A Travel Price Comparison for Florida Clearwater vs. Key West for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

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Should you visit Clearwater or Key West?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Clearwater and Key West. 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, schedule, and interests. 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.

Key West

Key West is both a city and an island as well as the southern most Florida Key. It is also the southern most city in the continental United States. The island is only about four miles long and one mile wide. The total land mass covers just 4.2 square miles. The most famous street in town is Duval Street, which runs just 1.1 miles from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. There are 14 blocks. The size of the island doubled during the 1950s when many of the salt ponds along the eastern side of the island were filled in.

Which city is cheaper, Key West 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 Key West is $441. 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. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Clearwater and Key West in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Clearwater $104
    Key West $106
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Clearwater $208
    Key West $212

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Clearwater $177
    Key West $41

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Clearwater

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Clearwater:

  • Clearwater Beach to St.Pete–Clearwater Airport (PIE) -Departure Private Transfer: $37
  • St. Pete–Clearwater Airport (PIE) to St. Petersburg - Arrival Private Transfer: $37
  • St.Pete–Clearwater Airport (PIE) to Clearwater Beach -Roundtrip Private Transfer: $72
  • St. Pete–Clearwater Airport (PIE) to Clearwater Beach - Arrival Private Transfer: $75
  • Clearwater Beach to Tampa Airport (TPA) - Departure Private Transfer: $83
  • St. Pete–Clearwater Airport (PIE) to St. Petersburg - Roundtrip Private Transfer: $147
  • Private Transfer from Clearwater Beach to Orlando (MCO) Airport: $453
  • Private Transfer from Clearwater Beach to Orlando-Sanford (SFB) Airport: $588
  • Private Transfer from Clearwater Beach to Port Canaveral: $658

Typical Local Transportation prices in Key West

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Key West:


  • Rental Car for One Day
    $38

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Key West

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Key West:

  • Key West International Airport One Way Transfer: $53
  • Miami & One-Way Transfer by Motor Coach Bus: $54
  • Private Arrival Transfer: Key West Airport to Hotel: $116
  • Private Departure Transfer: Hotel to Key West Airport: $116
  • Round-Trip Transfer: Fort Lauderdale to Key West: $198
  • Private Airport Transfer in Key West, Florida: $209

Is it cheaper to fly into Clearwater or Key West?

Prices for flights to both Key West 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.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Clearwater $38
    Key West $308

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Key West

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Key West.

  • Key West Sunset Dinner Cruise with Tropical Buffet: $68
  • Sunset Cruise with Buffet Dinner and Open Bar: $90
  • Private Secret Food Tour of Key West: $103
  • Secret Food Tour of Key West w/ Private Tour Option: $221

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Clearwater -
    Key West $26

Tours and Activities in Clearwater

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Clearwater are as follows:

  • Beach Cruiser Bicycle: $15
  • Journey through Space Simulator Experience: $15
  • Clearwater Encounters with Dolphins Tour: $20
  • Dolphin Sightseeing Tour of Clearwater Beach with Free Ice Cream: $21
  • Clearwater Evening Yacht Cruise with Optional Dining: $22
  • Clearwater Daytime Yacht Music Cruise with Optional Dining: $22
  • Adventure Boat in Clearwater Beach: $23
  • Sea Screamer Dolphin Tour Boat Ride Ticket: $25
  • Sunset Cruise from Clearwater: $27
  • Clearwater Dolphin-Watching Tour: $27
  • Clearwater Sunset Celebration Cruise: $29
  • Clearwater Beach: Boat Cruise with Dolphin Sightings: $29

Tours and Activities in Key West

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Key West are as follows:

  • Self-Guided Bike Tour to Key West Beaches and Back Roads: $7.19
  • Easy Stroll Audio Tour Downtown Key West: $7.99
  • The Ghosts of Key West Walking Tour: $20
  • Key West Scavenger Hunt Adventure Mobile Experience: $21
  • Key West Ghost Tour: $24
  • 6th Sense Haunted Tour of Key West: $25
  • Haunted Walking Tour with Psychic Guide: $27
  • The Dark Side of Key West Ghost Tour: $28
  • Southernmost Key West History and Culture Small-Group Walking Tour: $28
  • Old Town Key West Literary Walking Tour: $30
  • Key West Ghost and Mysteries Guided Tour: $32
  • Southernmost Key West Historical Tour in Small Group: $33

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Clearwater -
    Key West $13

Sample the Local Flavors in Key West

Also in Key West, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:

  • Key West Haunted Pub Crawl and Ghost Tour: $23
  • Yes, Queen! Drag Queen Pub Crawl of Key West: $34
  • Key West Pub Crawl: $35

About these numbers

When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Clearwater and Key West, we can see that Key West is more expensive. And not only is Clearwater much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Clearwater would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Clearwater 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 Key West would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Key West than you might in Clearwater.

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Clearwater vs. Key West Travel Comparison

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