Average ticket price in 2026 for concerts, sports and Broadway
Every number here has a source and a note on what it measures. Our tracked listing prices cover about 36,000 concerts and about 42,000 theater, comedy and family performances on Vivid Seats.
There is no single average ticket price. Pollstar's top 100 tours worldwide averaged $132.62 a ticket in 2025. Broadway averaged $131.09 for the 2025-26 season. The cheapest concert listing on Vivid Seats was a median $68 with fees, across about 36,000 tracked concerts. Each number measures a different thing.
The average ticket price in 2026 depends on the kind of ticket
| Ticket | Number | What it measures | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concerts, top 100 tours worldwide | $132.62 | Box office gross divided by paid tickets. Taxes, ticketing fees and secondary prices are left out. | 2025 | Pollstar |
| Concerts, top 100 tours in North America | $134.23 | The same measure for North America only. | 2025 | Pollstar |
| Concerts, every event reported to Pollstar | $90.27 | The average across every event reported to Pollstar that year. | 2025 | Pollstar |
| Concerts, stadium shows | $216.13 | The average for stadium shows only. | 2025 | Pollstar |
| Concerts, cheapest listing on Vivid Seats | $68 with fees | Median get-in price across about 36,000 US concerts. A listing price, not a sale. | Late September 2026 | TicketFlipping tracked listings |
| Concerts, lowest primary price tracked on Ticketmaster | About $50 with fees | Median across about 12,700 concerts still on sale. Not the cheapest ticket you can buy. | Late September 2026 | TicketFlipping tracked listings |
| Theater, comedy and family, cheapest listing on Vivid Seats | $82 with fees | Median get-in price per performance, across about 42,000 performances. | Late September 2026 | TicketFlipping tracked listings |
| Broadway | $131.09 | Average paid admission. Total gross divided by total attendance, in New York only. | 2025-26 season | The Broadway League |
| NFL, family of 4 at a game | $1,339 | No agreed NFL average exists. This is 4 tickets, food, drinks and parking. | 2025 season | Action Network |
| NFL, secondary listings | $397 and $97 | $397 is the average listing price. $97 is the average of the cheapest listing per game. Asking prices, not sales. | 2026 | SeatPick |
| MLB, family of 4 at a game | $319.78 | No agreed MLB average exists. This is the average cost of a game for a family of 4, not a price per ticket. | 2026 | Action Network |
| Movies | $10.52 and $16.30 | $10.52 is Cinemark's average US ticket price for 2025. $16.30 is the average from a 2026 survey of listed prices in 48 states. No trade group publishes a current national average. | 2025 and 2026 | Cinemark annual report, CableTV.com |
Pollstar's newest full year is 2025. It had not published a 2026 year-end figure when we checked on October 1, 2026. Its 2026 mid-year number for the top 100 tours in North America was $122.15. That covers shows from November 13, 2025 to May 13, 2026, which is half a year. Do not compare it with the full-year rows.
See average concert ticket price by year for the Pollstar numbers from earlier years.
Why are there 5 different numbers for a concert ticket price?
A concert has more than 1 price. The primary price is what the artist or venue charges on Ticketmaster or AXS. On secondary sites like Vivid Seats, each seller sets a listing price. The get-in price is the cheapest listing for an event.
These 5 numbers measure different things and different sets of shows. The first 3 are prices we tracked, with fees (asking prices, not sales). They are medians for US concerts dated October 2026 to March 2027. The sample is about 12,700 concerts on Ticketmaster and about 36,000 on Vivid Seats. Pollstar's 2 are box office gross divided by paid tickets for 2025, with fees not included.
Pollstar's top 100 are the 100 top-grossing tours, not all concerts. Its average across every reported event was $90.27 in 2025. We tracked about 36,000 concerts on Vivid Seats. About 23% had a get-in price under $50 with fees, and about 80% were under $100. Half had a get-in price between $51 and $91.
Keep in mind the cheapest listing can be a single seat or a poor seat. The middle listing on a typical concert was priced at about $110 with fees. These are asking prices on 1 marketplace, not sales.
There is no agreed average ticket price for sports
The NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL do not publish an average ticket price. Each outside study counts something different. Action Network says the average NFL game cost $1,339 for a family of 4 in the 2025 season. That figure is 4 tickets plus food, drinks and parking. SeatPick looked at secondary asking prices instead. Its 2026 NFL listings averaged $397 a ticket, and the cheapest listing per game averaged $97.
Our sports median get-in price was $37 with fees, mostly from minor league and college hockey and basketball. It comes from about 9,100 games on Vivid Seats. It is not a figure for any league.
We do not have a number for an average NFL or NBA ticket either.
Broadway tickets averaged $131.09 in the 2025-26 season
The Broadway League reports an average paid admission of $131.09 for the 2025-26 season. It was $129.12 in 2024-25. The number is total gross divided by total attendance, and attendance includes complimentary tickets. It covers Broadway in New York only.
Our tracked listings cover theater, comedy and family shows across the US. The median get-in price on Vivid Seats was $82 with fees ($59 before fees), across about 42,000 performances. Counted once per show and venue it is $72. The middle listing was priced at about $137 with fees.
What do fees add to a ticket price?
On Vivid Seats, fees added a median 39% to the cheapest listing (about $20), across about 87,000 tracked events. On Ticketmaster, fees added a median 34% to the lowest primary price (about $13), across about 29,000 events. One is secondary and one is primary, so this is not the same ticket on 2 sites.
The all-in price is the ticket price plus every mandatory fee. Since May 12, 2025, an FTC rule has required the first price you see to include those fees. It applies to anyone advertising live event tickets in the US. Taxes, shipping and optional add-ons can still be added before payment. The rule does not cap or lower any fee.
The $68 concert get-in price in the table is $49 before fees.
The average is not the price you pay
Some listings are priced far above the rest, and they pull the average up. We checked about 66,000 Vivid Seats events with 5 or more listings. On 82% of them the average listing price was above the median listing price. The average was a median 12% above the median.
Go by the get-in price and the middle listing for the event you want. The middle listing (the median) has half the listings priced above it and half below.
How to check the price for 1 event
If you are buying 2 tickets for 1 show, these 3 steps cost nothing.
Open the event on the primary site first
Start on Ticketmaster or AXS. Check if primary tickets are still on sale. Write down the lowest price with fees.
Compare the get-in price on 2 or more secondary sites
Sort each site by lowest price, with fees shown. Then compare the same section on each site.
How to compare ticket pricesCheck the price again before you buy
Listing prices change when sellers add, reprice or remove listings. Check again on another day, or set a price alert.
How to track a ticket price- Our rows are listing prices on Vivid Seats (asking prices, not sales). We also show the lowest primary price tracked on Ticketmaster. The snapshot was taken in late September 2026.
- It covers US events dated October 2026 to March 2027. Parking and add-ons were removed. Tax is not included.
- On Vivid Seats that is about 36,000 concerts and about 42,000 theater, comedy and family performances. The sports sample is about 9,100 games. On Ticketmaster it is about 12,700 concerts.
- The middle listing figure is the median across events of each event's median listing.
- Vivid Seats is 1 secondary marketplace. A shopper there may see prices about 2% above what our tracker stores.
- The lowest primary price tracked is not the cheapest ticket you can buy. In 18 checks against the event page it matched the lowest ticket 10 times. Our tracked price was 14% to 68% under it 6 times (promo prices, single seats).
- Every outside figure was checked at its source on October 1, 2026. Pollstar explains its measure in its box office reporting policy.
- This is 1 snapshot of past prices, not a forecast.
Questions people ask
What is the average ticket price in the USA?
There is no single average for every kind of ticket in the USA. Pollstar's top 100 tours in North America averaged $134.23 a ticket in 2025, with fees not included. Broadway averaged $131.09 for the 2025-26 season.
How much does a concert ticket cost?
About 80% of the concerts we tracked had a get-in price under $100 with fees. The median get-in price was $68 with fees (asking prices, not sales). The sample is about 36,000 concerts on Vivid Seats. Pollstar's top 100 tours worldwide averaged $132.62 in 2025, before fees.
Is $200 a lot for a concert ticket?
$200 is above the middle listing on a typical concert we tracked, which was about $110 with fees. That figure comes from asking prices on about 36,000 concerts on Vivid Seats. Pollstar's 2025 average for stadium shows was higher, $216.13 before fees.
Why are ticket prices different on every site?
Each site has its own listings and adds its own fees. The primary price on Ticketmaster or AXS is set by the artist, team or venue. A secondary listing is priced by its seller. See how to compare ticket prices for the same seats across sites.
How much do fees add to a ticket?
Fees added a median 39% to the cheapest Vivid Seats listing, across about 87,000 tracked events. On Ticketmaster they added a median 34% to the lowest primary price, across about 29,000 events. One is secondary and one is primary, so it is not the same ticket.
Follow the get-in price on the events you favorite
The listing prices in this article come from the events we track. Brokers use Flare to follow get-in price history and inventory on the events they favorite.
See how Flare tracks an eventSee which venues and artists add tickets after the onsale
The Drop Report lists the venues and artists that add primary tickets after the public onsale.
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