on rental cars...the smaller airports with summer tourists have the high rental car costs. If you look at larger citues the rates aren’t as high. They also fluctuate.

for example I travelled this weekend to buffalo and saw crazy high prices. About 2 weeks before they dropped to more reasonable rates in part because of multiple car booking clean up.

citues you don’t need a rental for outside of airport to hotel.

nashville
Atlanta ( some areas are served by light rail)
Denver ( light rail from airport)
las vegas
LA...light rail I don’t think it’s a direct connection to lax
San Diego..there light rail doesn’t get to airport there might be a shuttle.
portland light rail from airport
San Francisco or oakland light rail from airport. Oakland has a pay bus to Bart station. Some airport hotels run shuttle to both.
seattle light rail from airport
baltimire...has a light rail system and a MARC train from bwi to downtown dc and baltimore
Philadelphia has a line from airport to downtown
Minneapolis iirc has airport access
dallas has a limited light rail system but serves love
Ft Lauderdale
orlando...staying at Disney or universal. There is a bus line that gets you around universal-sea world- Orange County convention center
tampa
new orleans
maui you don’t need a car rental.