The phrase "to afford a ticket" means to have enough money or resources to buy a ticket for an event, such as a concert, movie, or travel. Full definition
If you have an especially good voice you can sing a funny song about getting pulled over or how you're broke and can't afford a ticket. (drive-safely.net)
How can smaller players be expected to compete on the same team as the traditional folks when they often can't even afford a ticket to the game? (ibpa-online.org)
There was just enough to afford tickets for all of them. (policygenius.com)