These U.S. Airports Don’t Inflate Food Prices

Whether you’re feeling peckish or looking to do some shopping before departure, there are typically plenty of restaurants and stores to choose from in the airport terminal. But airport vendors have a reputation for inflated prices, leaving travelers to either begrudgingly pay those costs or skip spending altogether. Thankfully, a select few airports have taken the unusual step to charge amounts that are similar to street prices. Here’s a look at two U.S. airports that don’t inflate prices.

Portland International Airport

Whether you’re buying a souvenir shirt, a cheeseburger and fries, or a libation at the bar, the price you pay at Oregon’s Portland International Airport (PDX) will be in line with what you’d pay elsewhere in the city. In contrast, other major airports charge 10% to 20% above street pricing to cover operating costs.

In an interview with Travel Oregon, Kaitlin Hunter, senior manager of concessions at the Port of Portland, said, “All vendors are obligated to charge the same prices at the airport as they do on the street in Portland.” This means that a cup of coffee from Starbucks, for example, costs the same at a PDX terminal as it does in downtown Portland. According to a recent study conducted by Casino.ca, PDX charges the lowest price for beer among North American airports — $4.41 compared with the nationwide average of $8.02 per drink.

Portland’s airport also takes pride in offering concessions that are locally owned. This includes regional favorites such as Blue Star Donuts and the pasta shop Grassa. But even nonlocal chains such as McDonald’s and Potbelly have to abide by these pricing regulations.

This street pricing concept has proved to be a win-win for travelers and vendors alike. A 2016 report showed that passengers flying through PDX spent more than travelers passing through airports in Boston, D.C., and Seattle. 

Salt Lake City International Airport

Based on the success of PDX’s street pricing plan, Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) has implemented a similar policy. This decision comes in the wake of a $4.1 billion airport renovation, the first phase of which was completed in 2020.

“When people get the notion they’re not being gouged, or they’re not paying significantly more for something than they might otherwise be, they’ll buy it,” Bill Wyatt, the airport’s executive director, told The Salt Lake Tribune. “That’s clearly proved to be the case here.”

Indeed, the proof is in the pudding — or in this case, the booze. According to the same study conducted by Casino.ca, SLC is second to only PDX in regard to average beer price, charging just $5.10 per beverage. And some items actually cost less inside the airport than in other locations, according to a report from the Tribune. For instance, in 2023, an entree bowl from Panda Express cost $7.90 inside the airport and $8.00 outside. 

Still, a few vendors were found to not comply with the policy, including the Market Street Grill. Inside the airport, a plate of fish and chips cost $18.99, which was $1 higher than at a nonairport location. While PDX has a formal review process to keep prices stable, SLC lacks any in-house audit — at least for now. The concessions team relies on feedback from the general public to bring pricing anomalies to their attention. 

New York, New Prices

While Portland International Airport and Salt Lake City International Airport are working to make the terminal experience cheaper, not every airport can say the same. In an effort to cover rising costs, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey revised the street pricing plan in 2025. This allows vendors at LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark to charge 15% above street prices, on top of an additional 3% surcharge to help cover employee benefits programs. Previous, the policy was 10%.

With some airports keeping prices stable and others raising them, it’s hard to project where the trends will go in the future. But with the street-pricing success stories being written at PDX and SLC, hopefully other U.S. airports will take notice.

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