Best Places To Celebrate New Year's: How Chicago Ranks

CHICAGO, IL — When it comes to things like taxes, school funding and the number of former governors who've served prison time, Illinois doesn't compare too well to other states. But how about throwing a New Year's Eve party? Personal finance website WalletHub took a look at the country's best and worst places to ring in the new year and, overall, the Land of Lincoln didn't do too badly.

To come up with the list, WalletHub took a look at factors including food and entertainment options, cost of a New Year's celebration — like event tickets — and safety and accessibility of events. Other factors, like "legality of fireworks,” also came into play.

New Year's is one of the biggest holidays in the U.S., with with 180 million people tuning in to watch the ball drop in Times Square. Even so, 83 percent of revelers spend $200 or less on celebrations, according to the study.

Out of the 100 biggest cities in the nation, Chicago was ranked the 28th-best place overall to celebrate New Year's, coming in just after Los Angeles (No. 27) and Irvine, California (No. 29). Orlando came in at No. 1, and the worst city for ushering in a new year was North Las Vegas — which ranked dead last in both entertainment options and cost.

Chicago came in at No. 26 in terms of entertainment and food options, with no shortage of parties and events coming up on Dec. 31.

Chicago New Year's Events: 2018 Guide

The Windy City, however, didn't do so well in terms of affordability of New Year's celebrations, coming in at No. 79. That's no surprise, considering that tickets to big events can run you anywhere from $100 to more than $2,000 depending on how fancy you want to get. The most expensive tickets for the Sixth Annual Chicago Resolution Gala at Navy Pier, for example, cost $1,790. Tickets for the Crystal Gardens, also at Navy Pier, range from $99 to $1,592, and the 18th Annual New Year's Eve Party at the Drake Hotel has ticket packages starting at $149 all the way up to $2,995. Other costs to consider include transportation (if you're going to be drinking, you definitely need a ride) and hotel rates if you'll need a place to stay and your NYE package doesn't include lodging.

The most expensive cities for New Year's? According to WalletHub, it'll cost you if you plan to ring in 2018 in New York, San Antonio, New Orleans, San Diego or Nashville.

Check out WalletHub's full list here.

Image: Fireworks explode over Lake Michigan in Chicago on Jan. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)