Here's How Much Your Next Bach Party Could Cost You

If you've been tasked with planning a bach party, you may be daunted by all the options—and the potential cost. Between travel and accommodations, the swag, the drinks and more, the expenses can add up. According to a 2023 study, 37% of attendees of both bachelor and bachelorette parties spend over $1,000 on the event, with 39% of male attendees and 34% of female attendees spending in the four digits. The good news is that you don't have to spend a ton to slay the bach party game—in fact, there are lots of budget-friendly ways to celebrate (we'll get to that in a minute).

The study—which surveyed roughly 500 respondents who attended, or planned to attend, a party in 2023—also revealed that the average length of a bach party is two days. That's not to say that longer bach parties don't occur—17% of bachelor parties and 15% of bachelorettes last four days or more. As you can imagine, the longer the event, the more expensive it can be. So exactly how much does a bach party cost? Read on to find out.

In this article:

• How Bach Party Spending Has Changed
• How Much Bachelorette Parties Cost
• How Much Bachelor Parties Cost
• How to Determine Your Bach Party Budget
• Ways to Save on Your Bach Party

How Bach Party Spending Has Changed

No, you're not imagining it: The cost of a bach party has increased over the past few years. According to our 2023 study, the average cost of a bach party in 2023 was $1,400, which was a $500 increase since 2019. On average, 64% of attendees spend more than $400 on a bach party, and when the bash takes place in a pricier location (aka a major metropolitan city), that number goes up to 82%. And 29% of celebrants are actually spending $2,000 (or more) to party in a major metro city! This cost does vary widely by location, necessary travel and length of time—we'll break it all down for you a little later.

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Yes, this may sound like a lot of money, but here's the thing—attendees say that the expense is worth it. Our data showed that 4 in 5 bach party attendees were excited to attend the celebration, particularly because they're eager to connect with friends. And they're willing to shell out to create a personalized and curated experience, with nearly half of bachelorette parties purchasing favors and customized swag for an Insta-worthy event.

The average bach celebration lasts for two days, and about one-fifth of attendees were flying to the party destination, similar to what we saw in 2019. We've also seen home rentals grow in popularity for bach parties, which can be a great way to save on lodging (we also found that affordability was the top priority for those looking for bach party lodging). With so many booking options available these days—from Vrbo to Plum Guide and Welcome Beyond, staying together in a rental house is particularly appealing to many. It's worth noting that hotels were the most popular lodging option with 40% of bach attendees staying in one.

How Much Bachelorette Parties Cost

What's the average cost of a bachelorette party per person? Well, it depends. Our study from 2023 found that the average cost of a bachelorette party was $1,300, which was a $600 increase since 2019. It's important to note that the majority of bachelorette-goers spend less than $1,000 on attending—but 1 in 10 spend over $3,000. As we dug into the data, one thing became clear: There are a lot of factors at play here, the biggest being the length and location of the bachelorette celebration.

According to our study, those who were partying for between one and two days spent an average of $1,135, while those celebrating for three or four days spent $1,630. Clearly, the more time you're spending at the bach party, the more you're shelling out on lodging, food, activities and other incidentals.

And if you're traveling a long distance to the bachelorette party destination, you can expect to spend even more. The study showed that those who traveled to the bachelorette party location by plane spent an average of $2,000, while those who traveled by personal car spent $900. And past studies have shown that those who party in a major metropolitan area tend to spend money, which totally tracks—cities are expensive

Of course, you can spend whatever you want and still have a good time. If you're looking to cut costs, check out this awesome guide to bachelorette parties on a budget. And remember, nothing says you have to extend the celebration beyond a single day. These one-night bachelorette party ideas are all excellent options. Because Vegas is great, but it's not for everyone.

How Much Bachelor Parties Cost

How does the average bachelor party cost per person compare to the average cost of a bachelorette party? Well, bachelor parties tend to cost more than bachelorettes for a few reasons. Bachelor party attendees are more likely to travel to expensive cities like Las Vegas, Los Angeles and NYC, and they're slightly more inclined to stay in hotels, rather than more affordable house or apartment rentals. According to our study, bachelor party attendees spent $1,500, which was a $440 increase since 2019. And 15% of groom's crews went all out, spending over $3,000 on the celebration. Similar to bachelorette parties, there are numerous variables that affect the cost of a bachelor party—length and location being the biggest.

Bachelor parties lasting one to two days cost an average of $1,300 per person, while those that were three to four days cost $1,650 per person. And bachelor parties that required a flight cost an average of $2,000 per attendee, while those where guests could drive to the location averaged out at $1,000 per guest.

If you're throwing a bachelor party and you're wondering how to fit it into your (and everybody's) budget, check out these bachelor party planning tips.

How to Determine Your Bach Party Budget

Setting a bach party budget before starting the planning process is crucial. And with so many stakeholders involved (the average bach party has 10 attendees), it can be a little complicated to get everyone on the same page. To start, designate someone as the bach party planner, or "keeper of the budget". Then, it's time to decide whether a destination or local bach party works better for your crew's style and budget (you can even show everyone this article for a sense of how much things cost, hint hint!). You can also do some digging yourself to figure out pricing for travel and accommodations for a chosen destination, or what it might cost to rent a house nearby. All attendees should share what they're comfortable spending, and the guest of honor should also have a say, even if the wedding party is doing most of the planning.

Once you've priced out the biggest expenses, start to think about things like meals, activities, swag, decorations and more. What's most important to you and your crew—going to a cool location or creating a super-curated themed experience (or are you willing to shell out for both)?

Ways to Save on Your Bach Party

As you can tell, there are two pretty straightforward ways to save on a bach party—cutting the length of the event and choosing a destination closer to home. If the crew wants to travel, be sure to check out sites like TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Expedia and Hotels.com for deals and travel tips. (You might even be able to get a good group rate at a hotel.)

At the end of the day, as cheesy as it sounds, it's about the memories—not what you spend. Besides, even the coolest party can give you a menty b if the price (on top of everything else the wedding party is already paying for) feels like a burden.

Survey Methodology: The Bach Study captured responses from 500 US couples in total who have or will have a Bach party in 2023. Of those, 400 U.S. respondents aged 18 to 49 years old were recruited via a third-party partner to ensure the sample was representative of the general population. An additional 100 respondents were recruited from The Knot's membership via email. Both recruitments offered a small incentive for participation. Fielding occurred in July 2023.