Should you visit Cocoa Beach or Daytona Beach?
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the prices of travel for Cocoa Beach 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.
Cocoa Beach
Cocoa Beach, Florida has long been a favorite vacation spot for travelers looking for sun, sand, and waves. The location was also made famous as the setting for the 1960's television show, "I Dream of Jeannie". The town of just over 11,000 is located in Brevard County along the Atlantic coast. Many people visit the area because of its excellent surfing. There are many surfing festivals and competitions held here yearly and the famous Ron Jon's surf shop receives about 2 million visitors a year. The city is also home to the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame.
Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach, Florida is a small city located on the Atlantic Ocean side of the Floridia coast. It is a wildly popular tourist destination for people all over the world due to the beaches and NASCAR races. Tourists come to enjoy the sunny weather, the beautiful beaches, and many other things the city has to offer. The beaches in Daytona are famous for their hard-packed sand, which makes them excellent for vehicles for 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.
Which city is cheaper, Daytona Beach or Cocoa Beach?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Cocoa Beach is $116, 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 Cocoa Beach and Daytona Beach in more detail.
Accommodation
For a normal double-occupancy room in Cocoa Beach, $136 is the average cost for a hotel room. Also in Cocoa Beach, the typical price for a place to stay for one person is $68, such as in a hostel.
The average price for accommodation for two people in Daytona Beach is $134. This is for two people sharing a typical double occupancy hotel room.
Food
The average traveler spends about $35 per day in Cocoa Beach 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.
In Daytona Beach travelers spend around $64 a day on food. You can save money by choosing casual restaurants or food stalls, or you can spend plenty more by dining in nicer restaurants at every meal.
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Food
Meals for one day
Cocoa Beach
$35
Daytona Beach
$64
Local Transportation
Public transportation tends to be much less expensive in Cocoa Beach than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend $20 on transportation in Cocoa Beach on average per day.
The cost of a taxi ride in Daytona Beach is significantly more than public transportation. On average, past travelers have spent $42 per person, per day, on local transportation in Daytona Beach.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cocoa Beach
Also for Cocoa Beach, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Shared Port Canaveral Round-trip Transfer:
$43
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Private Van Service Transfer to or from Orlando International Airport:
$101
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Private Transfer from Cocoa Beach to Orlando-Sanford (SFB) Airport:
$264
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Private Transfer from Cocoa Beach to Orlando (MCO) Airport:
$267
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
Entertainment
Sightseeing expenses in Cocoa Beach, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of $13 per day, per person.
Entertainment and activities in Daytona Beach typically cost an average of $22 per person, per day. This includes fees paid for admission tickets to museums and attractions, day tours, and other sightseeing expenses.
Tours and Activities in Cocoa Beach
Here are a few actual costs in Cocoa Beach for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
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Cocoa Beach Mural Tour (Self-Guided):
$25
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Group Kayak Tour to Search for Wildlife and Explore the Mangrove Tunnels:
$44
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Mangrove Tunnels, Manatee, and Dolphin Sunset kayak tour with Fin Expeditions:
$49
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Mangrove Tunnel & Dolphin Sunset Kayak Tours with Cocoa Kayaking in Cocoa Beach!:
$50
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Bicycle Tours and Rentals Throughout the Space Coast:
$50
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Mangrove Tunnel/Manatee & Dolphin Kayak Tour with Cocoa Kayaking in Cocoa Beach!:
$50
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Self-Guided Kayaking Manatee and Dolphin Tour:
$55
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Dinoflagellate Bioluminescence Kayak Tour:
$55
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Bioluminescent Kayak Tour with Cocoa Kayaking in Cocoa Beach, Florida!!:
$65
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Private Surf Lesson with Experienced Instructors:
$65
Tours and Activities in Daytona Beach
Here are a few actual costs in Daytona Beach for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
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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
Alcohol
The average person spends about $16 on alcoholic beverages in Cocoa Beach per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.
The average person spends about $34 on alcoholic beverages in Daytona Beach 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 Cocoa Beach and Daytona Beach, we can see that Daytona Beach is more expensive. And not only is Cocoa Beach much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Cocoa Beach would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Cocoa 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 Daytona Beach would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Daytona Beach than you might in Cocoa Beach.
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