The Cheapest (and Best) Time to Visit Las Vegas: Hotel Prices, Weather and Events by Month

The cheapest time to visit Las Vegas is also the hottest. Below, the city’s official room-rate data, NOAA climate normals and the 2026–27 event calendar show how every month stacks up, so you can pick dates that fit both your budget and your tolerance for heat.

What the room-rate data says

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) tracks the city’s average daily room rate (ADR) every month, and the 2025 figures draw a clear curve. Rates fell from $198.15 in May to $163.60 in June, bottomed out at $154.72 in July and stayed low in August at $162.37. Then they jumped to $190.56 in September and peaked at $203.89 in October.

That October-versus-July gap is $49.17 a night, or about 32%. Over three nights it adds up to $147.51 at average rates, and that’s before resort fees and room tax.

Where you stay moves the number as much as when. The Strip averaged $197.45 a night in 2025 and Downtown $98.75, almost exactly half, while the citywide average was $184.43. If price comes first, start with our picks for cheap hotels on the Strip or the Downtown Las Vegas hotels guide.

The 2026 numbers so far follow the same pattern. From January through August 2026 the citywide average was $183.60 (Strip $196.11, Downtown $97.67), up 1.9% on the same months of 2025. August 2026 came in at just $150.32, down 7.4% from a year earlier, which the LVCVA linked to a lighter event calendar and Labor Day weekend falling in September.

Las Vegas month by month: rates, weather, pools and events

Month	Avg high / low	2025 avg rate (occupancy)	Pools	What drives demand
January	58.5°F / 40.5°F	$198.15 (81.9%)	Off-season (a few year-round pools)	CES (Jan. 6–9, 2027); college football’s national championship game (Jan. 25, 2027)
February	62.9°F / 44.1°F	$186.17 (80.5%)	Early openings	Rugby League Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium (Feb. 27, 2027)
March	71.1°F / 50.5°F	$183.85 (82.9%)	Openings roll out	Spring demand builds; March 2026 set a March record with 12 days at 90°F or more
April	78.5°F / 56.9°F	$190.23 (84.6%)	Pool season	Fullest month of 2025; windiest month of the year
May	88.5°F / 66.1°F	$198.15 (83.0%)	Pool season	EDC Las Vegas (May 14–16 and 21–23, 2027)
June	99.4°F / 75.8°F	$163.60 (78.7%)	Pool season	Heat arrives: about 17 days at 100°F or more
July	104.5°F / 82.0°F	$154.72 (76.1%)	Pool season	Hottest month; lowest rate and occupancy of 2025
August	102.8°F / 80.6°F	$162.37 (77.5%)	Pool season	Monsoon storms; August 2026 averaged $150.32
September	94.9°F / 72.4°F	$190.56 (78.6%)	Pool season	Rates rebound; Labor Day weekend
October	81.2°F / 59.6°F	$203.89 (83.7%)	Season winds down	Most expensive month of 2025; Raiders home games (Oct. 18 and 25, 2026)
November	67.1°F / 47.3°F	$193.04 (79.5%)	Off-season (a few year-round pools)	SEMA (Nov. 3–6), F1 Grand Prix (Nov. 19–21), AWS re:Invent (from Nov. 30)
December	56.9°F / 39.6°F	$183.88 (76.2%)	Off-season (a few year-round pools)	National Finals Rodeo (Dec. 3–12); New Year’s Eve

Weather is NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for Harry Reid International Airport; rates and occupancy are the LVCVA’s 2025 monthly indicators (revised August 2026). On pools: Caesars Entertainment had pools open at Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Planet Hollywood, The LINQ and Paris by Feb. 27, 2026, with Harrah’s following on March 13 and Horseshoe’s Blu Pool on April 1. Every resort sets its own season and closing dates vary, so check the pool you want before you book around it.

Three patterns stand out. Summer is cheap because demand sags: July had the lowest occupancy of 2025, it averages 25.8 days at 100°F or hotter, and the all-time record of 120°F was set on July 7, 2024. Spring and fall have the best weather and the strongest demand, with April the fullest month of 2025 and October the priciest. Winter sits in between: December 2025 had the second-lowest occupancy of the year (76.2%) and an average rate of $183.88, just under the annual average.

The best time to visit Las Vegas (and the worst)

For most travelers, the best time to visit Las Vegas is March through May or October and November. Average highs run from 67.1°F in November to 88.5°F in May, nights are mild, and walking between resorts is pleasant rather than punishing. The catch is price: April, May and October were among the fullest and most expensive months of 2025, so the value comes from midweek stays that miss the event weeks listed below.

For pool time, aim for late May or September. May averages 88.5°F and September 94.9°F, warm enough to swim without July’s run of triple-digit days. Our guide to the best Las Vegas hotel pools shows which resorts are worth planning a pool day around.

The worst time depends on what you mind more. If it’s heat, avoid July and August: average highs are 104.5°F and 102.8°F, overnight lows stay around 80°F, and monsoon thunderstorms can send flash floods down normally dry washes. If it’s price, avoid the event weeks. Spring has one more wildcard: April is the windiest month on average, and the National Weather Service says strong winds are most common in spring and fall.

Cheapest days of the week to stay

Weekends fill up first. In 2025, Las Vegas hotels were 88.8% full on weekends and 76.6% full midweek, a gap of more than 12 points, and January through August 2026 showed the same split (88.8% versus 76.7%). Fuller hotels charge more, so Friday and Saturday nights carry the highest rates of a normal week.

The practical rule: build your trip around Sunday-through-Thursday nights. A Sunday-to-Wednesday or Monday-to-Thursday stay skips weekend pricing entirely. If you need a Saturday, price the same hotel for a Saturday and a Tuesday before you commit, and consider spending the weekend nights Downtown, where 2025 rates averaged half the Strip’s.

The exception is convention week. Large trade shows run midweek, and Las Vegas drew 5,988,200 convention attendees in 2025, so a big show can wipe out the usual midweek discount.

2026–27 events that push Las Vegas hotel prices up

These are the dates worth checking before you book. Each one adds demand, and several land back to back.

Dates	Event	What to know
Oct. 2026–March 13, 2027	Metallica at Sphere	24 Thursday and Saturday shows, per FOX5
Oct. 18 and 25, 2026	Raiders home games	Sundays at Allegiant Stadium
Nov. 3–6, 2026	SEMA Show	Trade-only show at the Las Vegas Convention Center
Nov. 15, 2026	Raiders vs. Seahawks	Sunday at Allegiant Stadium
Nov. 19–21, 2026	Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix	Race Saturday at 8 p.m. PST; $15 taxi surcharge on airport and Strip-zone trips, Nov. 19–23
Nov. 30–Dec. 4, 2026	AWS re:Invent	Overlaps the start of rodeo week
Dec. 3–12, 2026	Wrangler National Finals Rodeo	Thomas & Mack Center, plus the free Cowboy Christmas show at the LVCC
Dec. 13, 20 and 27, 2026	Raiders home games	Sundays at Allegiant Stadium
Dec. 31, 2026	New Year’s Eve and the Las Vegas Bowl	A Thursday; $10 taxi surcharge on Strip-zone trips from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Jan. 6–9, 2027	CES	Tech trade show, Wednesday to Saturday
Jan. 25, 2027	College Football Playoff National Championship	Monday at Allegiant Stadium
Feb. 27, 2027	Rugby League Las Vegas	Saturday at Allegiant Stadium
April 8–18, 2027	John Mayer at Sphere	Six shows, per Consequence
May 14–16 and 21–23, 2027	EDC Las Vegas	Two weekends at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Aug. 20–24, 2027	Oasis Live ’27	Listed dates at Allegiant Stadium

Stadium dates come from Allegiant Stadium’s official listings. The Sphere dates come from news reports; Sphere’s own site lists both acts without dates, so confirm before you build a trip around a show.

Why are Vegas hotels so expensive this weekend?

When an ordinary weekend suddenly prices like a holiday, the cause is usually one of these:

• It’s a weekend. Weekend occupancy averaged 88.8% in 2025, against 76.6% midweek.
• A convention is in town. Convention attendance from January through August 2026 was up 10.5% on the same months of 2025.
• There’s a stadium or arena event. A Raiders game, a stadium concert or a Sphere residency weekend brings crowds who all need rooms the same nights.
• It’s a holiday weekend. The LVCVA attributed part of August 2026’s 4.3% drop in visitors to Labor Day weekend falling in September that year. The holiday moved, and the crowds moved with it.
• A festival or race is on. EDC and F1 weekends draw big crowds of their own.

The fix is usually to move your dates by a few days, shift the weekend nights Downtown or look at hotels without resort fees to bring the total down.

When to book your Las Vegas hotel

Most visitors don’t leave it late. In the LVCVA’s 2025 visitor survey, 56% booked their room more than a month ahead, 33% one week to one month ahead and 11% less than a week before arrival.

For event weeks, book as soon as your dates are firm. For ordinary midweek dates you have more room to wait, but the safest move is the same either way: book a rate with free cancellation, then recheck the price a few weeks out and again closer to arrival. If the same room drops, book the new rate and cancel the old one, after confirming the cancellation deadline.

Compare totals, not teaser rates. Since May 12, 2025, the FTC’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees has required hotels and booking sites to include mandatory charges such as resort fees in the total price they display, though taxes can still be shown separately. On the Strip, the 13.38% room tax applies to the resort fee too. Our Las Vegas resort fees guide explains what each fee covers, and the Las Vegas trip cost breakdown turns rates into a full budget. On a first trip, read our first-timer’s guide and use where to stay in Las Vegas to pick the area before you pick the dates.

FAQ

What is the cheapest month to go to Las Vegas?

July. Its 2025 average room rate was $154.72, the lowest of the year according to the LVCVA, followed by August ($162.37) and June ($163.60). The trade-off is heat: July’s average high is 104.5°F, and nights rarely cool off, with an average low of 82°F.

Is December a cheap time to visit Las Vegas?

Parts of it are. December 2025 had the second-lowest hotel occupancy of the year (76.2%) and an average rate of $183.88, just below the annual average. But early December 2026 is crowded with AWS re:Invent (through Dec. 4) and the National Finals Rodeo (Dec. 3–12), and New Year’s Eve is a special-event night. Price the weeknights between the rodeo and New Year’s.

Is Vegas hot in October?

Warm rather than hot. October’s normal high is 81.2°F with lows near 60°F, and the month averages 5.5 days at 90°F or more. That comfort comes at a price: October had the highest average room rate of 2025, $203.89.

Are Vegas pools open in October?

It depends on the resort. Pool seasons wind down through the fall and each resort sets its own closing date, so check the pool’s page for your dates. If a swim is non-negotiable, Circa’s Stadium Swim (21+) and the Downtown Grand’s rooftop pool deck are both listed as open year-round.

What is the busiest time of year in Vegas?

Spring and fall, measured by hotel occupancy. In 2025, April was the fullest month at 84.6%, followed by October (83.7%), May (83.0%) and March (82.9%). October also had the year’s highest average rate.

How far in advance should I book a Vegas hotel?

As soon as your dates are firm if they overlap a big event, and on a free-cancellation rate either way. In 2025, 56% of visitors booked more than a month ahead, according to the LVCVA. Recheck the price before your cancellation deadline and rebook if it falls.