Home Alone: Experts Break Down Just How Expensive Those Vacations Cost

In 1990, director Chris Columbus and writer John Hughes released the Christmas classic "Home Alone." The Macaulay Culkin-led film earned $470 million worldwide and is now a permanent holiday staple. The movie was also recently dubbed Rhode Island's favorite Christmas movie of 2023. For the uninitiated, "Home Alone" follows eight-year-old Kevin McCallister (Culkin), who is left home alone (get it?) after his family forgets to take him on their Paris vacation. With no adults around, Kevin has to defend his Chicago home from goofy robbers named the "Wet Bandits" (portrayed by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern). The success of "Home Alone" led to 1992's "Lost in New York" and four more films — though none quite reached the commercial heights of the original.

Have you ever wondered how much money the McCallisters would need to afford their extravagant trips and luxurious home? You're not alone! Around the holidays, people tend to search for this information on Google, with this year's most popular query focused on the cost of their famous house. The family is quite prosperous and enjoys a financially stable life residing in Winnetka, one of Illinois' most lucrative counties.

To solve this holiday mystery, Looper spoke with several experts in the fields of finance, travel, real estate, and job recruitment to determine how much the "Home Alone" home and vacations cost in the '90s. When you look at the sticker price attached to the McCallisters' vacation and household, it's hard not to be shocked at just how much money their family spent on Christmastime.

At the start of "Home Alone," we learn through Kate (Catherine O'Hara) that The McCallisters are heading to Paris on her brother-in-law's dime. The fact that Kevin's father foots the bill is a common misconception. The McCallisters are going to France somewhere between December 19 and December 26, which is widely considered the busiest (and most expensive) period in peak travel season. Additionally, the "Home Alone" family flies from Chicago's iconic O'Hare airport to Paris — thanks to a non-stop American Airlines flight. Kevin's parents and his aunt and uncle fly first class while the kids fly coach.

To dig into flight costs more, Looper asked Adrie Smith, Travel Agent/Travel Content Creator and Influencer (@standbywithadrie), to determine how much 15 flights to Chicago from Paris during peak Christmas travel would cost in the 1990s compared to 2023. Smith noted that during the December 19 to December 26 window in 2023, an economy ticket to Paris costs around $1,295. A first-class seat is a whopping $7,726. So, the price tag would have landed at $45,149 for 11 economy seats and four first-class seats in 2023. Our expert notes that airline tickets are 40% cheaper now than they were in the '90s, meaning their fictional trip would have set Kevin's uncle back $63,208. Of course, this price tag doesn't include the family's lodging and other tourism expenses in the City of Lights. 

In "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York," the McCallister family ditches Europe and stays stateside by heading off to Miami, Florida — a move that Kevin despises. After all, spending a cold but cozy Christmas isn't possible in sunny and sweaty Miami.

In the sequel, the family size is smaller, with four adults and 10 children. Also, prices for their domestic trip are substantially cheaper: Economy tickets from Chicago to Miami via American Airlines for the children are closer to $459. However, first-class tickets are still pricy, with one seat costing $1,554 during the busy holiday season. In 2023, the 10 economy tickets and four first-class seats from Chicago to Florida would cost around $11,228. While this is still expensive, the final 2023 total isn't as bad as the hefty cost of it in the 1990s. Travel expert Adrie Smith says that the McCallister family's trip from Chicago to Miami would have cost around $15,719. Again, this number doesn't include any tourist excursions, like jet ski rentals, food, or lodging. 

Things, however, continue to add up for the family. Due to Kevin's antics, they have to fly to New York from Miami. That's 13 one-way economy tickets on Christmas Eve, each coming in at $94 in 2023. Meanwhile, the parents are paying $725 for each first-class seat. In total, the side quest to New York costs around $3,746 in 2023 and about $5,244 in the '90s. Combining the ticket costs of Miami and New York flights, the trip overall cost about $14,974 in 2023 or $20,963 in the '90s.

Based purely on their traveling expenses, it's fair to assume that the McCallisters are a financially stable bunch. Missing his family, we know that Kevin's uncle Rob (played by Ray Toler in a deleted scene) paid for the whole trip. However, let's imagine that Kevin's family did pay for the trip because ... Well, if their home is anything to go by, they might have been able to swing it.

The official "Home Alone" novelization by Todd Strasser confirms that Kevin's dad is a businessman and that his mom is a fashion designer. Before we speculate on their finances, it's important to pay attention to the one asset they hold that we're privy to: their Winnetka neighborhood home, which Bloomberg says is one of the wealthiest places in America. Looper asked Trey Danna, a Seattle-based real estate expert and agent with over 30 years of experience to estimate the cost of the McCallister's home. Assuming a 4.1% annual appreciation of real estate in the Winnetka area, Danna's team estimated that the home cost about $620,000 in 1990. To afford this 6-bedroom home in 1990, Danna says the McCallisters would need an annual income of $175,000.

Today, that house would be north of $2.3 million — that's over $542 per square foot. In 2012, The Chicago Tribune noted that the specific house used in "Home Alone" sold for nearly $1.6 million. If you were to buy the "Home Alone" house today, Danna noted that a potential buyer would need a down payment of $466,977 — essentially a 20% down payment. Yikes!

While we don't explicitly know where Kevin's mom and dad work, we know their professions. So we used that to gather a ballpark estimate of what's in their bank account. Kevin's mother is a fashion designer (that's how Kevin gets all the mannequins for his party charade) and his father is a businessman, presumably a day trader. 

For a deeper insight into the family's finances, Looper asked personal finance expert Mark Wlosinski, recruitment expert and Alpine Virtual Assistants founder Nicole Magelssen, and Lawrence Sprung CFP, Author of Financial Planning Made Personal and Founder at Mitlin Financial for their opinion. Wlosinski shared that the average American household income in 1990 was approximately $29,943. By that estimate, it's obvious that The McCallisters are not middle-class. According to Wlosinski, only a top-tier executive or financial professional with a salary north of $150,000 could afford their home. Wlosinski also noted that to maintain their lifestyle and home, the McCallisters would need a combined annual salary of $300,000 – $400,000. 

Based on those figures, how realistic is it for a businessman and fashion designer to make that much in the '90s? Magelssen noted, "It would definitely be a stretch for a day trader and a fashion designer to afford the extravagant lifestyle they live in 'Home Alone. They could have investments, inherited wealth (and an inherited house), family connections, or other streams of income not mentioned in the movie. Let's not forget, they also could be in substantial debt!" 

Similarly, Sprung agreed with Magelssen, noting some concern about the family's spending habits. "I think the issue here is that we all believe the family can afford this lifestyle because they were living the way they were and traveling too," Sprung said. "What if the family was simply keeping up with the 'Joneses' and they couldn't afford it but were racking up debt to give their co-workers, friends, and family the perception that they could? The fact is this is a reality for many today as we see them living these fantastic lives on social media, only to learn that the family was in massive debt and could not afford the lifestyle they were portraying."

Economic and financial circumstances in the early '90s were radically different than the ones we're dealing with in the 2020s. Financial expert Shinobu Hindert, CFP and author of Investing Is Your Superpower, told Looper that a variety of factors may have been in play for the McCallisters to afford such a luxurious lifestyle. With the Internet taking over the stock market in the '90s, it's entirely possible that low-interest rates and booming Internet stock valuations could have led to the McCallister parents making strategic financial plays.

Even if the vacation to Paris was paid for by Kevin's uncle, the family has the means to afford other lavish purchases that we see play out in the film. In "Home Alone," the McCallisters order 10 pizzas for the family to enjoy the night before their flight to Paris. The bill comes out to $122.50 (or $288 in 2023) — a meal that is equivalent to $19.2 per person. Also, the family can afford Kevin's indulgences in New York — the McCallister's New York City hotel room service bill in "Home Alone 2" came out to a whopping $967 (or a gobsmacking $2,121 in 2023).

While the McCallisters may have an obscene amount of wealth, "Home Alone" and its sequel prove that they have their heart in the right place. Aside from losing Kevin so much, they do their best to focus on family: the real meaning behind the Holidays. Ultimately, we should learn more from their loving actions than how they spend their money. Hindert told us that many spend beyond their means, especially during Christmastime. "Comparison tends to be the thief of joy," Hindert said. "Enjoy the holiday season by focusing on what you and your family truly value." 

Amen to that!