much it is. We also got it on a fairly sizable discount! We go our San Diego Zoo One Day Pass from Costco online for $63.99 per adult and $55.99 per child. Currently this deal on the Costco website is only for the Safari Park and is $1 more expensive than it was a year ago. Regular tickets that you buy directly from the San Diego Zoo cost $78 per adult and $68 per child. The San Diego Zoo is a large expense, it was a splurge but we felt like it was worth it. It is an amazing zoo and we ended up spending as much time as was enjoyable for 2 young kids (4 & 5 years old). It felt very nice getting the discount on tickets and I would try to get discounted tickets if you can.
Annie’s Canyon Hike
San Diego Zoo’s Panda exhibit
Balboa Park
2-day Legoland Admission Tickets: $416
As stated above, we got a promotional deal for our Legoland accommodations and tickets. For 2 nights at the Legoland castle hotel and 2 days of Legoland admission tickets that included park hopper to the Sea-life aquarium, the cost was $989 after taxes and fees. I estimated the split between the hotel and park cost based on the current prices of Legoland tickets which are currently $129/adult and $79/child for a 2-day Legoland + Sea life ticket.
Food: $538
Breakfasts: $105
Lunches: $135
Dinner: $218
Treats & Snacks: $80
For our family of 4, we ended up spending $77 per day on food or $19.25/per person/per day. We typically try to spend less on food on vacations than this but felt like we did a good job considering we did not have a kitchen at any of our accommodations to make our own food.
How did we cut down on costs? We went to the grocery store on the first day to get snacks and easy breakfast items. We got apples, bananas, yogurt, granola bars, bagels, and other easy options that do not require anything other than a fridge. At Legoland, we got the free breakfast buffet at the hotel and ate enough to keep us full for a while. On those days, rather than a big lunch we ate treats like the famous Granny’s Apple fries while out in the park. In San Diego, we split meals while eating out and shared amongst our family to minimize food waste.
Box of Sprinkles cupcakes on the beach
Harbor Seal pup with its mom
Extras: $231
$51 - Souvenirs at San Diego Zoo
$62 - Souvenirs at Legoland
$118 - Travel Insurance
For souvenirs on vacations, we typically say before a trip that we will let them spend $20 in any way they wish. Often times that means, anything that is less than $30. On this trip, we said yes to a few extra items as well. I mean it is Legoland - how do you say no to legos that you know they will play with for years to come? We were though limited by space in our suitcase. At the zoo, they each picked a stuffed animal. At Legoland, they got another stuffy, a few minifigs and a small lego set. We did also walk away from the lego store in Legoland with a couple dozen photos of sets and other items they wanted for future birthdays.
San Diego ranks near the top of our favorite United States destinations. From the culture, the wildlife, hikes, activities, there is so much to do in and around San Diego. California is known for being pricey. Part of our trip was spent at a theme park and staying on property. As a family of 4, we have to be cognizant of our budget but we also want to enjoy our time while on vacation. So how much did we spend? This breakdown details everything we spent from flights, accommodations, theme park tickets, and more. I also go through ways we saved money and the things we splurged a bit on.