A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Arica vs. Arequipa for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Arica or Arequipa?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Arica and Arequipa. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.

Where Should I go: Arica or Arequipa?

Arica

A mixture of coastline, desert and high Andean plateau, Arica is a seaside resort town, known for its surfing beaches located at the tip of Northern Chile. Arica boasts that it is "the land of the eternal spring," but its temperate climate and beaches are not the only reason to visit this small city. Arica's tourism is still principally geared toward domestic visitors and those from southern Peru and La Paz, who flock to its beaches mid-December through February. It is very easy to spend a few days in Arica in the sand, or seeing the sights in town, at a slow pace but the city also offers plenty of fun activities and exciting day trips.

Arequipa

Sitting in the middle of the Misti, Chachani and PichuPichu volcanoes of Peru is the enchanting city of Arequipa. With 468 years of history, the city is full of Spanish colonial architecture. Known to locals as the "white city," the city center, Plaza de Armas, is quite the sight with buildings of sillar white stone made from the rocks of the surrounding volcanoes.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 10-Day Tours in Chile, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Chile, The Best Sightseeing Tours in Peru, and The Best Cultural Tours in Peru.


Which place is cheaper, Arequipa or Arica?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Arica is $78, while the average daily cost in Arequipa is $47. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Arica and Arequipa in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Arica $34
    Arequipa $23
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Arica $68
    Arequipa $46
Compare Hotels in Arica and Arequipa

Looking for a hotel in Arica or Arequipa? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Arica


Hotels in Arequipa


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Arica Hotel Prices and Arequipa Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Arica $17
    Arequipa $6.04
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Arica

Some typical examples of transportation costs in Arica are as follows:


  • Short Taxi Ride
    $2.05

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Arica

Also for Arica, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Arica Airport Private Transfer: $85
  • Private Transfer from Arica Airport (ARI) to Arica Cruise Port: $31
  • Private Transfer from Arica Airport (ARI) to Arica Cruise Port : $28
  • Private Transfer from Arica City hotels to Arica Cruise Port: $22
  • Private Transfer from Arica Cruise Port to Arica Airport (ARI): $28
  • Private Transfer from Arica Cruise Port to Arica Airport (ARI): $31
  • Private Transfer from Arica Cruise Port to Arica Hotels: $24
  • Private Transfer from Arica Cruise Port to Arica city hotels: $22
  • Private Transfer from Arica Hotels to Arica Cruise Port: $24

Typical Local Transportation Prices in Arequipa

Some typical examples of transportation costs in Arequipa are as follows:


  • Taxi Ride
    $1.36
  • Bus Ride
    $0.44
  • Taxi Ride
    $0.95

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Arequipa

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Arequipa:

  • Transfer Between Arequipa's Airport and Hotels: $35
  • Sihanouk Ville Airport Pickup or Transfer Private Car: $32
  • Private Transfer from Arequipa to Alfredo Rodríguez Ballón (AQP) Airport : $35
  • Private Transfer from Arequipa Airport to hotels: $25
  • Private Transfer from Alfredo Rodríguez Ballón Airport to Hotel: $20
  • Private Transfer from Alfredo Rodríguez Ballón (AQP) Airport to Arequipa: $35
  • Private Transfer From Arequipa to Puno, English Speaking Driver: $264
  • Koh Lanta any hotel to Krabi airport Private transfer: $72
  • Full Day Tour Including Transfer to Puno / Colca Canyon: $112
  • From 2-Day Colca Canyon Tour with Transfer to Puno: $98
  • From 2-Day Colca Canyon Tour with Transfer to Puno: $103
  • Colca Canyon Sightseeing Tour 2D1N and Transfer to Puno: $120

Is it cheaper to fly into Arica or Arequipa?

Prices for flights to both Arequipa and Arica change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Arica $28
    Arequipa $14

Typical Food Prices in Arequipa

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Arequipa:


  • Coke
    $0.41
  • Lunch
    $2.86
  • Ice Cream
    $1.09
  • Fruit
    $0.82
  • Ice Cream
    $0.95

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Arequipa

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Arequipa.

  • Skip the Line: Dinner and Typical Dances Show Ticket: $25
  • Peruvian Cooking Experience in Arequipa: $34
  • Peruvian Cooking Class: $48
  • Peruvian Cooking Class: $48
  • Peruvian Cooking Class in arequipa: $50
  • Guided Food Tour in Arequipa City: $69
  • 3-hour guided food tour / 5 iconic restaurants of Arequipa: $72
  • A 3-hour Guided Food Tour with 4 Iconic Restaurants of Arequipa: $79
  • Arequipa Food Tour: Ancestral Cuisine & City Tour: $85
  • Peruvian cooking class + Pisco Sour class + Visit to the local market: $91
  • Peruvian cooking class + PiscoSour class + visit the local market: $91
  • Peruse The Market With A Cooking Class Before Dinner: $97

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Arica $19
    Arequipa $18

Tours and Activities in Arica

For Arica, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • Archaeological Tour: $32
  • Half day Panoramic City Tour: $49
  • Archeological Sightseeing tour in Arica: $103
  • Arica Private Sightseeing Tour : $134
  • Private Tour to Tacna from Arica: $256

Typical Entertainment Prices in Arequipa

Here are a few typical costs in Arequipa for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:


  • Monastery Entry
    $2.72
  • Salsa Class
    $2.72
  • Movie Ticket
    $2.97
  • Hot Springs
    $2.72

Tours and Activities in Arequipa

Here are a few actual costs in Arequipa for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • Colca Full Day Tour: $51
  • 2 Day - Colca Canyon and Condor Tour from Arequipa, Peru - Group Service : $288
  • 2 Day Shared Tour to Colca Canyon: $45
  • 2-Day Group Tour to Colca Canyon from Arequipa: $230
  • 2-Day Hiking Tour to the Colca Canyon: $100
  • 2-Day Tour to the Magical Colca Canyon: $68
  • 2-day tour to the Colca Valley and the Cruz del Condor: $99
  • 3 Hour Congata Rover Biking Ride Tour in Arequipa: $45
  • 4-hour tour to the Sillar Route in Arequipa: $12
  • 8-Hours Tour in Arequipa Laguna de Salinas with Pick-up: $23
  • Afternoon : Arequipa Walking tour: $55
  • Afternoon : Arequipa city tour with Santa Catalina Monastery: $75

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Arica $19
    Arequipa $16

Typical Alcohol Prices in Arequipa

Some typical examples of the costs for nightlife and alcohol in Arequipa are as follows:


  • Beer
    $2.45

Sample the Local Flavors in Arequipa

Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Arequipa:

  • Pub Crawl Tour in Arequipa with VIP Access.: $25
  • Pub Crawl Tour in Arequipa with Drinks and VIP Access.: $60


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Arica and Arequipa, we can see that Arica is more expensive. And not only is Arequipa much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Arequipa would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Arequipa and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Arica would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Arica than you might in Arequipa.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Arica Expensive? and Is Arequipa Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Arica or Arequipa?

Arequipa has a larger population, and is about 5 times larger than the population of Arica. When comparing the sizes of Arica and Arequipa, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.