Last updated July 2026 · based on 74,440 tracked price observations across 617 active vacation deals.
What's the difference between sticker price and out-the-door cost?
The sticker price is the advertised headline; the out-the-door cost is what you actually pay after every mandatory fee and tax. The two diverge because U.S. lodging pricing lets a property advertise a low room rate and recover margin through a resort fee, taxable on top, plus parking, and optional add-ons that feel mandatory in the moment. A package that quotes a single all-in price collapses that gap, which is why comparing on the out-the-door total — not the headline — is the only honest way to rank deals. This page is the master hub every other fee page links to.
Our tracked data anchors the comparison: 617 active deals, average $301, median $199, average price-per-night $94, and 168 deals under $100. Those are one-time package prices, so the out-the-door math is mostly tax plus any property fees, not a second nightly fee.
The fee-stacking framework: what turns sticker into out-the-door
Every layer that can sit between the headline and the total, with typical ranges and where to verify each. Amounts vary by market and property.
| Cost layer | Typical impact | Where we cover it |
|---|---|---|
| Base sticker / package price | the headline | Deal listing |
| Resort / amenity fee | $5-$60/night | Orlando & Las Vegas fee databases |
| Lodging tax | 10-18% (taxes the fee too) | Vacation package tax breakdown |
| Parking | $0-$45/night | Resort parking fee database |
| WiFi premium | $0-$25/day | Resort WiFi fee database |
| Pet fee | $25-$150/stay | Pet fee database |
| Presentation time cost | 90-120 min | Deal requirements |
Worked example: what a $99 deal really costs
Take a $99 headline. If it is an all-in package in a 13% tax market with free parking and included WiFi, the out-the-door cost is about $112 — the sticker plus tax, full stop. If instead it is a $99 room with a $30 nightly resort fee and $20 parking, one night is taxed on $129 (about $16.77) plus $20 parking, landing near $166 before you have used a single amenity. Same $99 headline, a $54 difference in one night. Over three nights the gap compounds into real money, which is the entire case for pricing out-the-door.
| Scenario (1 night, $99 headline) | Fees added | Out-the-door |
|---|---|---|
| All-in package, 13% tax | tax only | ~$112 |
| Room + $30 resort fee + $20 parking, 13% tax | $50 fees + tax on fee | ~$166 |
How do you calculate any deal's true cost?
Add the sticker price, times the nights, then layer on the nightly resort fee, parking, and any pet or premium-WiFi charge, apply the local lodging tax to the taxable total, and add one-time fees like cleaning or booking. For preview packages, also budget the 90-120 minute presentation as a real cost of the discount. Run every deal through the same worksheet and rank on the out-the-door number — that is how a $129 all-in package can beat a $99 fee-loaded room. Use our tax breakdown for the tax step, our parking and Orlando fee tables for the fee step, and the rate recap for how prices trend.
See the real number before you book: browse all vacation deals and compare on the out-the-door total, not the sticker.
https://vacationdeals.to/vacation-deal-total-cost-database