Here’s what a post-collegiate girls’ trip to Las Vegas costs in late 2024.
(Written By Kylea Henseler) — Girls Trip To Vegas. Find dazzling hotels along the Strip, luxe brunches with skyline views, and splashy pool parties with celebrity musical performances in Las Vegas.
Like any good college students (we attended the University of Miami), my friends and I had long talked about going on a trip to party together when we turned 21. A Girls Trip To Vegas seemed like the perfect option, but COVID had other plans.
Finally, five years later—after years of virtual schooling and absconding to different cities post-graduation—the time came to make good on our promise of that girls trip To Vegas. We’re still surprised that all four of us made it out of the WhatsApp group chat and into the city. Less surprising? We did not stick to the budget. Here’s what a post-collegiate group girls’ trip to Las Vegas costs in late 2024.
About the Traveler
Job: Local journalist
Annual salary: $41,000-$60,000 per year
Location of residence: Western Colorado
Age: 26
About the Vacation
Where: Las Vegas
How long: Three days
Planned budget: $650 per person
Girls Trip To Vegas: Upfront Costs
Flights: $125
In true college-student fashion, the cost was key. I booked through Allegiant Airlines and committed to packing as lightly as possible. (Carry-ons weren’t included, which also helped our decision.) So, I stuffed a few bikinis, the flashiest dress I own, and several tank tops into a backpack, and hopped into the car for the hour-and-a-half drive from my small town to Grand Junction airport. I landed safely in Vegas just after midnight local time, and for what the flight cost, that’s all I could have asked.
Airport parking: $48
The bane of my existence. Every time I fly, I try to take public transportation from my small town to the Grand Junction airport… and then, I remember the regional bus only runs twice per day—on a good day. Long story short, I drove.
Girls Trip To Vegas Hotel: $196.85 per person for three nights
Our biggest priorities were cleanliness, value, and getting the Vegas experience of staying in a big, dramatic resort. The four of us settled on the Sahara, a desert-themed resort on the Vegas Strip but not quite in the middle of it. (We’re not trying to go that hard.)
We were all satisfied with the choice. The rooms were clean, the service was good, and the pools were lovely. Considering we shared one room, the final cost wasn’t too expensive after splitting it among us. The best part we didn’t plan for? Magic Mike Live just happened to be the on-site evening show. It was a nice bonus.
Day 1: Check-in and chill out, poolside
Total Cost: $210.49
Following my midnight arrival, I shelled out $29 for a taxi from the airport to the hotel. Meanwhile, the rest of my party made a dispensary run, so I Venmoed $15.44 for my share of the goods.
Re-energized from collapsing into bed immediately after check-in, we restarted the day at a reasonable time later that morning with the most expensive Starbucks we’ve ever had ($14.96 for an iced coffee and a sandwich). But it did the trick. We went for a quick walk to explore the nearby hotels and then banged out a lifting session in the hotel gym. This was free, of course, but I definitely paid for those weighted back extensions later.
A quick supply trip to Walgreens set me back $30.87 for multiple forms of sunscreen (necessary). My cut for a bottle of Malibu and mixers from the nearby liquor store was another $8.25.
With temperatures breaking triple digits daily, we knew pool parties would be our saving grace. On Saturday, we opted for Ayu Dayclub at Resorts World and planned to stop at the food court in the on-site casino. We found good, well-priced dishes at Michos Tacos, where I ordered a single taco for $5.04.
We didn’t have to pay for admission at Ayu, and it had an open bar for women until 3 p.m., so the party didn’t cost us anything more. Walking back to the Sahara saved us money that would’ve gone to a rideshare app otherwise. I promptly blew my $22.76 savings on pepperoni focaccia, a cookie, and a cup of gelato from a restaurant in our resort called Prendi.
After a little nap, we taxied over to Fremont Street, Vegas’s original Strip, for $5.75 per person. We grabbed dinner at Park On Fremont, which had a $25 beer-and-burger deal. At some point, I withdrew $20 from a Fremont casino and paid another $6 in ATM fees.
We explored more of the actual Strip later that night, ogling the infamous landmarks and rehashing our favorite scenes of Vegas from the shows or movies we’d seen. Around 2 a.m., I spent $27.42 on pizza, garlic rolls, and cannoli at a pizzeria inside the Palazzo.
Day 2: Me, my friends, and Magic Mike
Total cost: $193.34
Sunday began with the same overpriced Starbucks for a still-painful $14.96, and similar plans to escape the heat. We also split a bottle of tequila ($7 per person), given the Malibu didn’t last long being split among four people. Shocker.
For the second pool party of the weekend, we split a taxi over to Wet Republic inside the MGM Grand for $12.50 each. I stopped by Bliss Froyo in the food court for a quick snack ($12.72) along the way. Then, we proceeded to enjoy the MGM Grand’s amenities—until I made my worst purchase of the weekend: a $21, nearly undrinkable, Fat Tuesday-themed drink inside the MGM.
Admission to the party was free, but I did cough up $17.26 for a beer. We danced all afternoon, reinvigorated by Nelly’s headline performance, which really got the party going. The overpriced drink was well worth it to hear “Hot in Herre” live at a day club in Las Vegas.
We spent $6 each for a monorail back to our hotel, which conveniently had a station right outside the entrance. After the day’s excitement, we decided to lay low in our room for a few hours. We eventually grabbed dinner from The Noodle Den ($26.23) on the premises and snagged tickets for an evening showing of Magic Mike ($59.07). My girls and I will attest to this show being worth every single penny (not to mention every, obviously fake, pink dollar bill we were handed at the door).
Exhausted but sated, nobody felt like hitting the nightclubs, so we headed back to Fremont to stroll a bit more and listen to the rock bands playing on stages along the street. At the end of the night, I spent $16.60 on a corn dog and a fried Ding Dong a la mode at Dirt Dog. It was very worth it.
Day 3: All-you-can-eat brunch a floral feast for the eyes
Total Cost: $128.32
On our final morning, we skipped the Starbucks, grabbed a $6 monorail ticket, and went straight to the Cosmopolitan, or more specifically, to the famed Wicked Spoon all-you-can-eat buffet. The brunch spread included all sorts of breakfast carbs, a sushi station, a salad bar, a meat-carving station, and a dessert counter for a cool $67.19 each, about $20 more than the usual weekday price due to us visiting during a holiday.
We chose to spend the rest of our final day next door to the Cosmopolitan, at the Bellagio. We walked around the beautiful, free conservatory on-site before spending the last of our time hanging by the pool until check-out.
But the end of the trip doesn’t automatically mean the end of expenses. I spent $26.36 on a taxi to the airport, $15.49 on a burrito since I’d miss a meal in the air, and $13.28 on mid-flight snacks from a Hudson News before all was said and done.
Oh, and if you’re wondering about that money I pulled earlier in the week, I tried my luck once more and bet on some last-minute slots.
I did not win.
Girls Trip To Vegas: How it all broke down
Upfront costs: $369.85
Costs from the week: $532.15
Total cost: $902
Verdict: About $250 over budget
