Should you visit Asheville or Rapid City?
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the prices of travel for Asheville and Rapid City. 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. So, let's dig into it.
Asheville
Asheville is a beautiful mountain town between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains. It's a popular tourist destination in western North Carolina that attracts hikers, shoppers, and adventurers alike. It's the largest city in the area and is famous for it's liberal mindset and large art community. Local crafts are frequently available for sale in the downtown shops.
Rapid City
Rapid City is a large city in western South Dakota that is considered the gateway to the Black Hills National Forest. Rapid City is often used as a base for all types of outdoor activities, including tours to the infamous Mount Rushmore and surrounding parks. The city has a budding art scene and offers the perfect combination of a metropolitan city surrounded by stunning natural scenery. Rapid City experiences the best weather from June-September with temperatures in the 70's and 80's Fahrenheit. Temperatures drop to the low 20's F in the winter and the area receives the most rain pour in April and May.
Which city is cheaper, Rapid City or Asheville?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Asheville is $106, while the average daily cost in Rapid City is $93. 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 city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Asheville and Rapid City in more detail.
Accommodation
Accommodation prices vary by location and style, but travelers pay on average about $142 for a double occupancy room in Asheville.
Double occupancy rooms typically run around $96 in Rapid City For nicer amenities and a premiere location, you can expect to pay a bit more.
Food
In Asheville travelers spend around $26 a day on food. You can save money by choosing casual restaurants or food stalls, or you can spend plenty more by dining in nicer restaurants at every meal.
In Rapid City travelers spend around $19 a day on food. You can save money by choosing casual restaurants or food stalls, or you can spend plenty more by dining in nicer restaurants at every meal.
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Food
Meals for one day
Asheville $26
Rapid City $19
Typical Food prices in Asheville
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Asheville:
Local Transportation
The average price of local transportation around Asheville is $11 per person, per day. As this average includes both taxis and public transport, keep in mind that the prices of private drivers and taxis are significantly more expensive than public transportation.
Public transportation tends to be much less expensive in Rapid City than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend $42 on transportation in Rapid City on average per day.
Is it cheaper to fly into Asheville or Rapid City?
Prices for flights to both Rapid City and Asheville 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.
Entertainment
Asheville's costs for entertainment, tickets, attractions, and tours will often cost around $13 per person, per day. This cost can vary widely by the type of activity, however, as this includes admission tickets, day tours, museums, and other things to do.
Sightseeing expenses in Rapid City, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of $21 per day, per person.
Typical Entertainment prices in Asheville
Here are a few typical costs in Asheville for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
Tours and Activities in Asheville
Here are a few actual costs in Asheville for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
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"Love Stories of Asheville" Guided Walking Tour:
$498
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2-Hour Guided Segway Tour of Asheville:
$68
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4-Mile Guided Paddleboard Tour on The French Broad River in Asheville:
$82
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7 Mile Guided Paddleboard Tour On The French Broad River in Asheville:
$97
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Amazing Asheville Scavenger Hunt Adventure:
$44
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Asheville Insider Guided Walking Tour:
$30
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Asheville Literary Tour:
$30
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Asheville Night-Time Guided Walking Ghost Tour (1 or 1.5-Hour Options Available):
$21
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Asheville Night-Time Walking Ghost Tour:
$21
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Asheville Private Guided Bird Watching Tour:
$41
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Asheville Scavenger Hunt Adventure:
$21
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Asheville Scavenger Hunt: Downtown Asheville Adventure:
$12
Tours and Activities in Rapid City
For Rapid City, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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Mount Rushmore and Black Hills Full-Day Tour:
$84
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Mount Rushmore and Black Hills Bus Tour with Live Commentary:
$84
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Bus Tour of Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills:
$123
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Bike Adventure on the Mickelson Trail - Private:
$267
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Southern Black Hills Bicycle Tour - Private:
$267
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Private Black Hills Monuments Full-Day Tour:
$299
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Black Hills: Private Tour of Mt. Rushmore & Flume Trail Hike:
$299
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Badlands National Park Private Tour:
$299
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Private Mickelson Trail Bicycling Tour/ Two Person Minimum:
$299
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Private Jeep Safari and Hiking Tour/ Two Person Minimum:
$307
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Private Badlands National Park Day Tour:
$315
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Private Mt Rushmore & Southern Black Hills Tour:
$329
Alcohol
While the amount that someone spends on alcohol while visiting Asheville may vary from person to person, on average a person spends $13 per day on alcoholic beverages.
Typically, people visiting Rapid City spend on average $5.54 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
Sample the Local Flavors in Asheville
Also in Asheville, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
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Downtown Asheville Guided Brewery Walking Tour:
$38
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Private Adventure Brews Cruise Brewery Tours in Asheville (Up To 5 Breweries):
$1,013
When comparing the travel costs between Asheville and Rapid City, we can see that Asheville is more expensive. However, the two cities are actually relatively comparable in price, as the difference is somewhat minimal. Generally, this means that you could travel with generally the same travel style and level of luxury in each place. Since both cities are in North America, it's no surprise that their costs are relatively close, as many destinations here have somewhat similar travel prices overall.
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