Survey says: Twins game at Target Field is 10th cheapest in MLB for family of four

The cost of watching Major League Baseball games in person keeps going up for everybody.

BUT. If the folks in your hypothetical family of four call themselves fans of the Minnesota Twins, and agree to attend a game at lovely Target Field this season, mom and dad get better value for their money than most baseball parents do in other places.

Assuming the Twins don't blow a late lead and lose, smh.

The Action Network published a study saying Target Field is the 10th least-expensive ballpark in the majors for a family of four to watch a game. It still sounds expensive at $205.45, and it is for a lot of families. But consider the most expensive ballpark experiences: $366.71 for a family of four at Fenway Park to see the Boston Red Sox. Not far behind: the New York Yankees. The world champion Los Angeles Dodgers are only the fifth-most expensive team to watch at home, at $311.66.

The data comes from Team Marketing Report’s 2023-24 MLB Fan Cost Index, was adjusted for inflation using Bureau of Labor statistics, and set up hypothetical but realistic circumstances to give us an idea of what it costs and where the teams rank.

Tenth, for the Twins, is pretty good.

They were 10th in runs scored in 2024, when they went belly up in the second half and missed the playoffs. It's a solid deal considering the size of Minneapolis-St. Paul. If you look at Nielsen ratings for TV, the Twin Cities are the 15th largest market, right in the middle, considering there are 30 MLB teams.

And the Twins rank a little better than 10th overall, if you adjust some of the conditions Action performed its survey.

As many creative fans will inform you, there are ways to make ticket cheaper. Savvy ones know that it's possible to get deeply discounted seats if you use your phone to find a resale service. You can also get better seats, sometimes premium seats, at a good value — sometimes even cheaper prices than face value.

Going this way sometimes can add complications, uncertainty and stress, so that should be factored in.

Breaking it down individually, the Twins actually sell the 16th least-expensive ticket. Not a great value there, but also not seemingly overpriced at $139.30 for four seats.

Although these facts might get you upset: It's actually cheaper to buy seats at the Los Angeles Angels ($135.46), New York Mets ($118.09), and Chicago White Sox ($133.26). The Twin Cities are more expensive than the big cities??? You'll be happy to know that fans of the New York Yankees pay the most for tickets on average, at $271.

Serves them right, too.

The other expense that inflates the Target Field experience is the hat you have to buy for $24. Not only is the hat $24, but it's just one hat that apparently you have to share, or else have your kids fight over. If you family goes to several games a year, you don't have to buy a hat every time. You might have to buy two hats if you have two kids and just attend one game annually.

Just try giving a hat to your daughter and not your son. Go ahead, try it.

Where fans at Target Field can make up ground on the rest of the world is other costs, like parking ($11.40 — ranking third), two beers ($10.26 — tied for fourth), two soft drinks ($4.09 — first, baby!), and four hot dogs ($16.40 — tied for fourth). As far as parking your car, maybe it would be cheaper to take public transportation, but it also might be a wash with the Metro. And you could always eat before the game, even at home.

But it's also not out of whack to want a hot dog and a beer at the game.

The study also accounts for each team's child admission policy. If your child is under 30 inches tall, they get in free at Target Field. Other stadiums go by age, or a different height, so check the chart and double-check with the other teams if you use this information on a road trip. Consider watching the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix: The same deal is just $157.59. And face value for four seats at a Marlins game in Miami is less than $100.

Don't miss the home run sculpture outside the park, although you could just go see that for free without even going in.

But then you'd miss the ballgame, and even in Miami that's no good.