via Wikimedia Commons
Has CenturyLink Field on game day become unaffordable?
Well, here’s what Seattle Seahawks fans have to deal with:
- Highest initial average resale ticket price, 2016¹ – $459
- Highest initial average resale ticket price, 2015¹ – $438
- 2nd-highest real cost index, 2015 – $1548²
Even for the high-income residents of Seattle, these figures can be troublesome…
Because if you earn a 6-figure income, your real cost ratio (real cost index ÷ monthly income) would still be an above average 20%…
And, while the median household income of $80,349 for Seattle in 2015² was 44% higher than the national average, the initial price of a Seahawks ticket on the secondary market was more than double the NFL average.
- ¹ tiqiq.com
- ² Based upon latest available data from deptofnumbers.com
Secondary market for Seahawks’ tickets climbs to an average of $466.
Get more for your money at CenturyLink Field when it comes to…
Tickets
How can you save 12%? By finding a broker that offers Seattle Seahawks tickets with no fees:
| Date | Opponent | Best Price | Broker |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/17 | 49ers | $214 | TickPick |
| 10/1 | Colts | $211.75 | TicketIQ |
| 10/29 | Texans | $175 | TickPick |
| 11/5 | Redskins | $175 | TickPick |
| 11/20 | Falcons | $210 | TicketIQ |
| 12/3 | Eagles | $205 | TicketIQ |
| 12/17 | Rams | $165 | TickPick |
| 12/31 | Cardinals | $195 | TickPick |
Prices as of 6/10/17 are for the cheapest available tickets, minimum of 2, and includes all fees.
The average cheap seat price of $193.84 is a median $25.82 less than all of the rest.
Parking
If you thought that the face value price of $50 for a CenturyLink parking pass is expensive, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Currently, (as of June 2017) the average cheapest price for parking from an online broker is $139, 5th-highest in the NFL.
Or, you can pay $0, $5, or $10 for a nearby space. Yes, that was a zero ($0).
Find cheap, and even free, parking alternatives near the Clink.
Food & drink
For you hardcore tailgaters, the fan-organized Hawk Alley tailgate party is the place to be before games.
If you’re toting young ones, then you might consider the more family-oriented Touchdown City (face painting! hair-coloring!)
Otherwise, here are some of the best bars near Centurylink Field for cheap, but good, food, strong drinks, & TV screens galore:
- Kessler’s Sports Bar, 1703 E Olive Way
- Victory Lounge, 433 Eastlake Ave E
- Sluggers Seattle, 538 1st Ave S
- Joe’s Bar & Grill, 500 S King St.
And for you beer lovers, there are also good microbreweries nearby where you can get your drink on for cheap:
- Georgetown Brewing Co., 5200 Denver Ave S
- Cloudburst Brewing, 2116 Western Ave
- Seattle Beer, 1427 Western Ave
- Optimism Brewing Co., 1158 Broadway
Seahawks games rank second in overpriced beer.
Nearby attractions
While reviewing tourist attractions should be left for travel sites, there are so many sites to see around The Clink, even hardcore NFL fans would find it hard to resist these. But with tourist attractions come tourist traps. Here are few overpriced ones to avoid:
- The Great Wheel. Do you really want to wait 45 minutes and spend $13 for a few minutes on a ferris wheel? Just sayin’.
- Space Needle. $22 and more long lines for one of thrillist.com’s 10 most overrated attractions. If you want a breathtaking view of Seattle, the Volunteer Park Water Tower is less crowded and costs nothing.
- Ride the Ducks. If you have small children, then don’t sweat the 28 bucks ($17 for kids) for this ferry tour. But if it’s just you and your buddies and/or GF, then go for the Washington State Ferry or Water Taxi, which costs as little as five bucks.
Hotels
The current average daily rate for a hotel in Seattle is $193. Here are a handful of cheap hotels near CenturyLink Field that will save you up to 44%:
- The Inn at Virginia Mason (2-star), 1006 Spring St. $106.75 per night¹, 74 rating²
- Warwick Seattle (3-star), 401 Lenora St. $117.50 per night¹, 82 rating²
- The Baroness Hotel (2-star), 105 Spring St. $119¹, 77²
- Pensione Nichols Bed & Breakfast (3-star), 1923 1st Ave. $141.50¹, 82²
- Hotel Theodore (3-star), 1531 7th Ave, $150.75¹, 82²
- ¹ Rates are the average from 4 sites for a 1 night stay (12/3 – 12/4/17).
- ² Ratings are based upon cumulative scores from at least 2 of 4 sites (Expedia, hotels.com, booking.com, & Kayak) – a 3 (out of 5) rating on Expedia = 60, 7 (out of 10) rating on booking.com = 70.