This surprising destination has the most expensive scoop of ice cream

I scream for ice cream — and these prices.

Ice cream is an essential dessert during the summer, especially in this heat. But just like everything these days, inflation has come for the beloved sweet treat with retail ice cream prices reaching a high of $6.02 per half gallon in 2023 — up from under $3 in 1995, according to data from Statista.

A new study conducted by online language learning site Preply looked at America’s top 50 vacation spots to see just how expensive a scoop really is, as well as the favorite flavors in these popular spots.

However, it’s noted that due to the fact that these are tourist vacation spots, prices might be higher than other cities in the state.

Coming in at No. 1 for the most expensive city to get some ice cream is Philadelphia, the vacation spot in Pennsylvania, where the average price for a scoop is $5.35, Preply found, per Delish. That means for a family of four, if everyone got two scoops of ice cream, the bill would come out to nearly $43.

While it may be shocking that New York City didn’t come in as the most expensive, it did come in second place, with a scoop of ice cream averaging $5.

Apparently, the favorite flavor of NYC is strawberry, and two scoops of strawberry ice cream per person will cost a family of four $40.

On the other end of the spectrum, head to the Midwest to find the most affordable scoops.

In Sandusky, Ohio — where the favorite flavor is the chocolate and peanut butter-filled buckeye, reminiscent of the Ohio state tree, the buckeye — one scoop will only cost you $3.50.

When it comes to favorite flavors, ice cream lovers like to show their loyalty and pick regional flavors for their scoop, such as Michigan’s Superman, Wisconsin’s Blue Moon and Oregon’s Marionberry.

In Anchorage, Alaska, and Park City, Utah, green tea ice cream is the crowd-pleaser. Mango tops the flavors in Honolulu, Hawaii, while Moose Tracks takes the cake in Chicago, Illinois.