A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Athens vs. Santo Domingo for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Athens or Santo Domingo?

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 Athens and Santo Domingo. 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: Athens or Santo Domingo?

Athens

Athens is the capital city of Greece and is home to a population of over 3.7 million people. It's most famous as the birthplace of Classical Greece and the history in the city is incomparable to that found anywhere. It became the national capital of the modern Greek State in the 1830s, before which it was just a small village with a very impressive history. The city was redesigned by architects and city planners and incorporated large public squares, lots of green space, and wide avenues. The city has had its ups and downs both economically and politically, but it remains a beautiful and impressive place to explore.

Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, is a vibrant city that seamlessly blends history, culture, and modernity. Known for being the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas, Santo Domingo offers a wealth of experiences that cater to every type of traveler.

Traveling to Santo Domingo on a budget is entirely achievable with some strategic planning. Accommodations range from luxury hotels to budget-friendly hostels and guesthouses. The Zona Colonial, the historic district, offers several affordable lodging options that provide easy access to major attractions. Hostels offer comfortable accommodations and a chance to meet fellow travelers, too. Eating on a budget is also feasible in Santo Domingo. Local eateries, known as "comedores," serve traditional Dominican dishes at reasonable prices.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 10-Day Tours in Greece, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Greece, The Best Adventure Tours to Dominican Republic, and The Best Adventure Tours to Dominican Republic.


Which place is cheaper, Santo Domingo or Athens?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

The average daily cost (per person) in Athens is €154, while the average daily cost in Santo Domingo is €91. 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 Athens and Santo Domingo in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Athens 63
    Santo Domingo 37
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Athens 126
    Santo Domingo 74
Compare Hotels in Athens and Santo Domingo

Looking for a hotel in Athens or Santo Domingo? 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 Athens


Hotels in Santo Domingo


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: Athens Hotel Prices and Santo Domingo Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Athens 27
    Santo Domingo 4.21
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Athens

Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Athens:


  • Airport Bus for Two
    6.40
  • Metro
    1.50
  • Metro
    2.00
  • Metro from Airport to City Center
    8.00
  • Taxi from Airport
    35

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Athens

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

  • Private Transfer:Athens City to Piraeus Cruise Port: $26
  • Private Transfer from Athens City Center to Piraeus Port: $27
  • Private Transfer from Piraeus Port to Athens City Center: $27
  • Private Transfer from Piraeus Port to Athens City: $27
  • Athens Hotels to Piraeus Port Private Transfer: $28
  • Piraeus Port to Athens City Private Transfer with Meet & Greet: $28
  • Piraeus Port to Athens Hotels Private Transfer with Meet & Greet: $29
  • Athens Airport to and from Rafina or Lavrio Port Private Transfer: $29
  • Aegean Wonders Santorini Transfers: $32
  • Santorini Airport Private Transfer: $32
  • Mykonos Private Transfer Service–Airport, Port & Hotel Transfers: $32
  • Athens hotels to Athens International Airport (ATH) - Departure Private Transfer: $34

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Santo Domingo

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Santo Domingo:

  • Private Transfer Santo Domingo SDQ to Samana/Miches/Terrenas: $299
  • Bahía de las Águilas w/ Private Transfer: $250
  • Private Arrival Transfer: Santo Domingo International Airport to Hotels (8 - 11): $244
  • Private transfer Santo Domingo Airport to, Sosua, Cabarete,: $240
  • Transfer from the Americas Inter. Airport to Punta Cana: $235
  • Private transfer from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana & Viceversa (one way): $235
  • Santo Domingo Airport to Uvero Alto Exclusive Transfer: $197
  • Transfer from Santo Domingo SDQ /JBQ Airport to Punta Cana Hotels: $192
  • Private Arrival Transfer: Santo Domingo International Airport to Hotels (1 - 4): $184
  • Private Transfer Santo Domingo Airport (SDQ) to Puerto Plata Port: $183
  • VIP Private Transfer from Las Americas Airport to Punta Cana: $172
  • Private Transfer from Santo Domingo Cruise Port to Punta Cana: $169

Is it cheaper to fly into Athens or Santo Domingo?

Prices for flights to both Santo Domingo and Athens 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
    Athens 64
    Santo Domingo 49
Typical Food Prices in Athens

Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Athens:


  • Ice cream
    3.00
  • Souvlaki
    2.20

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Athens

For Athens, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Foodies’ Favorite Food tour: $49
  • Street Food Tour - Sample the Food the Locals Love: $68
  • Athens's original vegan food tour: $75
  • Traditional Greek Cooking Class and Organic Lunch on Poros: $76
  • Athens Street Food Tour: Taste the best street food: $79
  • Sunset Tour to Temple of Poseidon with Dinner Stop from Athens: $80
  • Athens, Greek food tour including market visit: $80
  • Small Group Greek Traditional Food Tour in Athens 20+ Tastings: $81
  • Taste of Athens Small-Group Food Tour: $81
  • Athens Food Tour: Flavors of Asia Minor (private group): $81
  • Greek Cooking Class near Poseidon’s Temple in Sounio with Antonia: $90
  • Eat like an Athenian food tour of Athens: $92

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Santo Domingo

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

  • Cooking Class in Santo Domingo:6 Recipes & Bottomless Drinks: $42
  • Food Tour & Paradise Beach Day with Drinks: $140

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Athens 36
    Santo Domingo 13

Tours and Activities in Athens

Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Athens.

  • Ancient Athens Scavenger Hunt & Self-Guided Walking Tour: $3.47
  • Athens Walking Tour: Self-Guided City Game: $4.92
  • A Neoclassical Capital: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $5.50
  • Ancient Agora of A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $6.99
  • Athens Interactive City Tour: $8.12
  • Athens Exploration Private Game and City Tour on your Phone: $9.27
  • Self-Guided Greece Grand Tour with Audio Guide: $9.28
  • Athens' Podoniftis Stream: A Self-Guided Walking Tour: $9.99
  • Traditional Greek Food: A Self-Guided Audio Tour of Athens: $12
  • Ancient Agora of Audio Tour on Your Phone (no ticket): $14
  • Hop on Hop Off Classic tour of Athens, Piraeus & Beaches: $14
  • Secret A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $15

Typical Entertainment Prices in Santo Domingo

Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Santo Domingo are as follows:


  • Snorkeling Tour
    38

Tours and Activities in Santo Domingo

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Santo Domingo are as follows:

  • 6 Hours Private Cultural Tour in Santo Domingo: $190
  • Cabarete Caves & Nature Adventure: $128
  • Cumayasa Private Buggies Tour from Santo Domingo: $135
  • Dominican Food, Rum, and Beer Tasting Experience: $35
  • Experience the Three Eyes Park and Columbus Lighthouse: $45
  • From Catalina Island Day Tour: $85
  • From Full day Historical Tour with Lunch: $75
  • Full Dominican Adventure: Zipline, ATV Buggie, Horseback & Safari: $266
  • Full-Day Cultural Adventure Tour of Santo Domingo from Samana: $140
  • Half Day Comatillo Off-Road Experience: $135
  • Hiking and Hidden River Tour in Santo Domingo: $99
  • Historical Tour of Santo Domingo and 3 eyes Caves with Lunch: $94

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Athens 23
    Santo Domingo 6.93

Sample the Local Flavors in Athens

Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Athens:

  • Greek Honey Tasting Experience at our Old Distillery: $13
  • Polykala Distillery: 128 years of history & liqueur tasting.: $16
  • Athens Rooftop Pub Crawl Acropolis Views and Nightclub Fun: $17
  • Athens Party Pub Crawl w/ 1-hour Open Bar & VIP Nightclub Access: $21
  • Athens Exclusive Hellenic Wine Tasting Experience at Brettos: $37
  • Athens Small Group Wine Tasting with a Sommelier: $52
  • Greek Wine Tasting with Acropolis view: $57
  • Athens bar crawl: $58
  • Acropolis Private Wine Tasting @ Finewine store: $65
  • Athens Olive oil Honey and Wine Tasting with Snacks Experience: $88
  • Wine tasting tour of Athens Greece: $122
  • Athens Highlights: Private Half-Day Tour With Wine Tasting: $123


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Athens and Santo Domingo, we can see that Athens is more expensive. And not only is Santo Domingo much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Athens is in Europe and Santo Domingo is in Caribbean Islands, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Santo Domingo would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Santo Domingo 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 Athens would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Athens than you might in Santo Domingo.

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


Which is Bigger, Athens or Santo Domingo?

Santo Domingo has a larger population, and is about 3 times larger than the population of Athens. When comparing the sizes of Athens and Santo Domingo, 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.