Should you visit Asheville or San Diego?
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the prices of travel for Asheville and San Diego. 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.
San Diego
For many visitors and locals alike, San Diego is a paradise. Located in southern California, not far from Los Angeles, it has the perfect climate, wonderful beaches, and a culturally rich environment. It's surrounded by beautiful landscape and has a strong focus on wildlife conservation and eco-friendly living. Home to about 1.3 million residents, it is California's second largest city. It also has many universities, a large tech industry, and a thriving economy. Despite its size, many people perceive San Diego as a slower, more relaxed city with a pleasant vibe away from the chaos of a large city.
Which city is cheaper, San Diego 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 San Diego is $161. 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 San Diego 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.
For a normal double-occupancy room in San Diego, $182 is the average cost for a hotel room. Also in San Diego, the typical price for a place to stay for one person is $91, such as in a hostel.
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.
The price of a meal in San Diego can vary widely. However, the average price for food per day is $36 per person, and a typical meal will cost around $14 based on the spending of previous visitors. Less expensive dining options can be found by eating street food or at fast food restaurants.
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Food
Meals for one day
Asheville $26
San Diego $36
Typical Food prices in Asheville
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Asheville:
Typical Food prices in San Diego
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to San Diego:
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Mexican Lunch for Two
$27
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Breakfast at Starbucks
$20
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in San Diego
For San Diego, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
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San Diego North Park Food Tour:
$49
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Liberty Station Food Tour:
$49
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Market and Guacamole Cooking Class in Tijuana Mexico:
$89
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Private Cooking Demonstration of Indian Fusion Cuisine in San Diego:
$96
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Farmers Market Tour & Social Cooking With A Chef:
$100
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San Diego Harbor Dinner Cruise:
$111
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Dinner Cruise:
$117
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Private Tour: Secret Food Tours San Diego:
$129
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Secret Food Tours San Diego w/ Private Tour Option:
$277
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 San Diego than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend $19 on transportation in San Diego on average per day.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in San Diego
Also for San Diego, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Arrival Private Transfer San Diego Airport SAN to San Diego City by Business Car:
$71
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Arrival Private Transfer San Diego Airport SAN to San Diego by Executive SUV:
$85
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Arrival and Departure Transfer: Hotel to and from San Diego International Airport:
$70
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Departure Private Transfer San Diego to San Diego Airport SAN in Business Car:
$63
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Private Airport Transfer San Deigo Arrival And Departure:
$67
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Private Airport Transfer: Hotel to and from San Diego International Airport:
$70
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Private Airport Transfer: San Diego International Airport (SAN) to San Diego:
$46
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Private Airport Transfer: from San Diego to San Diego Int. Airport (SAN):
$35
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Private Arrival Transfer from SAN San Diego Airport to San Diego City:
$49
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Private Arrival Transfer from San Diego Airport SAN:
$48
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Private Departure Transfer from San Diego to SAN San Diego Airport:
$46
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Private Departure Transfer to San Diego Airport SAN:
$48
Is it cheaper to fly into Asheville or San Diego?
Prices for flights to both San Diego 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 San Diego, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of $38 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
Typical Entertainment prices in San Diego
For San Diego, here are some examples of average entertainment and activity prices from previous travelers:
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San Diego Zoo
$15
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Sea World Parking
$12
Tours and Activities in San Diego
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for San Diego.
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La Jolla: Explore California's Riviera on a self-guided audio tour:
$5.40
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San Diego Zoo Hunt: Roar with Rex Adventure at the San Diego Zoo:
$12
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San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter Historic True Crime Tour:
$16
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San Diego Scavenger Hunt Adventure:
$21
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San Diego Balboa Park Scavenger Hunt Adventure:
$21
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Behind-the-Scenes at Petco Park Tour:
$23
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San Diego Gaslamp District Ghost Tour:
$24
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Tijuana Walking Tour from San Diego:
$28
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San Diego Harbor Cruise:
$28
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Harbor Cruise:
$28
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Off the grid Christian tour.:
$28
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Old Town Scavenger Hunt, Walking Tour:
$29
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.
Alcoholic beverages can often be a significant portion of a traveler's budget, and the costs can vary greatly from person to person. In San Diego, the average amount that a visitor spends on alcoholic beverages per day is $17.
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
Sample the Local Flavors in San Diego
Also in San Diego, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
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San Diego Bar Hunt: Slammin' San Diego Bar Crawl:
$12
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Wine Tasting Or Beer Tasting:
$15
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San Diego Brewery Tour:
$85
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San Diego Micro Brewery Tour:
$91
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The San Diego Downtown Craft Brewery Tour:
$95
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The San Diego Downtown Craft Brewery Tour:
$101
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Private San Diego Brewery Tour:
$107
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All inclusive brewery tour-Fire Truck:
$189
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Luxury Private Wine Tasting Tour to Guadalupe Valley from San Diego.:
$249
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Private Wine Tour of Temecula from San Diego:
$475
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Asheville and San Diego, we can see that San Diego is more expensive. And not only is Asheville much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Asheville would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Asheville 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 San Diego would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in San Diego than you might in Asheville.
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