Bears have least affordable ticket in NFL — study

The Chicago Bears have always been a tough ticket, but the ducat might be economically harder to obtain than you think, according to a recent consumer study.

The Bears have the least affordable ticket prices of all 32 teams in the NFL, according to a comprehensive study done by ValuePenguin, a consumer advice company.

The report took into consideration the cost of tickets, parking and food in relation to median income in the team’s geographic area.

A trip for three people to attend a Bears game at Soldier Field, pay for parking and have three hot dogs, two beers and a soda would cost an average of $483.20. Based on the median income levels for the Chicago area, a consumer would need to work about 16.5 hours to cover the cost of going to the game, the report finds. (Note: If you’re wondering, as we were, why the study used three tickets, it’s based on the average-size family of 2.58, according to the latest U.S. Census figures.)

It doesn’t help that the Bears have the highest average ticket prices in the league.

The Dallas Cowboys are tied for the second-least affordable tickets prices at $444.10, which equates to 15.4 hours of work in the Dallas area. The Cowboys have the league’s highest parking rates at $75.

The New Orleans Saints have relatively inexpensive tickets ($273.75), but lower income levels put them in a tie with the Cowboys for affordability at 15.4 hours.

The Pittsburgh Steelers (14.2 hours) and the Green Bay Packers (14.1) round out the top five least affordable teams.

The most affordable team to watch is the Oakland Raiders, whose $290.09 cost works out to 7.4 hours of work in the Bay Area.

Overall, the average number of work hours it costs to see an NFL game is 11.9.

ValuePenguin says watching the Bears is 125 percent more than the Cubs and 55 percent more than the Bulls.

To check out the entire study and methodology, click here.