Tampa sits pretty in cheap car rentals

TAMPA — Another good reason to live in the Sunshine State: car rentals are cheap.

A recent survey of the 50 top U.S. destination cities by CheapCarRental.net shows that five Florida cities were near the bottom on the average daily cost to rent a car.

Tampa came in at 45th, tied with Myrtle Beach, S.C., at a cost of $28 a day. The lowest-priced city was Miami at $20 a day. Fort Lauderdale and Jacksonville tied at 41st, $29 a day, and Orlando was 47th, at $27 a day.

The most expensive city was Philadelphia, which had an average daily rate of $65. New York City ranked second, with an average price tag of $61 per day.

Cities were judged from Oct 1, 2014 to Sept. 30, and each city's main airport was chosen as the pick-up and drop-off location.

Here's a glance at the data for the top and bottom five, and the Florida cities:

Worst
1. Philadelphia $65
2. New York $61
3. Detroit $58
4. Indianapolis $58
5. Austin $56

Best
46. Tampa $28
47. Orlando $27
48. San Francisco $26
49. Charleston $26
50. Miami $20

Florida
41. Fort Lauderdale $29
41. Jacksonville $29
45. Tampa $28
47. Orlando $27
50. Miami $20