Odds are, you plan to travel somewhere by plane this summer. And unless you have exceptionally generous friends — or access to exceptional public transit — you may be facing the question: Should I drive myself or call a ride to the airport? 

We’re here to help with that. The best financial decision requires a little math: the cost of driving (and parking) yourself depends on the length of your trip, while the cost of rideshare correlates with how far you live from the airport. And then there’s the limited time double discount for riders who have DashPass to consider. (Yes, you heard us right. Through July 30th, DashPass members get 10% off on-demand rides and 20% off scheduled rides to the airport. Terms apply.) 

So to help all those gearing up to fly this summer, we put together little matrices for 15 major airports in the U.S. In pink, you’ll see when you’ll be better off taking rideshare than parking — and the amount you can expect to save if you do. And in teal, you’ll see when a DashPass membership will make it cheaper for you to take rideshare. Otherwise, it’s cheaper to drive yourself! Boom, decision made.

Jump to your airport:

ATL • BOS • DCA • DEN • DFW • EWR • JFK • LAX

LGA • MIA • ORD • PHX • SAN • SEA • SFO

Our methodology 

Rideshare costs are based on the average cost of a standard Lyft ride to and from a given airport from January 2024 to June 2025. Summer of DashPass discount includes 10% off on-demand rides to the airport. Parking costs are based on SpotHero’s price rates for the most popular parking locations with a 4.5 rating or above that offer a free shuttle to the airport in June 2025 and include a vehicle depreciation cost of $0.30/mile, per IRS guidelines, and an estimated fuel cost of $0.15/mile.

ATL in Atlanta is known for being the busiest airport in the world —  seeing 108 million passengers a year and employing 63,000 workers. Rideshare will always pay dividends if you are traveling more than a week, and on weekend trips if you live closer to the airport.

Summer is a busy time to travel in New England, and parking at the airport is at a premium — unless you’re only traveling for a day (or three, if you live over 15 miles from the airport), rideshare is a cheaper option.

Given its small stature, most flights out of DCA are limited to 1,250 miles. But there are still plenty of flights at — and people heading to — the airport to take flights of that length. Airport parking is at a premium, and you’ll find rideshare is your best bet for most trips over three days.

The Denver airport boasts 230 nonstop destinations, and over 51,000 public parking spaces. Parking is cost-effective if you’re staying for only a couple days, but otherwise, rideshare starts to win out with its economic benefits.

Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the airport: Dallas Fort Worth is 26.9 square miles large and has 191 domestic destinations and 73 international destinations. That leaves plenty of space for parking, but rideshare is still your best option for any trip over seven days.

Newark Airport is the oldest airfield in America — and while it might be looked upon slightly less favorably this summer than the other NYC-area airports, people will still be leaving for their summer vacations from New Jersey. If that’s you, rideshare is a solid choice for trips longer than week. 

New York runs on people often not owning — or driving their — cars, and the parking at JFK is really only going to be cost-effective if you’re staying fewer than three days. For trips longer than that it’s generally cheaper to take rideshare to the airport.

Los Angeles gets a bad rap for its traffic, but there’s no denying it’s a city built for people coming and going. Rideshare heavily favors people who are traveling any distance to LAX and are traveling for five days or longer.

LaGuardia is an appealing departure option due to its snazzy new terminals, but you’re almost guaranteed to have a cheaper time taking a rideshare there, especially if you live close to the airport or are staying for longer than five days.

Willing to leave the Miami summer for a day? Parking might be a good option. Otherwise, rideshare is almost always cheaper — unless you live more than 20  miles away from the airport and are staying for just two days.

Chicago has a totally different vibe from Miami, but the pattern is the same: It’s very rarely more cost-effective to park than take rideshare. The only times the rideshare won’t be in your favor are if you’re traveling for just a day (looking at you, business travelers) or live farther than 15 miles from the airport and it is a short trip.

If you’re a snowbird flying home for the summer, you’ll find that long-term parking isn’t as cost-effective as taking a rideshare to the airport (that is, if you can fit all your luggage in your Lyft XL’s trunk…).

If there was ever a time to leave San Diego, it’s summer, when other areas of the country — and the world — have the slightest chance of competing with its perfect weather. Parking will be economical at the San Diego International Airport only if you’re traveling for one day. Otherwise, a Lyft will generally save you some cash.

Since Seattle–Tacoma International airport is just minutes from downtown Seattle, rideshare is often a no-brainer. But if you live further out, and your trip is less than a week, it’s actually better to drive yourself.

Fifty-one million people fly in and out of San Francisco airport every year. If you’re one of them — and you’re traveling for more than three days  — you’ll find that rideshare is a cheaper airport option unless you are staying less than three days.