A family of four from Seneca County would spend an estimated $2,199 to attend a Buffalo Bills home game under a new Doc’s Sports analysis, with resale tickets accounting for nearly all of the cost.
The modeled outing equals about 29% of a month’s pretax income for a family earning the county’s median family income of $91,794. It is $848 more than the study’s $1,351 estimate for a typical U.S. family’s trip to its nearest NFL stadium, or about 1.6 times as much.
Four tickets account for most of the bill
The Seneca County breakdown puts four seats together at $2,002, including resale fees. The remaining $197 covers parking, stadium food and drinks, and gas.
The study itemizes the trip this way:
- Four resale tickets together, including fees: $2,002.
- Estimated parking: $72.
- Four hot dogs, four sodas and two beers: $80.
- Gas for a 244-mile round trip: $45.
- Total: $2,199.
Tickets make up about 91% of the total. Divided among four people, the ticket estimate alone is $500.50 per seat, before the other trip expenses.
The county estimate uses a 122-mile drive each way to Highmark Stadium. Its local total includes no hotel stay. A family’s actual travel cost would depend on its starting point and transportation.
Spreading the full $2,199 cost over a year would require setting aside about $183 a month for that single outing.
Resale snapshot and estimated extras shape the total
Doc’s Sports used Gametime resale listings captured Oct. 28 for four seats together across each team’s remaining home games. It calculated a median for each game, then a median across the team’s games. The ticket prices include fees before sales tax.
The study models trips from 3,139 counties, using each county’s population center. Its national figure is a population-weighted median, rather than a survey of what families spent.
The extras also contain assumptions. Buffalo’s $72 parking figure is an allowance from a separate Doc’s Sports study. The $80 food basket uses Lambeau Field’s 2025 concession prices, rather than verified current Bills stadium prices.
Gas estimates use AAA state averages and an assumed 23.4 miles per gallon. The Seneca County calculation puts that expense at $45 for the round trip.
The income comparison uses Census Bureau median family income estimates for 2020-2024, expressed in 2024 dollars, against fall 2026 prices. That mismatch can overstate the share of current income needed for the trip. The county median also does not describe every family’s budget.
The ticket sample represents asking prices on one marketplace on one day. Buyers may pay less, so $2,199 is a modeled trip cost rather than a minimum price for attending a Bills game.
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