A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Grande-Terre vs. Arica for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Grande-Terre or Arica?

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

Should I visit Grande-Terre or Arica? 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: Grande-Terre or Arica?

Grande-Terre

Grande Terre is an island that makes up the eastern half of the Guadeloupe 'mainland.' It is divided from the other half of the main Guadeloupe island, Basse Terre, by a narrow channel called Rivière Salee (or the Salt River). The island itself is characterized by rolling hills, white sand beaches, and cliffs, and its indented coastline is surrounded by coral reefs. It is home to most of Guadeloupe's farmlands and tourist resorts.

Arica

A mixture of coastline, desert and high Andean plateau, Arica is a seaside resort town, known for its surfing beaches located at the tip of Northern Chile. Arica boasts that it is "the land of the eternal spring," but its temperate climate and beaches are not the only reason to visit this small city. Arica's tourism is still principally geared toward domestic visitors and those from southern Peru and La Paz, who flock to its beaches mid-December through February. It is very easy to spend a few days in Arica in the sand, or seeing the sights in town, at a slow pace but the city also offers plenty of fun activities and exciting day trips.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 10-Day Tours in Chile, and The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Chile.


Which place is cheaper, Arica or Grande-Terre?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in Grande-Terre is €145, while the average daily cost in Arica is €74. 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 Grande-Terre and Arica in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Grande-Terre 82
    Arica 33
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Grande-Terre 164
    Arica 66
Compare Hotels in Grande-Terre and Arica

Looking for a hotel in Grande-Terre or Arica? 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 Grande-Terre


Hotels in Arica


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: Grande-Terre Hotel Prices and Arica Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Grande-Terre 9.00
    Arica 17

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Grande-Terre

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Grande-Terre:

  • Transfer Guadeloupe Airport to Cruise Port: $38
  • PrivateTransfer from Pointe-à-Pitre Cruise Port to Airport (PTP) : $26
  • PrivateTransfer from Pointe-à-Pitre Airport (PTP) to Cruise Port : $26
  • Private Transfers (Airport, Port, Hotels) Guadeloupe : $54
  • Private Transfer in Guadeloupe: $71
  • Private Transfer from Pointe-à-Pitre Cruise Port to City Hotels: $26
  • Private Transfer from Pointe-à-Pitre City Hotels to Cruise Port: $26
  • Private Transfer from Pointe a Pitre Airport to Deshaies or Trois Riviers by SUV: $91
  • Pointe-a-Pitre to Pointe-a-Pitre Airport (PTP) - Departure Private Transfer: $23
  • Pointe-a-Pitre Airport to Pointe-a-Pitre Hotels Arrival Transfer: $23
  • Pointe-a-Pitre Airport (PTP) to Pointe-a-Pitre - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $46
  • Pointe-a-Pitre Airport (PTP) to Guadeloupe island hotel-Arrival Private Transfer: $79

Typical Local Transportation Prices in Arica

Some typical examples of transportation costs in Arica are as follows:


  • Short Taxi Ride
    1.96

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Arica

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

  • Arica Airport Private Transfer: $85
  • Private Transfer from Arica Airport (ARI) to Arica Cruise Port: $31
  • Private Transfer from Arica Airport (ARI) to Arica Cruise Port : $27
  • Private Transfer from Arica City hotels to Arica Cruise Port: $22
  • Private Transfer from Arica Cruise Port to Arica Airport (ARI): $27
  • Private Transfer from Arica Cruise Port to Arica Airport (ARI): $31
  • Private Transfer from Arica Cruise Port to Arica Hotels: $24
  • Private Transfer from Arica Cruise Port to Arica city hotels: $22
  • Private Transfer from Arica Hotels to Arica Cruise Port: $24

Is it cheaper to fly into Grande-Terre or Arica?

Prices for flights to both Arica and Grande-Terre 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
    Grande-Terre 48
    Arica 26

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Grande-Terre 45
    Arica 19

Tours and Activities in Grande-Terre

Here are a few actual costs in Grande-Terre for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • *Cruise Stopover* - Tropical Forest - Sainte-Anne Beach: $60
  • Cruise Stopover at Village Sainte Anne and its Beach: $31
  • Cruise stopover - Plage du Gosier Round trip: $15
  • Full Day Private Boat Tour to the Lagoon of Guadeloupe: $232
  • Full Day Tour of Guadeloupe: $157
  • Guided tour by electric tuk-tuk: $49
  • Photoshoot + Drone on a Caribbean paradise beach or day tour : $100
  • Private Surf Lessons Tour in Guadeloupe: $97
  • Private Ultralight Seaplane Experience in Guadeloupe: $169
  • Stand Up Paddle Adventure in Guadeloupe: $49
  • Stopover Cruise - Valombreuse Botanical Garden + Sainte-Anne Beach: $49

Tours and Activities in Arica

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

  • Archaeological Tour: $32
  • Half day Panoramic City Tour: $49
  • Archeological Sightseeing tour in Arica: $103
  • Arica Private Sightseeing Tour : $134
  • Private Tour to Tacna from Arica: $256

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Grande-Terre 12
    Arica 18


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

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Grande-Terre Expensive? and Is Arica Expensive?.