A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers El Calafate vs. Puerto Natales for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit El Calafate or Puerto Natales?

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

Should I visit El Calafate or Puerto Natales? 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: El Calafate or Puerto Natales?

El Calafate

Located in Patagonia, El Calafate has become a popular tourist destination in Argentina because of its beautiful setting on the stunningly blue Lago Argentina. The town sits on the southern border of the lake in the southwestern part of the Santa Cruz Province. It's about 320 kilometers from Rio Gallegos.

The rise in popularity of Patagonia as a tourist destination has truly put this small town on the map. You'll find no shortage of trekkers in the town and it makes an excellent base to explore different parts of the Los Glaciares National Park. Popular places to visit include Perito Moreno Glacier, Cerro Chalten, and Cerro Torre.

El Calafate has a cold semi-arid climate. The summers are cool to warm and very dry while the winters are cold and damp. Lago Argentino has a significant influence over the town's climate. The shallow bay where the town is located is usually frozen during the winter months.

Check out our ultimate guide to Hiking in Patagonia.

Puerto Natales

Puerto Natales is a beautiful town located in the Chilean Patagonia on the Senoret Channel. The city is often used as a base camp for trips to the surrounding national parks due to their plentiful restaurant options and access to internet. Puerto Natales is also known for being the base city to the Torres del Paine National Park, which was named the 5th most beautiful place in the world by National Geographic.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Hiking & Trekking Tours in Argentina, The Best Adventure Tours to Argentina, The Best Adventure Tours to Chile, and The Best Sightseeing Tours in Chile.


Which place is cheaper, Puerto Natales or El Calafate?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in El Calafate is $10, while the average daily cost in Puerto Natales is $82. 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 El Calafate and Puerto Natales in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    El Calafate $3.48
    Puerto Natales $37
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    El Calafate $6.96
    Puerto Natales $74
Compare Hotels in El Calafate and Puerto Natales

Looking for a hotel in El Calafate or Puerto Natales? 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.

Hotels in El Calafate


Hotels in Puerto Natales


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: El Calafate Hotel Prices and Puerto Natales Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    El Calafate $3.59
    Puerto Natales $19
Typical Local Transportation Prices in El Calafate

Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in El Calafate:


  • Taxi
    $1.41

Hired Cars and Shuttles in El Calafate

Also for El Calafate, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Perito Moreno Glacier Mini Trek with Transfer: $456
  • Transfers Between Airport and Hotels: $12
  • Mini trekking Perito Moreno with Footbridges visit and Transfer: $230
  • Roundtrip transfer in Private Car from Calafate Airport (FTE)- Calafate City: $49
  • Shared transfer to El Calafate -El Chaltén: $75
  • South Glacier Pioneers with transfer: $300

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Puerto Natales

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Puerto Natales:

  • Puerto Natales Airport Private Transfer: $18
  • From Torres del Paine Tour with Transfer: $65

Is it cheaper to fly into El Calafate or Puerto Natales?

Prices for flights to both Puerto Natales and El Calafate 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
    El Calafate $3.77
    Puerto Natales $27
Typical Food Prices in El Calafate

For El Calafate, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:


  • Dessert
    $0.01
  • Dinner
    $1.83
  • Dinner
    $1.08

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in El Calafate

For El Calafate, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Estancia 25 de Mayo Tour with Dinner & Transfer: $114
  • Lakes and Caves Tour with Dinner: $117
  • Estancia 25 de Mayo in El Calafate - PM visit with dinner: $186

Typical Food Prices in Puerto Natales

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Puerto Natales:


  • Cake
    $1.02
  • Dinner
    $18
  • Coke
    $1.02

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    El Calafate $3.76
    Puerto Natales $28
Typical Entertainment Prices in El Calafate

Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for El Calafate's activities, tours, and tickets:


  • Glacerium Museum
    $1.41

Tours and Activities in El Calafate

For El Calafate, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • city tour: $20
  • Panoramic Tour with Punta Walichu: $57
  • Full Day Guided Tour Perito Moreno National Park and Glacier: $60
  • Perito Moreno Glacier & Optional Boat Cruise: $62
  • From Full-Day Tour to El Chaltén: $66
  • Southroad Calafate Balcony Experience with Tour Mode Options: $70
  • Half-Day Tour at Estancia 25 de Mayo Field Afternoon: $74
  • Full Day Tour in El Chalten: $75
  • Calafate City Tour with Walichu Caves: $78
  • El Calafate City Sightseeing Tour Including Walichu Caves: $80
  • El Chalten Complete Experience Full Day Tour from El Calafate: $80
  • El Calafate City Tour and Walichu caves: $81

Tours and Activities in Puerto Natales

Here are a few actual costs in Puerto Natales for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • 2 Imperdible Tours Torres del Paine and Perito Moreno: $300
  • Balmaceda & Serrano Glaciers Boat Tour and traditional lunch.: $199
  • Balmaceda and Serrano Glaciers Sightseeing Cruise from Puerto Natales: $224
  • City Bike Tour in Puerto Natales: $58
  • From Torres del Paine National Park Day Tour: $80
  • Full Day Patagonia Tour from Puerto Natales: $100
  • Full Day Torres del Paine Tour: $99
  • Full Day Tour to Torres del Paine National Park: $92
  • Full day Torres del Paine Shared Tour From Puerto Natales only: $199
  • Full day tour Torres del Paine + Milodon cave: $88
  • Full-Day Hiking Tour to the Base of Paine Towers at Torres del Paine National Park: $189
  • Full-Day Tour of Torres del Paine National Park from Puerto Natales: $143

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    El Calafate $1.89
    Puerto Natales $17
Typical Alcohol Prices in El Calafate

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in El Calafate:


  • Beer
    $0.01
  • Alcohol
    $0.38

Typical Alcohol Prices in Puerto Natales

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Puerto Natales:


  • Alcohol
    $12


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

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is El Calafate Expensive? and Is Puerto Natales Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, El Calafate or Puerto Natales?

Puerto Natales has a larger population, and is about 3 times larger than the population of El Calafate. When comparing the sizes of El Calafate and Puerto Natales, 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.