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

Should you visit Grande-Terre or Rapid City?

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

Should I visit Grande-Terre or Rapid City? 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 Rapid City?

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.

Rapid City

Rapid City is a large city in western South Dakota that is considered the gateway to the Black Hills National Forest. Rapid City is often used as a base for all types of outdoor activities, including tours to the infamous Mount Rushmore and surrounding parks. The city has a budding art scene and offers the perfect combination of a metropolitan city surrounded by stunning natural scenery. Rapid City experiences the best weather from June-September with temperatures in the 70's and 80's Fahrenheit. Temperatures drop to the low 20's F in the winter and the area receives the most rain pour in April and May.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 2-Week Tours from Anchorage, and The Best 2-Week Tours from San Francisco.


Which place is cheaper, Rapid City or Grande-Terre?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in Grande-Terre is $155, while the average daily cost in Rapid City is $116. 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 Rapid City in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Grande-Terre $87
    Rapid City $60
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Grande-Terre $174
    Rapid City $120
Compare Hotels in Grande-Terre and Rapid City

Looking for a hotel in Grande-Terre or Rapid City? 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 Rapid City


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 Rapid City Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Grande-Terre $9.64
    Rapid City $53

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 : $55
  • 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: $80

Is it cheaper to fly into Grande-Terre or Rapid City?

Prices for flights to both Rapid City 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 $51
    Rapid City $23

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Rapid City

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

  • Roller Coaster Tickets with Dinner and Show in Rapid City: $70

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Grande-Terre $48
    Rapid City $26

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: $32
  • Cruise stopover - Plage du Gosier Round trip: $15
  • Full Day Private Boat Tour to the Lagoon of Guadeloupe: $231
  • Full Day Tour of Guadeloupe: $158
  • Guided tour by electric tuk-tuk: $49
  • Photoshoot + Drone on a Caribbean paradise beach or day tour : $101
  • Private Surf Lessons Tour in Guadeloupe: $97
  • Private Ultralight Seaplane Experience in Guadeloupe: $170
  • Stand Up Paddle Adventure in Guadeloupe: $49
  • Stopover Cruise - Valombreuse Botanical Garden + Sainte-Anne Beach: $49

Tours and Activities in Rapid City

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

  • Mount Rushmore Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour: $15
  • Black Hills & Badlands: Self-Guided Audio Driving Tours: $20
  • Bus Tour of Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills: $133
  • Mount Rushmore and Black Hills Tour with Two Meals and a Music Variety Show: $164
  • Badlands Winter Wonderland Adventure: $239
  • Full-Day Private Sightseeing Tour in South Dakota: $275
  • NEW! Half Day Tour of the Black Hills: $289
  • Badlands Sunset and Wildlife Adventure : $289
  • From Private Spearfish Canyon Tour: $650
  • From Private Devils Tower Tour and Hike: $650
  • Private Black Hills Monuments Full-Day Tour: $650
  • Badlands National Park Private Tour: $650

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Grande-Terre $13
    Rapid City $6.93


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Grande-Terre and Rapid City, we can see that Grande-Terre is more expensive. And not only is Rapid City much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Grande-Terre is in Caribbean Islands and Rapid City is in North 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 Rapid City would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Rapid City 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 Rapid City.

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 Rapid City Expensive?.


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