Which place is cheaper, Cusco or Frankfurt?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Frankfurt or Cusco?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Frankfurt and Cusco can help you decide which place is right for you.
Where Should I go: Frankfurt or Cusco?
Frankfurt
Frankfurt is the financial and business hub of Germany. It houses the European Central Bank and the German Stock Exchange, and often plays host to trade shows and business fairs. It has the country's most modern skyline and the largest airport. It is also a transportation hub for Germany with many important train lines passing through. The city itself is situated on the River Main. Some of the most important sights are along the river near Romer Square and include museums and monuments. This area pulls in millions of tourists every year. Although many sights are clustered in this area, it's important to head into more off the beaten path areas that can be enjoyable to explore. These areas offer glimpses into daily life in Frankfurt.
Cusco
Cusco is most famous as the historic capital of the Inca Empire. It is in the southern Sierras and is one of the most popular travel destinations within Peru. The city is located at 3,400 meters above sea level so it is best to acclimate yourself slowly to avoid altitude sickness.
Cusco is the starting point for many travelers making their way to the famed Machu Picchu or other Inca sites in the surrounding area.
The city is very beautiful and has impressive architecture throughout. The history is obvious as you walk around town and there are impressive ruins nearby, with the most impressive being Sacsayhuaman. The city also has a significant indigenous population that is obvious from their traditional clothing and style.
Cusco has a subtropical highland climate with a pleasant daytime temperature year around. There are two distinct seasons with the dry season being between May and August and the wet season between December and March. During the dry season there is plenty of sun with occasional nighttime freezes. Frost is less common in the wet season.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Coach Bus Tours in Germany, The Best Adventure Tours to Germany, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Cusco, and The Best 3-Day Tours from Cusco.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayFrankfurt €122Cusco €47
The average daily cost (per person) in Frankfurt is €122, while the average daily cost in Cusco is €47. 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 Frankfurt and Cusco in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personFrankfurt €58Cusco €21
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomFrankfurt €116Cusco €42
Compare Hotels in Frankfurt and Cusco
Looking for a hotel in Frankfurt or Cusco? 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.
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: Cusco Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Frankfurt €25Cusco €9.25
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Frankfurt
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Frankfurt:
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Car Rental€50
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Frankfurt
Also for Frankfurt, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Frankfurt Hahn Airport: Bus transfer from/to Mainz: $18
- Frankfurt Hahn Airport: Bus transfer from/to city central: $20
- Wiesbaden Thermal to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) - Departure Transfer: $27
- Private One Way Frankfurt Airport Transfer To and From Frankfurt: $45
- Arrival Private Transfer from Frankfurt Airport FRA to Frankfurt by business car: $54
- Private 1-Way Transfer From Frankfurt Airport: $54
- Transfer in Private Vehicle from Frankfurt City - Frankfurt Airport (FRA): $54
- Frankfurt Airport (FRA) to Frankfurt Arrival Private Transfer: $55
- Frankfurt to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) Departure Private Transfer: $55
- Transfer in Private Minivan from Frankfurt City - Frankfurt Airport (FRA): $61
- Departure Private Transfer: Frankfurt to Frankfurt Airport FRA by Luxury Vehicle: $63
- Arrival Private Transfer: Frankfurt Airport FRA to Frankfurt by Luxury Vehicle: $63
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Cusco
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Cusco:
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Taxi Ride€1.00
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cusco
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Cusco:
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Cusco HTL-APT (CUZ): $18
- Transfers in Cusco: $6.00
- Transfer to Ollantaytambo from Urubamba: $36
- Transfer to Ollantaytambo from Cusco: $49
- Transfer from Cusco Airport to the Sacred Valley: $30
- Transfer from Cusco Airport to the Hotel (Cusco): $17
- Transfer Hotel to Airport in Cusco | Private Service |: $10
- Transfer From Cusco Airport: $10
- Transfer Cusco_Ollantaytambo or vice versa with city tour and Pisac: $140
- Transfer Cusco to Poroy: $20
- Transfer Cusco Airport - Hotel or vice versa.: $20
- Transfer Cusco Airport - Hotel or Train Station: $12
Is it cheaper to fly into Frankfurt or Cusco?
Prices for flights to both Cusco and Frankfurt 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
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Food Meals for one dayFrankfurt €41Cusco €12
Typical Food Prices in Frankfurt
For Frankfurt, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Soda€2.00
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Bagel Sandwich and Latte€7.00
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Ham & Cheese Sandwich and Coffee€6.00
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Sandwich and Cola€7.00
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Frankfurt
For Frankfurt, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Sharing Plate Food Tour In Frankfurt: $65
- FOOD TOUR WITH 3-4 LOCAL INSIDER FOODSPOTS: $81
- FOOD TOUR TO 3-4 LOCAL FOODSPOTS: $81
- Eltz Castle Small-Group Tour from Frankfurt with Dinner: $282
Typical Food Prices in Cusco
Some typical examples of dining costs in Cusco are as follows:
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Sandwich€2.00
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Mango€0.50
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cusco
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Cusco.
- Small-Group Virtual Ceviche Cooking Experience: $25
- Folkloric Andean Show & 3-Course Dinner at Tunupa: $35
- CUSCO COOKING CLASS LUNCH - Quick Culinary Dive: $37
- 3-Hour Peruvian Cooking Class: $49
- Market Tour & Traditional Peruvian Cooking Class in Cusco: $53
- Cooking Class and market tour with a local chef: $56
- Peruvian Cooking Class and Local Market in Cusco: $59
- Dinner at Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba Hotel: $65
- Peruvian Market Tour And Cooking Class in Cusco: $65
- Peruvian Cooking Class, Cocktails & Local Market Tour: $65
- Peruvian Cooking Class & Market Tour: $65
- Awamaki Cooking Class: $68
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Frankfurt €36Cusco €27
Tours and Activities in Frankfurt
For Frankfurt, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Selfguided Audiotour "Frankfurt Old Town": $3.22
- First Discovery Walk and Reading Walking Tour: $3.23
- Germany eSIM Tourist Roaming Data Plan: $4.31
- City Exploration Game and Tour: $4.84
- Frankfurt Scavenger Hunt and Best Landmarks Self-Guided Tour: $6.55
- Highlights Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt & City Tour: $7.00
- Struwwelpeter Museum Entry Ticket w/Audio Guide: $7.53
- Old Town Smartphone Audio Tour: $7.99
- A Self-Guided Audio Tour by Smartphone: $7.99
- Walking Tour with Audio Guide on App: $8.07
- Historisches Museum Entry Ticket: $8.61
- Discover Frankfurt's Heritage: Self-Guided Audio Tour: $11
Typical Entertainment Prices in Cusco
Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Cusco are as follows:
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Salsa Class€2.49
Tours and Activities in Cusco
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Cusco are as follows:
- 2 Day Pisac Ollantaytambo Salt flats Moray Sacred Valley Tour: $297
- City Tour Cusco / Tour in the City: $12
- City tour of Cusco by E-BIKE: $131
- Colorful mountain adventure with a slightly steep hike: $48
- Half- Day City Tour Cusco : $150
- Moray saltmines ATV (Cuatrimotos) Tour: $68
- Night Tour in Cusco Private Service: $90
- Official Machupicchu Ticket: $96
- Official Ticket Football Day tour In Cusco with Tourism Guide: $100
- Official Ticket- Machu Picchu Lost Citadel: $72
- Private Tour to Sacred Valley Full Day from Cusco: $130
- Sacred Valley Tour in Cusco : $47
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayFrankfurt €30Cusco €8.78
Typical Alcohol Prices in Frankfurt
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Frankfurt:
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Becks Beer€2.00
Sample the Local Flavors in Frankfurt
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Frankfurt:
- Night Pub Crawl through Alt-Sachsenhausen: $22
- Weekend Night Pub Crawl through Alt-Sachsenhausen: $34
- Full Day Private Rhine Valley Wine Tour Experience from Frankfurt: $280
- Frankfurt Wine Tasting Tour with a Wine Expert: $282
- Frankfurt Wine Tasting Tour with a Wine Expert: $286
- Guided Walk Tour With Apple Wine Tasting: $336
- Bachelor(ette) Party with Pub Crawl: $404
- Private Premium Pub Crawl Tour: $517
- Private Rhine Valley tour with river cruise & wine tasting: $752
Sample the Local Flavors in Cusco
Also in Cusco, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Cusco Pub Crawl - Bar Tour Cusco : $18
- Cusco Pub Crawl: Cusco Bar Hopping Experience : $18
- Exclusive Pub Crawl with 10+ benefits: $18
- Pub Crawl with Skip-the-Line Access and Drinks: $18
- Exclusive Pub Crawl with more than 10 Benefits: $25
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Frankfurt and Cusco, we can see that Frankfurt is more expensive. And not only is Cusco much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Frankfurt is in Europe and Cusco is in South America, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Cusco would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Cusco 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 Frankfurt would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Frankfurt than you might in Cusco.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Frankfurt Expensive? and Is Cusco Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Frankfurt or Cusco?
Frankfurt has a larger population, and is about 2 times larger than the population of Cusco. When comparing the sizes of Frankfurt and Cusco, 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.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.