This California city has most expensive Christmas trees in the US. Here’s why
Still looking for a Christmas tree in California? It’ll cost you.
The Golden State has the most expensive holiday evergreens in the nation, according to Sixt, a Germany-based car rental company.
Sixt analyzed the cost of Christmas trees in the top three most popular cities in each state to determine the priciest places for holiday decorating.
According to Sixt, a 6-foot-tall Christmas tree from a local farm costs $155 on average in California, $75 more than the national average.
“Overall, the national average for a 6-foot tree is $80, meaning California shoppers are paying nearly double in some cities,” Sixt said in a Dec. 8 news release.
Here’s what to know:
Which California city has most expensive Christmas trees?
The average cost of a 6-foot Christmas tree in Los Angeles is about $100, according to Sixt.
Holiday trees are even more expensive in San Francisco and Oakland’s San Antonio district, where a 6-foot-tall evergreen costs $155 on average, Sixt said.
That means Bay Area residents pay the highest prices for Christmas trees in the nation, according to the company.
Why are Christmas trees so expensive?
With tree prices skyrocketing, “The holidays can feel a little pricey,” Sixt said.
“National Christmas tree costs have risen on average due to factors such as past oversupply leading to fewer plantings, higher production and labor costs, and strong consumer demand,” the company told The Sacramento Bee via email.
What makes Christmas trees so much more expensive in the Golden State?
“In California ... severe droughts and wildfires impacting farms, especially for popular noble firs, have led to even higher prices,” Sixt said.
Most Christmas trees take at least five years to grow tall enough to sell — and some species can take as much as 10 years to reach maturity, SFGate reported.
Other challenges faced by locally-owned Christmas tree farms include inflation, climate change and customers’ expectations of the holiday tree farm experience, the media outlet reported.
Are Christmas tree costs up everywhere?
Despite these challenges, the Real Christmas Tree Board predicted a season of “steady demand, consistent supply and largely unchanged wholesale prices” in 2025.
The board said it surveyed 43 wholesale growers “representing about half-to-two-thirds of the United States’ real Christmas tree market.”
While tree production costs are up, most wholesale growers told the board that they didn’t plan to raise tree prices this season —and some even said they’d lower them.
“Growers appear to be largely absorbing increases rather than passing them along to retailers,” the board said in a Sept. 18 news release.
“While the price that a consumer will pay varies and is set by retailers, in a 2024 holiday consumer survey, 90% of respondents who purchased a real Christmas tree said the price they paid was worth it,” the board said.
How can I save on holiday trees?
According to the National Retail Federation, Americans were expected to spend about $890 on average on “holiday gifts, food, decorations and other seasonal items” in 2025.
That’s a slight drop from 2024, when holiday season spending per person was around $902 on average.
Gifts account for about 73% of holiday spending, Alliant Credit Union said in a Nov. 18 news release, while the rest “is spent on food, candy, decorations and holiday cards.”
That includes holiday trees, wreaths and garlands.
To cut down on Christmas tree costs, Sixt suggests considering smaller trees and buying from local farms outside the city where you live.
“Despite the cost, driving to pick out the perfect tree with your loved ones, enjoying the festive sights along the way and making memories that last a lifetime are what the season is really about,” Sixt said in an email.
See top 10 states with highest Christmas tree prices
According to the Sixt study, these were the top 10 states with the priciest holiday trees:
- 1. California
- 2. Colorado
- 3. Florida
- 4. Alaska
- 5. New York
- 6. Oklahoma
- 7. Wyoming
- 8. Texas
- 9. Montana
- 10. Wisconsin
How did Sixt come up with holiday tree ranking?
To determine the U.S. states with the most expensive Christmas trees, Sixt said it compiled a list of the most popular cities in each state and analyzed the average cost of a Christmas tree in those cities.
The company looked at prices for average 7-foot trees from local Christmas tree farms.
This story was originally published December 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "This California city has most expensive Christmas trees in the US. Here’s why."
