Should you visit Cafayate or Lake Titicaca (Puno)?
Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Cafayate and Lake Titicaca (Puno) can help you decide which place is right for you.
Cafayate
Cafayate is located in the province of Salta, in the central zone of the Valles Calchaquies. The small town has about 12,000 residents and is 1,329 kilometers from Buenos Aires.
People head to the small town of Cafayate to explore its vineyards and unique rock formations. It has become an important tourist destination in the area and there is a large golf course under construction just outside of town.
Cafayate is an important wine production center. The wines in the area thrive from the low humidity mild weather of the valleys. The town receives less than 250 millimeters of precipitation a year.
Lake Titicaca (Puno)
Lake Titicaca, which directly translates to "puma stone" in Quechua, is located high in the Andes Mountains straddling Peru and Bolivia, with about 60% of the lake in Peru and 40% in Bolivia. Among the lake are three main islands, the most popular of which are the Uros Islands, also known as the floating islands, where the Uros people live on totora reeds that grow in the lake.
Which city is cheaper, Lake Titicaca (Puno) or Cafayate?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Cafayate is $85, while the average daily cost in Lake Titicaca (Puno) 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 city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Cafayate and Lake Titicaca (Puno) in more detail.
Accommodation
Double occupancy rooms typically run around $64 in Cafayate For nicer amenities and a premiere location, you can expect to pay a bit more.
Accommodation prices vary by location and style, but travelers pay on average about $40 for a double occupancy room in Lake Titicaca (Puno).
Food
While meal prices in Cafayate can vary, the average travelers spends about $35 per day on food. Based on the spending habits of previous travelers, when dining out, an average meal in Cafayate should cost around $14 per person. Breakfast prices are usually a little cheaper than lunch or dinner. The price of food in sit-down restaurants in Cafayate is often higher than fast food prices or street food prices.
On average, meal and food prices in Lake Titicaca (Puno) cost around $16 per person, per day. While this price can vary widely by location, the type of restaurant, and the amount of food ordered, a typical meal often costs around $6.40.
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Food
Meals for one day
Cafayate $35
Lake Titicaca (Puno) $16
Typical Food prices in Cafayate
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Cafayate:
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Dinner (Empanadas)
$0.22
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Sandwich
$0.09
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Pizza
$0.17
Typical Food prices in Lake Titicaca (Puno)
Some typical examples of dining costs in Lake Titicaca (Puno) are as follows:
Local Transportation
Public transportation tends to be much less expensive in Cafayate than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend $17 on transportation in Cafayate on average per day.
The average price of local transportation around Lake Titicaca (Puno) is $8.58 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.
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Local Transportation
Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
Cafayate $17
Lake Titicaca (Puno) $8.58
Typical Local Transportation prices in Lake Titicaca (Puno)
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Lake Titicaca (Puno):
Entertainment
Sightseeing expenses in Cafayate, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of $38 per day, per person.
Lake Titicaca (Puno)'s costs for entertainment, tickets, attractions, and tours will often cost around $23 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.
Tours and Activities in Cafayate
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Cafayate.
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Tour Quebrada De Las Conchas - Cafayate - Salta:
$27
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Cafayate and Calchaqui Valley Winery Tour:
$50
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From Salta: Full-Day Wine and Valley Tour to Cafayate:
$53
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Cachi Full-Day Tour:
$58
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Half-Day Wine Road Premium Tour From Cafayate:
$109
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Quebrada De Las Conchas Bike Tour from Cafayate:
$182
Alcohol
Alcoholic beverages can often be a significant portion of a traveler's budget, and the costs can vary greatly from person to person. In Cafayate, the average amount that a visitor spends on alcoholic beverages per day is $35.
The average person spends about $9.66 on alcoholic beverages in Lake Titicaca (Puno) per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Cafayate and Lake Titicaca (Puno), we can see that Cafayate is more expensive. And not only is Lake Titicaca (Puno) much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Lake Titicaca (Puno) would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Lake Titicaca (Puno) 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 Cafayate would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Cafayate than you might in Lake Titicaca (Puno).
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