Should you visit Clearwater or Daytona Beach?
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the prices of travel for Clearwater and Daytona Beach. 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.
Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach, Florida, located on the Atlantic coast, is a wildly popular tourist destination for people from all over the world due to great beaches, spring break fun, and NASCAR races. Tourists come to enjoy the warm Florida weather, the beautiful beaches, the activities, the boardwalk, the nightlife, and many other things the city has to offer. The beaches around Daytona are famous for their hard-packed sand, which makes them easy for cars to drive on. For this reason, Daytona has a history of automobile racing, and is home to dozens of races that take place throughout the year, the most famous of which is the Daytona 500. Naturally, Daytona is also home to NASCAR headquarters. But it's so much more than just a race destination, as it's also a fun and family-friendly destination that attractions a wide range of visitors.
Which city is cheaper, Daytona Beach 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 Daytona Beach is $169. 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 Daytona Beach in more detail.
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.
Daytona Beach food costs typically run travelers around $64 per day. Eating every meal in a nicer restaurant will drive the cost up, and grabbing fast food or casual meals will help you save money.
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Food
Meals for one day
Clearwater $38
Daytona Beach $64
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.
While taxis and private drivers typically cost much more than public transportation, people usually spend around $42 per day to get around in Daytona Beach.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Clearwater
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Clearwater:
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Clearwater Beach to St.Pete–Clearwater Airport (PIE) -Departure Private Transfer:
$37
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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 -Roundtrip Private Transfer:
$72
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St. Pete–Clearwater Airport (PIE) to Clearwater Beach - Arrival Private Transfer:
$75
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Clearwater Beach to Tampa Airport (TPA) - Departure Private Transfer:
$83
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St. Pete–Clearwater Airport (PIE) to St. Petersburg - Roundtrip Private Transfer:
$147
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Private Transfer from Clearwater Beach to Orlando (MCO) Airport:
$453
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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 Port Canaveral:
$658
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Daytona Beach
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Daytona Beach:
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Daytona Beach International Airport One Way Transfer:
$43
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Daytona Beach & surrounding areas Private 14 passenger Luxury Mini-bus transfer:
$62
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Private Transfer from Daytona to Orlando-Sanford (SFB) Airport:
$228
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Private Transfer from Daytona to Port Canaveral:
$360
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Private Transfer from Daytona to Orlando (MCO) Airport:
$377
Is it cheaper to fly into Clearwater or Daytona Beach?
Prices for flights to both Daytona Beach 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
Activities, things to do, and other forms of entertainment usually cost around $22 per person, per day in Daytona Beach. This cost includes the price of admission tickets to attractions and museums as well as daily tours.
Tours and Activities in Clearwater
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Clearwater are as follows:
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Beach Cruiser Bicycle:
$15
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Journey through Space Simulator Experience:
$15
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Clearwater Encounters with Dolphins Tour:
$20
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Dolphin Sightseeing Tour of Clearwater Beach with Free Ice Cream:
$21
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Clearwater Daytime Yacht Music Cruise with Optional Dining:
$22
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Clearwater Evening Yacht Cruise with Optional Dining:
$22
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Adventure Boat in Clearwater Beach:
$23
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Sea Screamer Dolphin Tour Boat Ride Ticket:
$25
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Sunset Cruise from Clearwater:
$27
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Clearwater Dolphin-Watching Tour:
$27
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Clearwater Sunset Celebration Cruise:
$29
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Dolphin Adventure at Clearwater Beach:
$32
Tours and Activities in Daytona Beach
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Daytona Beach are as follows:
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Zipline Adventure through Tuscawilla Park:
$41
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Small-Group Sailing Tour in Daytona Beach:
$49
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Historic Pub and Bar Pedal Bus Tour of Beach Street:
$54
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Hopcycles Pedal Bus 2 Hour South Tour:
$54
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Dolphin and Manatee Stand Up Paddleboard Tour in Daytona Beach:
$56
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Clearwater and Daytona Beach, we can see that Clearwater is more expensive. And not only is Daytona Beach much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Daytona Beach would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Daytona Beach 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 Daytona Beach.
