Take Me Out to the Ball Game: MLB’s Most Affordable Ballparks for Families

School’s almost out for summer, and you’re no doubt thinking of what to do with the kids.

Nothing quite beats those long evenings under blue skies with a cool beer in one hand, a hot dog in the other, and America’s favorite pastime before your very eyes.

And with MLB’s new rules designed to shorten game times, there’s never been a better time for families with children to plan a trip to the ballpark.

So, before you look up the schedule, how cheap is your local stadium? Sportingpost.com has budgeted for you. To find out how much families should plan to spend, we calculated the total price of four tickets, four hot dogs, two beers, two soft drinks, two souvenir hats, and parking for each MLB ballpark.

See how your favorite team's costs compare below!

Family Fun in Phoenix

According to our research, downtown Phoenix is where it’s at for families. No matter how hot it is outside, you can keep cool under the roof of Chase Field. The Arizona Diamondbacks offer the cheapest non-premium ticket at $22.12, and the hot dogs there are the cheapest in the league at just $2 each.

Only three other MLB teams offer cheaper beer than the Diamondbacks. A small beer in Arizona will set you back $4.99. If you’re driving, or need to quench the thirst of your little ones, Chase Field offers one of the cheapest small sodas in the league at just $2.99 each. And if the kids want a cap as a memento of their day out, they’ll set you back $9.99 per hat, the second cheapest in MLB.

At $13.90, parking in Phoenix is about the middle of the pack compared to the rest of the league. Overall, an average family trip to a Diamondbacks game is the league’s most affordable. It’ll cost $146.32 for a game. Toddlers under 2 are free, and like all ballparks now, there are facilities for nursing parents, making baseball more accessible than ever.

The Miami Marlins offer the second-cheapest family day out. Tickets to LoanDepot Park are $23.27 and hot dogs are just $3 each. Beers here are merely a cent more than at Chase Field, at $5 each for a small. Sodas are $3 in southern Florida, but the team caps are going to hit your wallet. A souvenir hat for the Marlins costs $21.99, a whopping $12 more expensive than in Phoenix.

The average outing for a family to see the Marlins at home will cost $180.06. Kids under 3 are free.

In the Red in Boston

If your kids want to pay a visit to The Green Monster, it’s going to set you back. Boston’s Fenway Park commands the highest price for a family day out in Major League Baseball.

The total family price at Fenway Park is a staggering $374.37. That’s $228.05 more than you’d pay for a family to see the Diamondbacks at home. For $228.05 you can take the family to one of 13 other stadiums and still have enough to visit Chase Field with the money it costs to go to a Red Sox game.

The cheapest tickets retail at $61.71, a small beer is $9, and a small soda is more than double some stadiums at $5.50 each. Only the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies sell more expensive caps ($26) than Boston ($25). Parking is $23.53, but that’s to be expected in a city with such a small footprint. Children under 2 are free.

The New York Yankees are the only other team with tickets over $60 at $61.59. However, their concessions are reasonably cheaper; a hot dog costs just $3, and small sodas are $3 each.

The Yankees logo is one of the most famous in the world, yet they’re one of just eight teams that sell caps under $20 ($19.99). Parking in the Bronx will set you back $26.50. Overall, the family outing will cost $342.84 at Yankee Stadium, where kids under 3 get in free.

At $352.85, the Chicago Cubs offer the second-most expensive baseball outing for families. And shame on them for not even providing a play area for kids. Come on Wrigley Field! They’re the only stadium in the league without a play area. How else are parents and guardians expected to tire out the tykes so that they’re not restless during the action?

The average ticket at Wrigley runs $56.83, the fourth-highest in the league. Only two ballparks have beer priced higher than the $10.49 you’ll pay for a small in Wrigleyville. Still, slightly cheaper than you’ll pay across town when watching the Chicago White Sox. To put this in perspective, you can buy four beers at a Diamondbacks game for the price of two in Chicago.

Concessions Savings

The Baltimore Orioles’ Camden Yards have the most attractive incentives for families with youngsters. All kids under 9 get in free! However, if you want a beer while the youngsters are munching on their $3 hot dogs, it will cost you $10. Only four stadiums in the whole league have a small beer priced at $10 or more. Baltimore is the cheapest venue for a small soda, though ($2.50).

It might not be a surprise that the cheapest beer in the league comes at Coors Field, costing just $3 for a small. It costs twice as much at that venue for a hot dog, and $2 more for a small soft drink. You can buy four small beers at a Colorado Rockies game for the same price as one at the New York Mets’ Citi Field ($12).

So, pick your ballpack, enjoy the summer and soak up the action with the family. It’s an exciting season to get the next generation into baseball because it’s never been so fast.

Methodology

To learn which MLB ballparks are most affordable for families, we organized data from Team Marketing Report's Fan Cost Index. We added up the cost of four non-premium tickets, two small beers, two small soft drinks, two team hats, and one parking space. We also search individual MLB teams websites for their policies regarding free admission for children.