Short answer: in Chicago, a styled mobile bar where you buy the alcohol usually runs about $650 to $3,000 for 50 to 150 guests. A bartender alone runs about $50 to $80 an hour.
What Chicago mobile bars charge
We looked at the published prices of Chicago-area cart and trailer bars where the client buys the alcohol. Entry packages for about 50 guests run roughly $650 to $1,800. Packages for about 100 guests run roughly $850 to $2,400. Several add 20% gratuity on top. Examples: Sip Social lists $1,250 to $2,650 plus gratuity, and Bartender Chicago lists bartenders at $60 an hour with a 4-hour minimum.
What it costs nationally
Across about 1,334 bar-service bookings, the median mobile bar booking was about $750, and the average about $1,173 (Check Cherry).
What changes the price
- Guest count and hours
- Number of bartenders (about 1 per 50 to 75 guests)
- Travel distance
- Add-ons like a champagne welcome or espresso martini round
- Whether gratuity is added on top
What Bar Society costs
Our packages start at $345 for bartending at your own bar. Cart packages are $595, $895 and $1,295, with ice, mixers and cleanup included and no gratuity added. Try the instant estimate to see your exact total.
Updated October 2026.