Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Streetsblog

Coincidence? Most Expensive Cities for Parking All Suspiciously Awesome

Is parking expensive because a city is attractive? Or is a city attractive because it has expensive parking? Whether cause or effect, there seems to be a clear correlation.

Parking in San Francisco will set you back $26 a day, but it's a relative bargain compared to international counterparts. Photo: San Francisco Examiner

A new study featured in AOL’s Daily Finance has ranked the ten most expensive U.S. cities to store a car (off the street). And wouldn’t you know it, they’re all the sort of places you might want to visit.

In Seattle, Erica C. Barnett at Network blog PubliCola says despite the city’s relatively high rates, drivers are still getting a great deal — maybe too good:

According to a new survey of parking rates around the country, Seattle ranks sixth in the nation in parking rates, at an average of $24 a day, or $294 a month. That’s behind Midtown Manhattan ($41 a day, or more than $540 a month), downtown Manhattan ($533 a month), Boston ($34 a day, or $438 a month), Honolulu ($38 a day, or $217 a month), and San Francisco ($26 a day, or $375 a month).

The silver lining, DailyFinance.com reports: “Nowhere compares to London, where monthly parking costs a whopping $1,084, followed by Zurich at $822 and Hong Kong at $745.”

Parking, like driving, is heavily subsidized in the US. In 2002, according to Donald Shoup, author of The High Cost of Free Parking, the total subsidy for off-street parking alone was between $127 and $374 billion in 2002. Take that, parking whiners.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Xing Columbus analyzes the connection between walkability and a metric called “income density.” Mobilizing the Region reports that under Chris Christie, New Jersey environmental programs neglect the important role of transportation. And Bike Portland brings news that the Oregon Department of Transportation is planning to add an active transportation department.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Eyes on the Street: DOT’s ‘Broadway Vision’ Starts to Clear Up

The Department of Transportation has transformed Broadway into a new corridor for pedestrians and cyclists.

July 8, 2025

Amsterdam Leads the Way on E-Bike Regulation — Should New York Follow Suit?

The city's biking- and walking-friendly streets expose the hypocrisy harsh e-bike enforcement without better street design.

July 8, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Rethinking Avenue B Edition

DOT is taking feedback on the future of Avenue B. Plus more news.

July 8, 2025

Eric Adams’s ‘Dept. of Sustainable Delivery’ Isn’t Actually A Department

The "Department of Sustainable Delivery" will launch with 45 "peace officers" in 2028, the mayor said on Monday.

July 7, 2025

New Air Quality Stats Dispel Earlier Forecasts for Congestion Pricing Pollution

Air quality has improved or remained steady across the five boroughs since congestion pricing launched in January, city health department data showed.

July 7, 2025

‘Rush’ Routes Debut in Queens Bus Map Overhaul More Than Five Years in the Making

The MTA's new "rush" routes make fewer stops in busy downtown areas to avoid wasted time merging in and out of traffic.

July 7, 2025
See all posts