7 Inauguration Day Rip-Offs

Nearly all U.S. citizens have the right to cast their vote for the country's president. But actually getting to attend that president's inauguration is a far less democratic process.

An estimated two million people are expected to descend upon Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20 to witness Barack Obama's historic inauguration. And while many prospective attendees feel the experience will be priceless, local businesses and residents offering accommodations, tickets and transportation for the event feel the experience carries a very tangible -- and lofty -- value.

Some are boosting prices by double- or even triple-digit percentages, while others are making outlandish demands of minimum stays or other costly requirements. "Free" tickets to the inauguration, for example, are selling for anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars to more than $1,000 and hotel rooms are requiring four-night minimum stays with highly-inflated nightly rates.

To see how much it will cost to witness history in the making, we went shopping for everything from inaugural ball tickets to a car ride to the event. Here are seven ways attendees of the 56th inauguration are getting gouged.

Tickets for the inaugural swearing-in ceremony are supposed to be free -- 240,000 will be distributed through members of Congress. But since the number of tickets isn’t remotely close to the estimated two million people who want to attend, plenty of lucky ticketholders are hoping to scalp theirs for a handsome profit. While there are efforts to curb scalpers -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) is trying to pass a bill making it illegal to resell tickets and eBay (EBAY) agreed not to hawk them. Obama fans desperate for a ticket won't have too hard a time finding one as long as they're willing to pay up. A ticket on Craigslist recently cost as much as $1,500.

There are 10 official inauguration balls, including the Commander-in-Chief and Neighborhood Ball, which President-elect Obama is expected to attend. A ticket to any of these events costs $150 a pop (the Youth Ball, which is geared toward 18- to 35-year-olds costs $75 per person) and is sold only to those who are invited. The unlucky souls who couldn't get their hands on tickets through normal channels will have to pay dearly if they're hell bent on attending one of these fetes. On Craigslist, a ticket to the Western Inaugural Ball in Washington, D.C., is being advertised for $600.

Partygoers are even paying top dollar for tickets to balls that Obama isn’t likely to attend. Take New Jersey’s Garden State Inaugural Gala, for example. Despite the fact that there are no headliners (unless you count a Bruce Springsteen cover band as one) and there’s no realistic chance Obama will make an appearance, tickets sold directly from the nonprofit New Jersey State Society, are going for $300 each -- twice as much as official ball tickets. To buy them on StubHub, you’ll have to pay $1,833 -- a 500% premium.

Even though the official swearing-in ceremony and other inaugural events will last only one day, attendees who stay in a hotel will have to pay for a four-night stay. And that room won’t come cheap. The average Washington, D.C.-area hotel is charging $500 to $600 a night over the course of that weekend, says Victoria Isley, a spokeswoman for Destination DC, the official tourism organization for the area. We found a few hotels charging an even bigger premium than that. The Washington Marriott at Metro Center, for example, is offering rooms for $1,000 a night. That same reservation a week later goes for just $119.

Thanks to a new law that lifts restrictions on D.C. residents to rent their homes during the inauguration, some local residents are renting rooms in their homes at rates similar to those at area hotels. On Craigslist, we found one- and two-bedroom apartments going for $800 and $1,500 a night with three- and four-night minimum stays.

Locals are also willing to rent you their parking spots. But again, be prepared to pay up. Close to the White House, a spot will run around $100 a day. And out toward Arlington, Va. -- about three miles from where the inauguration will take place -- expect to pay $150. That’s pretty pricey considering a monthly parking spot in the Washington Metro area tends to cost around $150 to $250, according to ParkingSpotter.com, a web site that brokers parking spots.

Getting back and forth from Reagan National Airport or those inaugural balls won't come cheap either. Expect higher than usual hourly rates and multihour minimums if you want to use a car service. One car service we spoke with, DC Livery, quoted a sedan for a 10-hour minimum at $780. On any other day of the year a visitor could get that same Lincoln Town Car for $110 with just a two-hour minimum.

Even the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, locally known as the Metro, is hiking rates. On Inauguration Day, riders will be charged peak-hour fares from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. and a $4 parking fee. Typically, on federal holidays parking is free. Residents who buy a one-day pass a few days before the swearing-in ceremony will pay $7.80. Those who wait until the day of the event, however, will have to fork over an extra $2.20. And should an enthusiastic spectator want a SmarTrip Card with a picture of President-elect Obama on it, it will cost an extra $10.