CHICAGO — As the Chicago Bears prepare for their first preseason game at Soldier Field, a new analysis suggests fans are paying some of the NFL's steepest prices to see them there — even as questions intensify over where the team will eventually play.
A family of four attending a Bears game could spend an estimated $2,169.87, the second-highest total in the NFL, according to an Action Network analysis of ticket listings, concessions and parking.
RELATED: Bears' 'Sole Focus' Is Hammond Stadium Project, Kevin Warren Says
The highest expense is admission. Four Bears tickets were estimated at $2,049.80, the highest four-ticket cost among all 32 teams.
Action Network said its researchers analyzed 539,192 ticket listings, along with stadium food, drink and parking costs, to estimate the price of a family outing. The study was published Aug. 11.
The Bears' estimated $2,169.87 family cost trails only the Buffalo Bills' Highmark Stadium, where the study puts the comparable cost at $2,193.95 — a difference of just $24.08.
The NFL average was $1,474.55, putting the Soldier Field estimate $695.32 above the league average.
Food and drinks added an estimated $70.07, including two beers, two soft drinks and four hot dogs, while parking was estimated at $50.
The study also found that the Bears' family game-day cost increased 12.2 percent from $1,933.37 in 2025. Soldier Field moved from the fourth-most expensive NFL stadium for families last year to second this year.
At the opposite end was Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, where a comparable family outing was estimated at $823.13 — $1,346.74 less than at Soldier Field.
That comparison is particularly timely.
The Bears host those Cleveland Browns at noon Saturday at Soldier Field in Chicago's first preseason game of 2026.
The game will air locally on the Chicago Bears Network on FOX 32, with radio broadcasts on ESPN Chicago and WVIV.
Saturday's matchup is also the Bears x Peanuts Kids Game, a family-oriented promotion inspired by the Peanuts characters created by Charles M. Schulz. The Bears are using the preseason opener to launch their slate of themed home games for 2026.
The Action Network figures should not be interpreted as the cost of attending Saturday's preseason game specifically. The study was designed as a standardized comparison of NFL stadium game-day costs rather than a price check for one particular matchup.
After hosting Cleveland, the Bears travel to Cincinnati for a 6 p.m. preseason game Aug. 22 and Tennessee for a 5 p.m. finale Aug. 29. The regular season begins Sept. 13 at Carolina, with the first regular-season home game Sept. 20 against Minnesota.
The Bears' Soldier Field future remains uncertain despite the season being about to begin.
And a new report Friday suggests Illinois officials remain engaged behind the scenes even after Bears leadership publicly shifted its attention toward Indiana.
Gov. JB Pritzker said Thursday that his administration continues working to create an opportunity for the Bears to remain in Illinois, either in Arlington Heights or Chicago. When Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren was asked about Pritzker mentioning Chicago as a possibility, Warren said reporters would have to ask the governor — and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson — about that option.
RELATED: Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Spar Over Bears In Latest Stadium Drama
Johnson then made his position explicit Thursday, writing, "The Bears belong in Chicago. Ours is still the best, and only, plan for a publicly owned stadium that enables them to stay on the most-visited stretch of land in all of Illinois."
POLITICO reporter Shia Kapos reported Friday, citing a source familiar with the discussions, that "a few select Illinois lawmakers" met Thursday with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell regarding the Bears' stadium situation.
Details about which lawmakers participated or what was discussed were not immediately available.
The timing is notable because the meeting occurred the same day Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren said the franchise's "sole focus" is working toward a stadium and mixed-use development in Hammond, Indiana.
Warren said Thursday the Bears have completed due diligence on Hammond's Lost Marsh property and determined a stadium could be built there. The organization is also studying a second Hammond location at Wolf Lake Terminal and has discussed whether the sites could potentially be incorporated into a larger development.
Warren characterized recent Bears discussions with Illinois as minimal and said the franchise has no Illinois stadium deal or legislation in hand.
Chairman George McCaskey likewise said the bulk of the Bears' stadium-related time, attention and resources is now being devoted to Hammond.
The shift toward Indiana followed a June vote by the Bears Board of Directors to advance a Hammond stadium project, with the exact site still to be selected. Patch reported on the Hammond vote in June.
RELATED: Bears Move Forward With Plans For Indiana Stadium
The Bears nevertheless continue to own the 326-acre former Arlington International Racecourse property, which they purchased for $197.2 million in 2023.
Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia told Patch last month that village officials had little new information because of the Bears' Indiana focus. Tinaglia said he was treating Hammond as a genuine possibility rather than dismissing it as a negotiating tactic.
Any return to Arlington Heights discussions, Tinaglia said, would happen publicly and not behind closed doors.
RELATED: Arlington Heights Mayor Says Bears Stadium Talks Won't Happen 'Behind Closed Doors'
Warren had also said during a July appearance in Lake Forest that the Bears needed certainty surrounding property taxes and infrastructure before a stadium project could move forward.
The newly reported Goodell meeting indicates Illinois lawmakers have not completely disengaged from the stadium issue, though nothing in Kapos' report establishes that a new Illinois deal is imminent or that Goodell is mediating negotiations.
An Action Network spokesperson cautioned against drawing a direct connection between the Bears' possible departure from Soldier Field and ticket prices.
"With the Bears now seriously exploring a future away from Soldier Field, there could be an added sense of urgency among fans wanting to experience games at the historic venue while they still can," the spokesperson said. "We can't say the potential move is directly driving ticket prices, but demand is clearly strong, and our analysis shows Bears fans currently face the highest ticket costs in the NFL."
For now, Bears fans have at least another season at Soldier Field.
The new analysis suggests they'll pay considerably more than most NFL fans for the experience.
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