Should you visit Clearwater or Columbus?
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the prices of travel for Clearwater and Columbus. 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.
Clearwater
Clearwater is a city in Florida's Tampa Bay area known for its sunny weather and gulf coast beaches. Its most famous beach (Clearwater Beach) is located on a barrier island with white sands and crystal waters - a perfect setting for activities such as fishing, sailing, kayaking, jet skiing, dolphin and sunset tours, parasailing, and more.
Columbus
The capital city of Ohio, Columbus sits at the meeting point of America's Rust Belt, Bible Belt, Appalachia, and the Plains. It is also home of Ohio State University, which is a major financial and economic force in the city. You'll likely need a car to navigate the city, although there is a bus system, COTA, which can take you to some of Columbus' highlights.
Which city is cheaper, Columbus or Clearwater?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Clearwater is $241, while the average daily cost in Columbus is $117. 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 Clearwater and Columbus in more detail.
Accommodation
Accommodation prices vary by location and style, but travelers pay on average about $208 for a double occupancy room in Clearwater.
An average hotel room with basic furnishings costs about $116 in Columbus For the most convenient locations and nicer amenities you can expect to pay a bit more.
Food
The average traveler spends about $38 per day in Clearwater for food, but obviously this is dependent on the type of restaurant and the amount of food ordered. To save money you can grab a lighter lunch or dinner, or you can try fast food or street food.
The average traveler spends about $39 per day in Columbus for food, but obviously this is dependent on the type of restaurant and the amount of food ordered. To save money you can grab a lighter lunch or dinner, or you can try fast food or street food.
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Food
Meals for one day
Clearwater $38
Columbus $39
Local Transportation
The cost of a taxi ride in Clearwater is significantly more than public transportation. On average, past travelers have spent $177 per person, per day, on local transportation in Clearwater.
To get around in Columbus, the average visitor spends $40 per day, per person. This includes the costs of taxi rides and private drivers as well as public transportation, which tends to be much more affordable.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Clearwater
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Clearwater:
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St.Pete–Clearwater Airport (PIE) to Clearwater Beach -Roundtrip Private Transfer:
$72
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St. Pete–Clearwater Airport (PIE) to St. Petersburg - Roundtrip Private Transfer:
$147
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St. Pete–Clearwater Airport (PIE) to St. Petersburg - Arrival Private Transfer:
$37
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St. Pete–Clearwater Airport (PIE) to Clearwater Beach - Arrival Private Transfer:
$75
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Private Transfer from Clearwater Beach to Port Canaveral:
$658
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Private Transfer from Clearwater Beach to Orlando-Sanford (SFB) Airport:
$588
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Private Transfer from Clearwater Beach to Orlando (MCO) Airport:
$453
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Clearwater Beach to Tampa Airport (TPA) - Departure Private Transfer:
$83
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Clearwater Beach to St.Pete–Clearwater Airport (PIE) -Departure Private Transfer:
$37
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Columbus
Also for Columbus, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Columbus John Glen Airport (CMH) to Columbus - Arrival Private Transfer:
$87
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Columbus to Columbus John Glen Airport (CMH) - Departure Private Transfer:
$87
-
Columbus John Glen Airport (CMH) to Columbus - Round-Trip Private Transfer:
$174
Is it cheaper to fly into Clearwater or Columbus?
Prices for flights to both Columbus and Clearwater 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
Tours and Activities in Clearwater
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Clearwater are as follows:
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Adventure Boat in Clearwater Beach:
$23
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Beach Cruiser Bicycle:
$15
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Boeing 737 Flight Simulator Experience:
$154
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Calypso Queen Tropical Party Buffet Cruise:
$35
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Clearwater Beach Pier 60 Tour:
$199
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Clearwater Daytime Yacht Music Cruise with Optional Dining:
$22
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Clearwater Dolphin-Watching Tour:
$27
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Clearwater Encounters with Dolphins Tour:
$20
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Clearwater Evening Yacht Cruise with Optional Dining:
$22
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Dolphin Adventure at Clearwater Beach:
$32
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Dolphin Sightseeing Tour of Clearwater Beach with Free Ice Cream:
$21
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Fantastic Helicopter Tour- Tarpon Springs, Clearwater beaches & Caladesi Island:
$162
Tours and Activities in Columbus
For Columbus, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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Unique Scavenger Hunt Experience in Columbus:
$11
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Columbus Scavenger Hunt Adventure:
$21
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LEGOLAND Discovery Center Columbus Ticket:
$21
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Clearwater and Columbus, we can see that Clearwater is more expensive. And not only is Columbus much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Columbus would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Columbus 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 Clearwater would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Clearwater than you might in Columbus.
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