Which place is cheaper, Cabo San Lucas or Guayaquil?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Guayaquil or Cabo San Lucas?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between Guayaquil or Cabo San Lucas, this travel comparison, which includes costs, can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison down below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.
Where Should I go: Guayaquil or Cabo San Lucas?
Guayaquil
Guayaquil is Ecuador's largest city and seaport. From a tourist perspective, the city acts primarily as a transportation gateway to the country and the Galapagos Islands. While the city can be skipped altogether, should you have a free day to spend here, there are a few noteworthy things to do, as well as some terrific dining and nightlife options. Guayaquil’s main tourist attraction is Las Penas, a hill with old, colorfully painted buildings at the north end of the Malecon, where you can walk the 400 steps to the lighthouse at the top for good views of the city. The neighborhood is filled with cafes, bars, restaurants, and art galleries and is relatively safe. Other important sights include the Malecon 2000, a massive urban development project that has brought new life to the riverside in the city center and the Parque Seminario, filled with fountains, trees and iguanas, located at 10 de Agosto Ave and Chile Ave.
Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas ("Cabo") is on the far southern end of the Baja Peninsula. It has countless resorts and activities for visitors. There are world class golf courses, fine dining options, and five star resorts. Prior to the 1980s, Cabo was a quiet fishing village but with the construction of a nearby airport in 1977, the city rapidly grew into one of Mexico's most popular resort vacation spots. Today, Cabo has one of the country's most vibrant nightlife scenes. It also has plenty of water sport activities, and a great beach scene.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best G Adventures Tours to Ecuador, The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Ecuador, The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Mexico, and The Best Historical Tours in Mexico.
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Guayaquil Prices
Ecuador PricesCabo San Lucas Prices
Mexico Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayGuayaquil $116Cabo San Lucas $169
The average daily cost (per person) in Guayaquil is $116, while the average daily cost in Cabo San Lucas is $169. 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 Guayaquil and Cabo San Lucas in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personGuayaquil $32Cabo San Lucas $61
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomGuayaquil $64Cabo San Lucas $122
Compare Hotels in Guayaquil and Cabo San Lucas
Looking for a hotel in Guayaquil or Cabo San Lucas? 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: Guayaquil Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Guayaquil $15Cabo San Lucas $27
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Guayaquil
Also for Guayaquil, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Departure Private Transfer: Guayaquil City to Guayaquil Airport: $48
- Guayaquil Airport (GYE) to Guayaquil hotels - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $38
- Guayaquil Airport GYE to Guayaquil city -Arrival Private Transfer: $19
- Guayaquil Departure Transfer: $34
- Guayaquil PRIVATE Arrival Transfer from the Airport to Hotels: $20
- Guayaquil PRIVATE Departure Transfer from Hotels to the Airport.: $20
- Guayaquil to Guayaquil Airport GYE Departure Private Transfer: $19
- Luxury VIP car transfers to hotels in Guayaquil and Ecuador: $30
- Private Transfer Guayaquil Airport GYE to Guayaquil by Car or Van: $48
- Private Transfer from Guayaquil Airport(GYE) to Manta Cruise Port: $229
- Private Transfer from Guayaquil Airport(GYE) to Manta Cruise Port: $253
- Private Transfer from Guayaquil city hotels to Manta Cruise Port: $229
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cabo San Lucas
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Cabo San Lucas:
- Transfer to Cabo San Lucas from Round Trip Airport: $289
- Shared Arrival Transfer: Los Cabos International Airport to Hotel: $27
- San Jose del Cabo to Los Cabos Airport (SJD) Departure Transfer: $71
- Roundtrip Luxury Private Airport and City Transfers: $170
- RoundTrip Transfers from LosCabos airport: $259
- Round Trip Private SUV Transfer SJD Airport to Cabo San Lucas: $237
- Private transfer SJD Airport to San Jose del Cabo Hotels One Way: $100
- Private Transfers in Cabo San Lucas: $127
- Private Transfer to Cabo San Lucas from Cabo Airport: $220
- Private Transfer from the Airport to Hotels in Los Cabos 1-10px: $255
- Private Transfer from San Jose Del Cabo to Cabo San Lucas Port: $99
- Private Transfer from SJD to Cabo San Lucas / San Jose del Cabo: $99
Is it cheaper to fly into Guayaquil or Cabo San Lucas?
Prices for flights to both Cabo San Lucas and Guayaquil 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 dayGuayaquil $50Cabo San Lucas $84
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Guayaquil
For Guayaquil, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Wagyu Cooking Class in Guayaquil: $135
- Cooking Class, Wine & Chocolate Experience: $174
- Half Day of Cooking and Chocolate at Cocoa Farm from Guayaquil: $175
- Gastronomic workshop tour, live cooking, Learn about the Ecuadorian culinary art: $200
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cabo San Lucas
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Cabo San Lucas.
- Taste Tacos & Street Food Like a Local: Cabo San Lucas Food Tour: $64
- Seafood Galore, Los Cabos Food Tour: $80
- Flavors of Authentic Mexican Food Tour: $85
- Sunset Fajita Dinner Cruise in Cabo San Lucas: $89
- Sunset Tour of Everything Cabo! Includes dinner and open bar!: $89
- Catch of the day dinner in your private villa/condo in Cabo or San Jose del Cabo: $90
- San Jose del Cabo Tacos and Food Tour: $90
- Parrillada dinner with a Private Chef in your villa/condo in Cabo or San Jose: $95
- Sunset Mexican Dinner Cruise and Live Music in Cabo San Lucas: $95
- Cabo Sunset Dinner Cruise with Live Music & Open Bar on Cabo Wave: $99
- Yo Ho Pirate Sunset Dinner Cruise in Cabo San Lucas: $99
- Pirate Ship Sunset Dinner and Show in Los Cabos: $99
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Guayaquil $21Cabo San Lucas $41
Tours and Activities in Guayaquil
For Guayaquil, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Cultural Tour of the Museums of Guayaquil: $35
- Shared Walking Tour in Guayaquil City: $50
- City Highlights Tour with Cable Car Ride: $58
- Half-Day City Tour—Iguana Park & Santa Ana Hill: $70
- Guayaquil to Cuenca one-way tour with Cajas Park and a Cacao Farm visit: $74
- Guayaquil City Tour Including the Light House of Cerro Santa Ana: $74
- Guayaquil City Tour Including the Light House of Santa Ana: $74
- Private Guayaquil City Tour: $77
- Guayaquil City Tour Including the Light House of Cerro Santa Ana: $80
- City Tour with Hotel Pickup and Drop-off: $80
- Historic Walking Tour Through Time & Culture: $83
- Personalized City Tour with Guide: $90
Tours and Activities in Cabo San Lucas
Here are a few actual costs in Cabo San Lucas for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- "Exclusive Cabo San Lucas Trimaran Experience with Snorkeling": $180
- 2 Hour Sunset Tour on Catamaran in Cabo San Lucas: $85
- 2 Hours Horseback Riding Adventure in Cabo: $130
- 2-Hour Camel Ride Beach and Desert Adventure Experience: $120
- 2-Hour Whale Watching Tour in Cabo with Breakfast: $130
- 2-Hours Sunset Experience at Los Cabos with Jazz and Bar! from Los Cabos: $165
- 2x1 Tour: Cabo San Lucas Arch + Camels Ride + Pick up!: $55
- 4-Hour Snorkeling Tour in Cabo San Lucas and Corridor: $109
- 4x4 Automatic ATV and Camel Ride Combo Tour in Cabo San Lucas: $175
- A Full-Day Baja Adventure: La Paz, Balandra Beach & Todos Santos: $130
- A taste of Los Cabos. A San Jose and Cabo San Lucas City Tour: $100
- ATV & Camel Ride Tour on Migriño Beach: $125
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayGuayaquil $17Cabo San Lucas $27
Sample the Local Flavors in Guayaquil
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Guayaquil:
- Wine Tasting Experience with Tasting Menu: $65
- Premium Wine Tasting and 3-Course Pairing Menu in Guayaquil.: $86
- Craft Brewery Tour with Tasting: $428
Sample the Local Flavors in Cabo San Lucas
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Cabo San Lucas:
- Cabo Bar Crawl to the Best Bars and Clubs in Cabo: $60
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Guayaquil and Cabo San Lucas, we can see that Cabo San Lucas is more expensive. And not only is Guayaquil much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Guayaquil is in South America and Cabo San Lucas 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 Guayaquil would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Guayaquil 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 Cabo San Lucas would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Cabo San Lucas than you might in Guayaquil.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Guayaquil Expensive? and Is Cabo San Lucas Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Guayaquil or Cabo San Lucas?
Guayaquil has a larger population, and is about 50 times larger than the population of Cabo San Lucas. When comparing the sizes of Guayaquil and Cabo San Lucas, 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.