Should you visit Gainesville or Salt Lake City?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between Gainesville or Salt Lake City, this travel cost comparison can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.
Gainesville
Home to the University of Florida as well as Santa Fe College, the town of Gainesville has all of the shopping, entertainment, and restaurants that you could want in a college town - plus easy access to a number of outdoor adventures from canoeing, diving, and kayaking to birding, fishing, hiking, and biking. Some of the top features include the Butterfly Rainforest, the Florida Museum of Natural History, the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, and Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park.
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City is the capital city of Utah and one of the largest cities in the southwest region of the US. Salt Lake sits on the border between the Rocky Mountains and Great Basin regions, making it the perfect place for outdoor activities. The city's natural beauty and resources even became the focal point for the 2002 Winter Olympics. Salt Lake experiences all four seasons, with the most popular times to visit being summer and winter. Summer, June-August, sees little rain and temperatures in the high 80's Fahrenheit. Winter, December-March, has temperatures in the 30's Fahrenheit and gets the perfect amount of snow for winter sports.
Which city is cheaper, Salt Lake City or Gainesville?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Gainesville is $135, while the average daily cost in Salt Lake City is $197. 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 Gainesville and Salt Lake City in more detail.
Accommodation
A hotel room in Gainesville is about $138 This assumes double occupancy and modest accommodations.
Double occupancy rooms typically run around $190 in Salt Lake City For nicer amenities and a premiere location, you can expect to pay a bit more.
Food
While meal prices in Gainesville can vary, the average travelers spends about $46 per day on food. Based on the spending habits of previous travelers, when dining out, an average meal in Gainesville should cost around $18 per person. Breakfast prices are usually a little cheaper than lunch or dinner. The price of food in sit-down restaurants in Gainesville is often higher than fast food prices or street food prices.
The average traveler spends about $40 per day in Salt Lake City 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.
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Food
Meals for one day
Gainesville $46
Salt Lake City $40
Typical Food prices in Gainesville
Some typical examples of dining costs in Gainesville are as follows:
Local Transportation
The cost of a taxi ride in Gainesville is significantly more than public transportation. On average, past travelers have spent $33 per person, per day, on local transportation in Gainesville.
Salt Lake City's transportation costs can vary by the type of transport chosen by visitors. Naturally, taxis and private drivers cost much more than public transportation options. On average, visitors spend $36 per person, per day on transportation in Salt Lake City.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Gainesville
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Gainesville:
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Private Transfer from Gainesville to Port Canaveral:
$658
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Private Transfer from Gainesville to Orlando-Sanford (SFB) Airport:
$676
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Private Transfer from Gainesville to Orlando (MCO) Airport:
$453
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Salt Lake City
Also for Salt Lake City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Private Arrival Transfer from Salt Lake City Airport SLC:
$36
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Private Departure Transfer to Salt Lake City Airport SLC:
$36
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Salt Lake City International Airport One Way Transfer:
$48
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Transfer from Salt Lake City Airport to Salt Lake City:
$62
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Departure Private Transfer City to Salt Lake City Airport SLC by Sedan or SUV:
$68
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Arrival Private Transfer Salt Lake City Airport SLC to City by Sedan or SUV:
$76
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Salt Lake City Airport (SLC) to Salt Lake City - Arrival Private Transfer:
$77
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Salt Lake City to Salt Lake City Airport (SLC) - Departure Private Transfer:
$77
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Salt Lake City Airport (SLC) to Salt Lake City - Round-Trip Private Transfer:
$154
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Private Transfer: Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) to Park City:
$199
Is it cheaper to fly into Gainesville or Salt Lake City?
Prices for flights to both Salt Lake City and Gainesville 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
Entertainment and activities in Gainesville typically cost an average of $14 per person, per day. This includes fees paid for admission tickets to museums and attractions, day tours, and other sightseeing expenses.
Sightseeing, admission tickets, things to do, and other entertainment expenses in Salt Lake City can vary widely by price. On average, visitors spend around $22 per person, per day on entertainment and sightseeing here.
Typical Entertainment prices in Gainesville
Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Gainesville are as follows:
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Manatee Tour for Two
$98
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Tour Guide Tip
$5.00
Tours and Activities in Gainesville
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Gainesville are as follows:
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Butterfly Rainforest at Florida Museum of Natural History Ticket:
$14
Tours and Activities in Salt Lake City
For Salt Lake City, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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Sale Lake City Haunted Old Town Tour:
$20
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Salty Queen Adventures: Spanish Fork Festival of Lights in Utah:
$25
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Guided Tour of Great Salt Lake from Salt Lake City:
$39
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Salt Lake City Guided Bus Tour:
$49
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Salt Lake City Big City Loop Bike Tour:
$120
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Best of Salt Lake City Sightseeing Tour:
$125
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Salt Lake City Bike and Brew Tour:
$138
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Salt Lake City Sunset Bike and Brothel Tour:
$139
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Best of Salt Lake City Including Great Salt Lake Sightseeing Tour:
$192
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Cottonwood Canyons Backcountry Ski Tour:
$200
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Private Sightseeing Tour of Salt Lake City:
$260
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Wasatch Backcountry Skiing with Lift Ticket:
$275
Alcohol
The average person spends about $39 on alcoholic beverages in Gainesville per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.
Typically, people visiting Salt Lake City spend on average $14 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
Sample the Local Flavors in Salt Lake City
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Salt Lake City:
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Salt Lake City Bar Hunt: Salt Lake City Bar Crawl:
$12
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Gainesville and Salt Lake City, we can see that Salt Lake City is more expensive. And not only is Gainesville much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Gainesville would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Gainesville 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 Salt Lake City would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Salt Lake City than you might in Gainesville.
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