The 2013 Major League Baseball season is finally here but planning a vacation to experience America’s pastime can be a costly one. Using information from the Team Marketing Report, I’ve put together some help information that I hope will help assist you when planning your trip.

First let’s talk price of admission. Five teams kept their tickets prices the same while eight lowered prices, leaving 17 franchises with higher admission costs for 2013. The average ticket price to a MLB game is around $27.73 with premium seating (luxury boxes excluded) averaged at $90.92. Those numbers are up 2.7% from the 2012 season.

Highest

1. Boston Red Sox: a trip to Fenway Park will cost you an average of $53.38 (the highest of any team). For those seeking premium seats, the average cost will be around $172.51 (fourth highest). Ticket prices did not change for the team this year. Parking comes in around $27.00 (second highest).
2. New York Yankees: visiting Yankee Stadium comes with an average ticket cost of $51.55 (second highest) while premium seats will cost you an average of $305.11 (highest). Ticket prices did not change see any change this year. Parking will cost you a pretty penny at around $35.00 per spot (highest).
3. Chicago Cubs: planning a visit to Wrigley Field will cost you about $44.55 per ticket (third highest) and a premium ticket will come in around $106.88 (sixth highest). This year ticket prices for the Cubs saw a $3.8% drop in 2013 after dropping prices by 1.3% in 2012. You’ll have to pay around $25.oo for a parking spot (third highest).
4. Philadelphia Phillies: tickets to Citizens Bank Park run on around $37.42 (fourth highest) on average with premium tickets coming in around $79.82 (12th highest). Ticket prices did not change for this team this year. Parking will only cost you $15.00 (tied for 11th highest).
5. Washington Nationals: going to see a game in the nation’s capitol will cost you an average of $35.24 per ticket (fifth highest) while premium seating will cost you about $192.89 (third highest). The cost of tickets for a Nats game rose by second largest amount this year, with prices up 15.4% from 2012. Parking comes in at only $10.00 (tied for 17th).

Lowest

1. San Diego Padres: the cheapest ticket this year is at Petco Park, with the average cost at $15.99. Even though premium seating is a little higher at $39.11, it is still the cheapest luxury ticket in the league. The cost of a premium ticket is 7.8% cheaper for a Padres game than a Yankees game. Parking is $8.00 (tied for third cheapest). Surprisingly ticket prices went up 3.5% from 2012.
2. Arizona Diamondbacks: heading to warm and sunny Phoenix for a game will only you around $16.89 for a ticket (second lowest) with premium seats around $51.59 (second lowest). Just to put that into perspective the average cost of a premium seat to a D-backs game costs the about same amount as the average for a regular ticket to a Yankees game. Ticket prices did increase by 7.3% from 2012. Parking is only $8.00 (tied for third cheapest).
3. Pittsburgh Pirates: visiting PNC Park will cost on average $17.21 (third lowest) to see a game with premium seats coming in at $57.30 (ninth lowest). Ticket prices in 2013 went up 6.8% from last year. Parking will actually cost you almost as much as your ticket, averaging about $15 per spot (tied for 11th highest).
4. Atlanta Braves: heading down to HOTlanta to see a game is going to cost around $17.32 (fourth lowest) per person. If you upgrade for premium seats, that will cost about $46.74 (sixth lowest). Ticket prices rose 3.8% from 2012 to 2013. Once again, parking your car is going to cost almost as much as the price of admission coming in at around $15.00 (tied for 11th highest).
5. Cleveland Indians: a visit to Progressive Field will cost an average of $19.59 (fifth lowest) per ticket while premium seating will be around $56.17 (eighth lowest). This is the only team in the top five of lowest avg. ticket prices who saw the cost go down, dropping around 4.1% this year. Parking will cost around $12.00 (13th lowest).

State of Missouri

• St. Louis Cardinals: going to see the 2011 World Series Champions will actually cost you more this year than the year after they won the championship. Ticket prices at Busch Stadium went up about 3.7% from 2012. The average cost of admission comes in at $33.11 (sixth highest) with premium seats at around $77.26 (14th highest). Parking is around $10.00 (tied for 17th).
• Kansas City Royals: a ticket to Kauffman Stadium will cost you an average of $19.83 (sixth lowest) while a premium seat costs $79.06 (13th highest). Ticket prices in KC actually went down by 10.1% from 2012. Parking will cost $10.00 (tied for 17th).

Now that we’ve talked tickets & parking there also comes the cost of food, drinks, souvenirs, etc.

• Beer: highest $8.25 (Nationals), lowest $4.00 (Braves/Indians), average $6.12.
• Soft Drinks: highest $5.25 (Cardinals/Dodgers), lowest $1.00 (Reds), average $3.67.
• Hot Dog: highest $6.25 (Mets), lowest $1.00 (Reds), average $4.14).
• Program: highest $5.07 (Blue Jays), lowest FREE (nine ballparks) , average $2.99.
• Baseball Cap: highest $25.00 (Yankees), lowest $9.99 (Diamondbacks), average $17.39.

According to the Team Marketing Report, their Fan Cost Index includes the prices of four adult average-price tickets, two small draft beers, four small soft drinks, four regular-size hot dogs, parking for one car, two game programs and two least expensive, adult-size adjustable caps. By taking a look at the FCI for each team, a trip to a major league baseball game this year could cost you as much as $336.99 (Boston Red Sox) or as little as $122.53 (Arizona Diamondbacks). On average, a trip to an MLB game will cost you around $208 in 2013.