United States · budget cars
Cheap car rental in Washington, D.C.
The lowest daily rates on car rentals in Washington, D.C., United States. Expedia Cars compares budget brands against the majors — economy cars and the majors side by side.
- ✓Cheapest daily rates across Washington, D.C.'s rental fleets
- ✓Economy, compact, and intermediate filters
- ✓Pay-later and flexible plans shown per booking
- ✓No hidden fees · Powered by Expedia Cars
What things cost in Washington, D.C.
Free museums are the budget story, so a full day of Smithsonians costs only lunch. Metro rides run $2.25 to $6.75 by distance and hour, with a flat bus fare just over $2. A half-smoke with fries at Ben's is around $12, and a shared Ethiopian platter on Ninth Street feeds two for roughly $40. Capital Bikeshare day passes are a cheap way to cross the Mall repeatedly.
What first-timers get wrong in Washington, D.C.
Stand right and walk left on Metro escalators, because locals will say something. Fares are distance and time based, from $2.25 to $6.75 on weekdays and capped near $2.50 at weekends and after 9:30pm, and you can tap a contactless card rather than buy SmarTrip. The $1 DC Circulator was shut down at the end of 2024, so older guidebooks mislead. Every museum has an airport-style bag screening queue.
What's actually worth your time in Washington, D.C.
Every monument on the Mall is free and open around the clock, and the Lincoln and Korean War memorials are better at eleven at night than at noon. Washington Monument tickets are free but carry a $1 booking fee on recreation.gov and vanish within minutes of the 10am release. Capitol tours require advance booking through a representative's office. Arlington National Cemetery is a two-hour walk with real hills.
What to eat in Washington, D.C.
The half-smoke, a coarse half-pork half-beef sausage split, griddled and buried in chili, is the city's own dish, and Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street has served it since 1958. Ethiopian food is the other signature, concentrated around Ninth Street and Shaw and eaten with injera rather than cutlery. Mumbo sauce arrives with carryout wings citywide. Eastern Market does Saturday crab cakes.
Washington, D.C. after dark
U Street and Fourteenth Street carry the cocktail bars, H Street Northeast holds the dive and live-music end, and Adams Morgan owns the late, loud, jumbo-slice stretch of Eighteenth Street. Bars serve until 2am on weeknights and 3am on Fridays and Saturdays. Metro runs to 1am on Friday and Saturday, later than weeknights, but the gap between last train and last call still catches people out.
When to go to Washington, D.C.
| Best months for cheap-cars | Avg daily high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| October | 20°C / 68°F | 8 days |
| May | 23°C / 73°F | 11 days |
| September | 26°C / 79°F | 11 days |
The month to avoid is January — around 7°C (45°F) with roughly 9 rain days. Prices and crowds track the weather here: October is the sweet spot, January the month most people skip.
Pack for peak season: Layers — t-shirts under a light jacket or sweater, A packable rain shell or compact umbrella earns its space, Comfortable walking shoes — every guide on this site assumes you'll use them.
Where to base yourself in Washington, D.C.
- Georgetown — Historic cobbled streets, M Street shopping, canal walks, Sunday brunch.
- Dupont Circle — Bookshops, embassy row, indie cafés, walkable to museums and bars.
- U Street / 14th Street — Live music history, top restaurants, the busy nightlife corridor.