Which place is cheaper, Quito or Barcelona?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Barcelona or Quito?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Barcelona and Quito can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.
Where Should I go: Barcelona or Quito?
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain with a population of over 1.5 million people. It's also the capital of Catalonia and is located on the northeastern part of the Mediterranean coast. Barcelona is one of the country's most popular travel destinations because of its rich history, interesting architecture, and vibrant culture. Barcelona hosted the 1992 Summer Olympic games and that had a strong influence over tourism in the area. Many different neighborhoods were renovated and rebuilt. Modern design became the norm in many parts of the city, although there is still an old city feel and many efforts at preservation.
Quito
Nestled between two mountain ranges lies the world's highest capital city, Quito, Ecuador. For history lovers, Quito is a very desirable destination as it's home to the Quito Historic Center – one of the largest and best-preserved historic centers in the Americas.
Even though Quito is full of people – in fact, it's the second most populous city in the country – very few of its inhabitants speak English. Luckily, however, the citizens of Quito tend to speak a slower and more clear Spanish than surrounding areas. This is the perfect place to practice what you read in your Intro to Spanish book.
Before visiting Quito, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, give yourself a few days to grow accustomed to the elevation. Staying 9,350 feet above sea level takes some getting used to. Second, don't be fooled into thinking that just because you're visiting a town on the equator that you'll need all your summer clothes. Because of the city's elevation, the area keeps a relatively cool climate year round.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Spain, The Best 10-Day Tours in Spain, The Best Adventure Tours to Ecuador, and The Best Eco Tours in Ecuador.
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Barcelona Prices
Spain PricesQuito Prices
Ecuador Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayBarcelona $218Quito $66
The average daily cost (per person) in Barcelona is $218, while the average daily cost in Quito is $66. 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 Barcelona and Quito in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personBarcelona $115Quito $22
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomBarcelona $230Quito $44
Compare Hotels in Barcelona and Quito
Looking for a hotel in Barcelona or Quito? 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.
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: Barcelona Hotel Prices and Quito Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Barcelona $22Quito $6.99
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Barcelona
Some typical examples of transportation costs in Barcelona are as follows:
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10 Trip Metro Ticket$9.15
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Airport Bus$5.87
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Metro$2.46
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Barcelona
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Barcelona:
- Barcelona City to Cruise Port Private Transfer: $35
- Barcelona city, Hotel to Airport, cruise Port private Transfer: $44
- Barcelona private van transfer cruise port to airport Barcelona : $143
- Private Transfer From Hotel to Barcelona Airport Departure: $27
- Airport Transfer: $179
- Arrival Private Transfer by Sedan from BCN airport to Barcelona: $86
- Arrival Transfer El Prat Airport BCN to Barcelona by Luxury Van: $100
- Arrival Transfer by Luxury Van from Barcelona Port to Barcelona: $93
- Arrival Transfer from Barcelona Airport BCN to Barcelona in Private Car/Van: $88
- Barcelona Airport (BCN) to Barcelona - Arrival Private Transfer: $33
- Barcelona Airport (BNC) to Port Aventura/Salou Arrival Transfer: $211
- Barcelona Airport (BNC) to Sitges - Arrival Private Transfer: $118
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Quito
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Quito:
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Taxi from Bus Terminal to Hotel$10
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Quito
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Quito:
- Private Transfer from or to Quito Airport (one way): $21
- Private Departure Transfer from Quito to the Airport - One Way: $21
- Quito hotels to Mariscal Sucre Quito Airport (UIO) - Departure Private Transfer: $22
- Mariscal Sucre Quito Airport (UIO) to Quito hotels - Arrival Private Transfer: $22
- Quito PRIVATE Arrival Transfer from Airport to Hotels: $28
- Quito PRIVATE Arrival Transfer from Airport to Hotels: $28
- Transfer Out from Quito to the Airport: $30
- Quito PRIVATE Departure Transfer from Hotels to the Airport: $36
- Quito PRIVATE Arrival Transfer from Airport to Hotels: $36
- Transfer In from Quito's Airport to the city: $39
- Transfer Private Airport–Hotel in Quito: $39
- Transfers Friends Airport Quito: $40
Is it cheaper to fly into Barcelona or Quito?
Prices for flights to both Quito and Barcelona 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
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Food Meals for one dayBarcelona $68Quito $34
Typical Food Prices in Barcelona
Some typical examples of dining costs in Barcelona are as follows:
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Hot Cocoa & Churro$4.87
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Sandwich$1.99
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Baguette & Horchata$4.46
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Tapas on the beach$9.72
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Gelatto$2.93
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Barcelona
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Barcelona.
- Hard Rock Cafe Barcelona with Set Lunch or Dinner: $34
- Barcelona Guided Street Food Tour and Gothic Quarter Visit: $42
- Flamenco Casa Sors & Guitar Museum with Optional Drink or Dinner: $44
- Tasty Barcelona Street Food Tour With Local Market Visit : $54
- Barcelona Food Tour: Market & Gothic Quarter with Expert Guide: $54
- Barcelona Street Food Tour with Local Market & City Center Visit: $54
- Tablao Flamenco Cordobes on Rambla Barcelona with Dinner Option: $57
- Barcelona Morning Tapas Crawl by Food Tour: $71
- Wine Tasting and 5 Course Tapas Pairing Dinner: $71
- Barcelona Interactive Spanish Cooking Experience: $78
- Seafood Paella and Mediterranean Tapas Cooking Class: $81
- A vegan/vegetarian food tour in Barcelona: $90
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Quito
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Quito.
- Quito Cooking Class Shared Experience: $59
- Ecuador Food Tour: $69
- 3-hour Andean Cooking Class in Quito with a Local Chef: $85
- Cooking Class in Quito with Chef, Market Tour and Transportation: $88
- Cooking Class with a chef and local market including hotel pickup: $89
- Tour Quito with Cooking Class with Professional Chef: $95
- Quito after-dark street food tour : $100
- Quito Private Best Street Food Tour with a Local Guide: $114
- Cooking Class at the Andes & Roses: PRIVATE Day trip from Quito: $149
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Barcelona $39Quito $16
Typical Entertainment Prices in Barcelona
Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Barcelona are as follows:
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Picasso Walking Tour and Museum Pass$49
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Souvenir Gaudi Book$10
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Admission to Museo Picasso$7.04
Tours and Activities in Barcelona
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Barcelona are as follows:
- Barcelona Segway Tour: $3.57
- Barcelona Guided Tour on Segway: $3.57
- Sagrada Familia Exterior Tour: $3.57
- Private Audio Guided Walking Tour in Barcelona: $3.57
- Barcelona Electric Scooter Tour: $3.57
- Costa Brava Luxury Tour Boat and Lunch from Barcelona: $3.58
- Gaudi & Sagrada Familia Donation-Based Tour in English : $3.58
- Happiness Walking Tour in Barcelona : $3.58
- Life of Gaudi and Architectural Walking Tour: $5.97
- Barcelona Panoramic Escooter or E-Bike Tour : $5.97
- Walking Tour in Barcelona with Arabic Guide: $5.97
- Gaudí's Sagrada Familia a Digital Audio Guided Tour in Barcelona: $8.36
Typical Entertainment Prices in Quito
Here are a few typical costs in Quito for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
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Entrance to Guyasimine Museum for Two$8.00
Tours and Activities in Quito
Here are a few actual costs in Quito for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Quito Old Town, Free walking tour Cacao taste included!: $1.00
- Skip the Line-Entry to Heaven's Gateway The Basilica Towers!: $7.99
- Night Tour in Quito with free time at Old Town: $15
- Quito Old Town Tour: History, Market Visit & Ice Cream Tasting: $23
- Quito Walking Experience Tour with Activities: $25
- Middle of the World shuttle Tour: $35
- Quito Private Walking Tour with a Local: $35
- Mitad del Mundo daily tour Hop On - hop off: $35
- Experiential Walking tour in Quito's Old Town : $36
- Quito Oldtown: A Cultural-Gastro Walking Tour and Shopping: $40
- Half-Day Market and Ecuadorian Gastronomy Tour in Quito: $40
- Gastronomic and Cultural Walking Tour of Quito with Tastings: $40
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayBarcelona $20Quito $17
Sample the Local Flavors in Barcelona
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Barcelona:
- Barcelona Bar Crawl Old Town Treasure Tramp Adventure: $15
- Estrella Damm Brewery in El Prat de Llobregat tour with Tasting: $18
- Barcelona Halloween Bar Crawl: $18
- Pub Crawl in Barcelona: $18
- Pub Crawl Barcelona by EVOLVE The BEST night experience: $24
- Estrella Damm Old Brewery Barcelona Guided Tour with Beer Tasting: $24
- Nightlife Tour - Barcelona Bar Crawl with Flamingos: $25
- Original Pub Crawl & Tapas Tour: $30
- Wine tasting next to the Sagrada Familia: $30
- Barcelona Markets Tour With Optional Food & Wine Tasting Upgrade: $35
- Winery tour & wine tasting in Penedès region 40min from Barcelona: $38
- Wine Tasting Experience in Barcelona: $42
Typical Alcohol Prices in Quito
Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Quito from other travelers:
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Beers for Two$9.00
Sample the Local Flavors in Quito
Also in Quito, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Ecuador Spirit Craft Brewery Tasting and Latitude 0 Private Tour: $155
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Barcelona and Quito, we can see that Barcelona is more expensive. And not only is Quito much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Barcelona is in Europe and Quito is in South America, 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 Quito would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Quito 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 Barcelona would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Barcelona than you might in Quito.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Barcelona Expensive? and Is Quito Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Barcelona or Quito?
Barcelona has a larger population, and is about 13% larger than the population of Quito. When comparing the sizes of Barcelona and Quito, 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.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.