Which place is cheaper, Guatemala City or Cairns?
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 Cairns or Guatemala City?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Cairns or Guatemala City? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Cairns or Guatemala City?
Cairns
Most travelers go to Cairns specifically to visit Great Barrier Reef. The city itself is surprisingly large and cosmopolitan with a population of approximately 140,000. The city's economy is almost exclusively based on tourism, although you will find some jobs centered around agriculture, or more specifically sugar cane, bananas, coffee, tea, wine, and some tropical fruits. The city itself is surrounded by rainforest and makes a great base for exploring Kuranda, with the Barron Gorge National Park and the Daintree offering a quieter tropical getaway than Cairns.
Guatemala City
Referred to by the locals as "Guate," Guatemala City is the largest and most modern city in Guatemala, as well as its capital. While the atmosphere of the place is big, dirty, and dangerous with city fumes and skyscrapers, it is the hub of the country. It is the place where travelers first step foot into Guatemala and, though it is a place of modern chaos, it does have some of the best galleries and museums as well as a selection of bars, cafes, and restaurants.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 4-Week (1-Month) Tours in Australia, The Best Budget Tours to Australia, Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Guatemala, and The Best Adventure Tours to Guatemala.
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Cairns Prices
Australia PricesGuatemala City Prices
Guatemala Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayCairns $123Guatemala City $56
The average daily cost (per person) in Cairns is $123, while the average daily cost in Guatemala City is $56. 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 Cairns and Guatemala City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personCairns $46Guatemala City $25
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomCairns $92Guatemala City $50
Compare Hotels in Cairns and Guatemala City
Looking for a hotel in Cairns or Guatemala City? 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: Cairns Hotel Prices and Guatemala City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Cairns $13Guatemala City $6.28
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cairns
Also for Cairns, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Cairns Airport: Shared Transfer: $15
- Shared Airport Transfer to/from City and Beaches: $15
- Airport Transfer Cairns Hotels to Cairns Airport: $21
- Airport Transfer Palm Cove Hotels to Cairns Airport: $30
- Hotel Transfers from Palm Cove to Cairns: $34
- Hotel Transfers from Cairns to Palm Cove or Port Douglas: $34
- Hotel Transfers from Palm Cove to Port Douglas: $37
- Cairns airport to cairns city private Transfers ( one way ): $40
- CNS Airport to Cairns City Centre Private Transfer: $47
- Cairns Airport (CNS) to Cairns hotels - Arrival Private Transfer: $49
- Cairns hotels to Cairns Airport(CNS) - Departure Private Transfer: $49
- Cairns Airport Private Transfer: Door-to-Door to/from City Hotels: $53
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Guatemala City
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Guatemala City:
- Transfer from La Aurora airport to Antigua Guatemala.: $80
- Transfer Private Group Airport to Antigua or Viceversa: $120
- San Salvadorz: Convenient bus transfer from/to Guatemala: $41
- Private transfer from La Aurora Airport to Panajachel: $78
- Private transfer from Airport to Panajachel: $78
- Private transfer - San Pedro la Laguna to Guatemala City: $200
- Private Transfers from Guatemala city to Panajachel: $200
- Private Transfer: Guatemala City ⇄ Antigua – One-Way: $40
- Private Transfer: Guatemala City Airpot(GUA) to Antigua Guatemala: $29
- Private Transfer from Guatemala City to Puerto Quetzal Port: $200
- Private Transfer from Guatemala City to Panajachel or Atitlan: $254
- Private Transfer from Guatemala City to Antigua: $74
Is it cheaper to fly into Cairns or Guatemala City?
Prices for flights to both Guatemala City and Cairns 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 dayCairns $52Guatemala City $27
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cairns
For Cairns, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Dinner Cruise Experience: $92
- Night at the Aquarium Guided Tour & 2 Course Dinner: $96
- Cairns Catamaran Harbour and Dinner Cruise: $102
- Night at the Aquarium Tour & 2 Course Dinner: $107
- Aquarium Guided Twilight Tour with 3-Course Dinner: $118
- Ancient Egypt Sunset Tour with 3 Course Dinner in Cairns: $124
- Ancient Egypt Night Tour with 2 Course Dinner in Cairns: $124
- Tomb of the Pharaohs Night Tour and 2 Course Dinner in Cairns: $126
- Ancient Egypt Sunset Tour and 3 Course Dinner: $140
- City Sights Tour with Evening Dinner Cruise: $171
- Paronella Park Rainforest Full-Day Tour with Dinner: $66,130
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Guatemala City
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Guatemala City.
- Guatemala: Wine and Pizza Tasting Experience: $35
- Antigua: Authentic Guatemalan Cooking Class: $80
- Small-Group Cooking Class in Antigua from Guatemala City: $120
- Food Tour Zona 4: Dinner Date Experience: $125
- Pacaya Volcano Vistas + Enjoy Pizza Surrounded by The Volcano: $176
- Antigua Market, Cooking Class and Choco Museum from Guatemala City: $188
- Pacaya Volcano Vistas + Enjoy Pizza with Great Volcano Views: $205
- Pacaya Volcano. Tour and pizza making on Volcanic Heat: $275
- Puerto Quetzal: Private Tour Pacaya Volcano 4x4 and Pizza: $550
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Cairns $40Guatemala City $1.23
Typical Entertainment Prices in Cairns
Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for Cairns's activities, tours, and tickets:
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Scuba Diving$38
Tours and Activities in Cairns
For Cairns, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Skip the Line: Cairns Museum Admission Ticket: $11
- Skip the Line: Cairns Museum Single Admission Ticket: $11
- Cairns City Self Guided Walking Tour with an APP: $12
- Koalas and Creatures Entry Ticket: $13
- Kuranda Koala Gardens General Entry Ticket: $17
- Kuranda: Riverboat Tour: $20
- Cairns Outdoor Escape Game: Self-Guided City Adventure: $23
- Secrets of Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt & Walking Tour: $23
- Kuranda Koala Gardens and Birdworld Admission Tickets: $30
- Tomb of the Pharaohs Entry Ticket: $32
- Cairns Pub & Club Tour: $35
- Cairns Tomb Of The Pharaohs General Admission Ticket: $37
Tours and Activities in Guatemala City
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Guatemala City are as follows:
- 1 Day Lake Atitlan Tour from Guatemala City: $150
- 2-Day Tour: Antigua Guatemala, Lake Atitlan and Hobbitenango: $299
- 2in1 Tour: Avocado Farm + Private Tour in Antigua Guatemala: $199
- 3-Day Antigua Guatemala and Pacaya Volcano Adventure: $256
- Antigua + Guatemala City Full Day Tour - History Lovers Favorite: $245
- Antigua City Tour Full Day From Guatemala City: $60
- Antigua City Tour from Guatemala City: $89
- Antigua Guatemala Cultural Tour History and Gastronomy: $85
- Antigua Guatemala Express Half Day Colonial Charm Tour: $45
- Antigua Guatemala Full-Day Shared City Tour: $83
- Antigua Guatemala Full-Day Tour from Guatemala City: $89
- Antigua Guatemala NIGHT Photo Tour FROM Guatemala City: $125
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayCairns $14Guatemala City $6.97
Sample the Local Flavors in Cairns
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Cairns:
- Cairns Party Bus Pub Crawl Night Out Experience: $46
- From Atherton Tablelands Food and Wine Tasting Tour: $169
- Adventure &Taste Atherton Tablelands Food & Wine Tour from Cairns: $187
Sample the Local Flavors in Guatemala City
Also in Guatemala City, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Guatemala City Legends Tour + Craft Beers at El Cadejo Brewery: $105
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Cairns and Guatemala City, we can see that Cairns is more expensive. And not only is Guatemala City much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Cairns is in Pacific and Guatemala City is in Central 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 Guatemala City would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Guatemala City 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 Cairns would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Cairns than you might in Guatemala City.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Cairns Expensive? and Is Guatemala City Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Cairns or Guatemala City?
Guatemala City has a larger population, and is about 6 times larger than the population of Cairns. When comparing the sizes of Cairns and Guatemala City, 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.