Here’s How Much It Costs To Be A Swiftie In The Eras Tour Era

It’s Taylor Swift’s world, and we’re just living in it. At least, that’s what Swifties, who’ve been spending their hard-earned paychecks on everything from Eras Tour tickets to cop-worthy merch, truly believe. It isn’t cheap to be a fan these days (a Tortured Poets Department DOUBLE ALBUM???). With tickets to Swift’s shows selling out quicker than you can say “One, two, three, let’s go b*tch,” some fans spent thousands.

Getting tickets to the Eras Tour and putting together a concert ’fit is one thing, but some fans have also traveled internationally to shows. That means they’ve had to factor in transportation, hotels, and other expenses along the way. Not to mention, in 2023 alone, Swift released two re-recorded albums — Speak Now and 1989 — in addition to new deluxe versions of Midnights and a movie version of The Eras Tour. When you break it all down, it can be $$$, and in these as-told-tos below, seven Swifties calculated just how much they’ve spent on her tour, merch, and albums this past year.

I Went To 22 Eras Tour Shows And Plan To Go To More

I’ve been a Swiftie since 2007 and have always spent a lot of money on her, but never as much as I did this year. In 2023 alone, I spent around $16,000 on Taylor Swift. The majority of my budget — $11,671 — is for the 22 dates of The Eras Tour I’ve already been to, plus the $3,907 I spent for shows in 2024.

My Eras Tour total includes tickets, $1,516 on transportation, $915 on lodging, and $624 on outfits. I ended up paying a lot more in lodging than I expected, because I chose to stay in hotels instead of with friends because of the convenience. However, I used travel hacks, like miles and points to cover my airfare and hotels, so I didn’t actually have to pay for a lot of that out of pocket.

To make a little extra money, I took overtime opportunities with my job. If I was short a month, I would drive for DoorDash or clean out my closet.

When the tour was announced, I budgeted $10,000. I also used payment plans to spread the amount over the course of the year so I had more time to save. I’m still paying off one of the tickets, but I will be Eras Tour debt-free by the end of the year. To make a little extra money, I took overtime opportunities with my job. If I was short a month, I would drive for DoorDash or clean out my closet.

I was also fortunate enough to purchase tickets during the presale, so they were standard value versus resale prices, and my friends and family gave me money to put toward my expenses as well. With all those hacks and gifts, my out-of-pocket amount for The Eras Tour 2023 shows was more like $8,440 in the end.

In addition to The Eras Tour, I also spent around $800 for merch and music this year. I don’t regret spending the money at all. If anything, I wish I could spend more on merch, but the tour took priority over everything else. —Cecilia, 29, Nashville, Tennessee

Eras Tour: $15,578

Merch and Music: $800

Final Total: $16,378

I Went To 6 Shows And Made Some Money Back Selling Tickets

I’ve been a Swiftie since the debut era, so I feel like I’ve grown up alongside Taylor. I think the essence of being a fan is just doing what makes you happy, and in 2023, I spent around $6,500 on Taylor Swift.

My Swiftie friends and I were lucky enough to get Ticketmaster codes for six shows — Dallas ($600), Houston ($360), and Kansas City ($1,500) in 2023, along with Vienna ($300), Milan ($400), and Amsterdam ($600) for 2024 — so we spent the most of our money on tickets. Our current plan is to go to the Amsterdam show and sell the Vienna and Milan tickets.

Yes, I spent way more this year than I normally do, but every penny was worth it.

We profited by selling our VIP Kansas City tickets but had every intention of going to the show when we purchased them. Shortly after “The Great War” — aka getting tickets through Ticketmaster — I found out I was pregnant, and it wasn’t going to be feasible for me to travel. We made the decision to list our tickets on StubHub for the going rate, and each of us ended up walking away with more than what we paid originally. When the European codes came out, we reinvested the money back into more tickets.

Yes, I spent way more this year than I normally do, but every penny was worth it. My Swiftie group consists of four girls. I knew one person in the group when Midnights came out, and as a result, I was adopted into the friendship. Over the last year, we all have become so close and talk every day — not just about Taylor. Having The Eras Tour and events to look forward to has been something for us to all bond over. —Erica Hayton, 34, Dallas, Texas

Eras Tour: $5,960

Merch and Music: $540

Final Total: $6,500

I Already Paid For Most Of My Trip To See Taylor Next Year In Paris

I’ve been a Swiftie since the original release of Fearless in 2008, and I’ve spent roughly $5,000 on Taylor Swift this year. I bought tickets for both Atlanta this year and Paris in 2024, which were about $2,800. I also spent $2,100 on travel and lodging. I’m only factoring in flights and hotels for the travel category, but I also spent $500 on my outfits and an additional $100 on merch.

The most expensive thing for me was getting tickets to the Atlanta show, since I had to get resale tickets. I did some extensive research and found that Atlanta had the cheapest resale prices and was the least expensive city to travel to for Taylor. The flights were around $140 round trip, and I had very limited time to go to Atlanta and then get back home for work, so I actually didn’t get a hotel room.

My husband and I are turning this into a trip to Paris, and not just a trip to see Taylor Swift, so it’s really worth it.

Instead, I rented a Minute Suite located inside the airport to grab a three-hour snooze before my flight home. That was free for the first hour, thanks to American Express, and was around $20 for the remaining time. I used public transit to get to the arena ($10), and I spent around $50 on food. All in all, it was about $220 for travel to Atlanta.

While Atlanta was great because it was affordable and I was there when Taylor sang “High Fidelity” as a surprise song on April 29 — the song has the lyrics, “Do you really want to know where I was April 29th?” — I can’t wait for Paris next year. I’ve never been to Paris, and I bought two VIP packages for the show for my husband and me, which were about $450 each.

I also booked an Airbnb for $950 as well as a very budget-friendly flight to France that was $800. However, I think baggage will become an extra expense. Either way, my husband and I are turning this into a trip to Paris, and not just a trip to see Taylor Swift, so it’s really worth it.

I’ve been more aware of budgeting recently, and I will probably spend less in 2024. However, I also just got a code for the additional Wembley Stadium shows in London, so who knows? —Heather Horn, 35, New Jersey

Eras Tour: $5,400

Merch and Music: $100

Final Total: $5,500

I Splurged On A Last-Minute 25-Hour Trip To See The Eras Tour

I flew from Kuwait to Seattle for the Taylor Swift concert on a 25-hour flight, which was a spur-of-the-moment thing because I felt FOMO and it was almost the end of the tour.

The concert was on a Sunday, so we flew on Wednesday through Emirates and spent around $16,000 on two floor-seat tickets. And since we booked everything last minute, there were zero hotels available, but I found a reservation at the Four Seasons because they had some sort of glitch in their system. For five nights, that was another $10,000.

Overall, I spent close to $24,000 to see The Eras Tour.

However, we didn’t end up staying at the Four Seasons the entire stay and tried hotel hopping. We spent three nights there (around $3,000), a night at the Fairmont for $700, a night back at the Four Seasons for $2,000, and the last night at the Lotte Hotel Seattle for $900. So, we ended up actually spending a little less than $10,000, but pretty close.

We didn’t plan on renting a car but ended up getting one once we arrived in Seattle, and that was $200 a day for five days — aka $1,000. I also had to find a last-minute outfit and got something from H&M for just $25. When we got to the concert, the line for merch was extremely long, as expected, so we ended up going the day before our concert to one of the tailgates outside and paid someone at the front of the line $50 to get us two shirts. Overall, I spent close to $24,000 to see The Eras Tour.

I honestly think the entire trip was worth it because it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’ve been a Swiftie since her first album came out in 2006, and this was her first concert I’ve been to. I’ll never forget The Eras Tour, and I think that counts more than any amount spent. —Sara, 29, Kuwait

Eras Tour: $23,625

Merch and Music: $140

Final Total: $23,765

I Saved Some Money Listening To Her Albums On Spotify

I spent a little over $1,000 on Taylor Swift this year. After I didn’t get tickets for any of the shows through Ticketmaster, I was worried about spending a ton on resale. Luckily, a friend of mine had extra tickets for MetLife Night One and sold them to me at face value ($405 each). I bought two tickets from her for me and a friend. Since becoming a fan in 2006, I’ve seen every one of Taylor’s tours (often more than one show), and I used to get floor seats or a spot in the pit for around the same price I paid for my Eras Tour seats, which were in Section 116.

Considering how much resale tickets were going for, I feel like I basically saved money on my Eras Tour experience (girl math).

At the show, I bought a $45 T-shirt and dinner, which was around $30. (I skipped buying any drinks because I didn’t want to miss any songs for bathroom breaks.) And then, round-trip transportation on New Jersey Transit costs $11.

Considering how much resale tickets were going for, I feel like I basically saved money on my Eras Tour experience (girl math). And this year, I didn’t actually buy any music from Taylor. Instead, I listened to her albums (Taylor’s Version, obviously) on my Spotify Premium account, which costs $10.99 a month, or $131.88 for the whole year.

I have no regrets about how much I spent. Yes, this one show cost the same as my typical annual concert budget, but Taylor’s my favorite artist — and the only one I *need* to see live, so I thought it was worth it. Next year, I’m willing to spend more. (There’s a reason I keep looking out for open tickets for the European leg of the Eras Tour.) But this whole Eras Tour obsession definitely changed my view on how much I’m willing to spend on seeing her perform live. —Hannah, 25, New York, New York

Eras Tour: $936

Merch and Music: $132

Final Total: $1,068

I Went To Both The Eras Tour Concert And The Movie

I’ve been a fan of Taylor Swift since I was 6 and my older sisters were headed to see her playing with Carrie Underwood. But because of the Eras Tour, I definitely spent more on her this year. Overall, I have spent around $600 on Taylor, at most.

Next year, I plan on spending less. However, I would consider spending a lot more if I could find tickets to one of her second U.S. leg shows.

The concert ticket was the most expensive, but I also paid for Eras Tour movie tickets and merch. I got a bracelet and a sweatshirt, and bought my friend a pair of sweatpants. I traveled to my show in Nashville, so I had to pay for a flight and Ubers to and from the airport.

It was all worth it. I have no regrets about how much I spent on Taylor. Next year, I plan on spending less. However, I would consider spending a lot more if I could find tickets to one of her second U.S. leg shows. —Gracie, 21, New York, New York

Eras Tour: $435

Merch and Music: $165

Final Total: $600

I Went To 1 Show In My Home State

I have been a Swiftie for about 15 years. I became a fan when she released Fearless — I was in kindergarten. Now, I’m almost 22, and she’s been my No. 1 artist the whole time. This year, I’ve spent around $400 on Taylor Swift-related expenses.

I have a savings account that is solely for traveling and seeing concerts, so I had a budget for this and it was so worth spending what I did on Taylor.

The concert ticket was $250, I Ubered there and back in my home state of New Jersey, and got drinks and food at the stadium. This came out to around $300 in total. I also spent about $40 on the Eras Tour movie — $20-ticket, plus $20 for the cup and popcorn bucket — plus an additional $60 on merch.

I wish I could’ve gotten more tickets, and I would’ve gone again for another $300. I have a savings account that is solely for traveling and seeing concerts, so I had a budget for this and it was so worth spending what I did on Taylor. Next year, I’ll probably spend less — unless she adds more tour dates in the U.S. —Meghan, 21, New York, New York

Eras Tour: $320

Merch and Music: $80

Final Total: $400