Which place is cheaper, Cusco or Hamburg?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Hamburg 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 Hamburg and Cusco can help you decide which place is right for you.
Where Should I go: Hamburg or Cusco?
Hamburg
Hamburg is most noted for its port, which is the largest in Germany and the second busiest in Europe. Despite it's size, it is actually located about 100 kilometers from the North Sea on the River Elbe. The popularity of this port has given Hamburg the nickname as Germany's Gateway to the World. The city itself is the second largest in Germany and the metropolitan area has a population of over 4 million people.
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 10-Day Tours from Berlin, The Best 2-Week Tours from Berlin, 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 dayHamburg €117Cusco €47
The average daily cost (per person) in Hamburg is €117, 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 Hamburg and Cusco in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personHamburg €54Cusco €21
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomHamburg €108Cusco €42
Compare Hotels in Hamburg and Cusco
Looking for a hotel in Hamburg 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: Hamburg Hotel Prices and Cusco Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Hamburg €29Cusco €9.25
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Hamburg
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Hamburg:
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Short Distance Ubahn Ticket€1.70
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Hamburg
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Hamburg:
- Private Transfer from Hamburg Airport(HAM) to Hamburg Cruise Port: $38
- Private Transfer from Hamburg Cruise Port to Hamburg Airport(HAM): $38
- Private Transfer from Hamburg to Hamburg Airport HAM Departure : $41
- Arrival Private Transfer from Hamburg Airport HAM to Hamburg: $42
- Private Transfer from Hamburg City Hotels to Hamburg Cruise Port: $52
- Private Transfer from Hamburg Airport (HAM) to Bremerhaven Port: $66
- Hamburg Airport (HAM) to Hamburg - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $68
- Departure Private Transfers from Hamburg City to Hamburg Airport XFW: $77
- Hamburg Airport Transfers : Hamburg Airport XFW to Hamburg in Business Car: $77
- Arrival Private Transfers from Hamburg Airport XFW to Hamburg City: $77
- Private Transfer from Hamburg City to Ostseekai Kiel Cruise Port: $79
- Airport Transfer: Hamburg to Hamburg Airport HAM by Business Car: $82
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:
- Cusco – Puno Direct Transfers: $24
- Cusco Airport Arrival Transfer: $15
- Cusco Airport Arrival or Departure Transfer : $13
- Cusco Airport Pickup and Private Transfer: $15
- Cusco Airport: Private 1-Way Transfer: $15
- Cusco Bus Station Arrival or Departure Transfer: $13
- Cusco Private Transfer to Poroy Railway Station: $15
- Cusco to Ollantaytambo: One-Way Private Transfer: $55
- Abode of the Gods ATV Tour with Transfer: $30
- Alpaca and Llama Farm Tour w/ Transfer & Weaving Demo: $34
- Full-Day Trip to Machu Picchu with Hotel Transfers: $290
- One-Way Airport Transfer to Hotel: $9.50
Is it cheaper to fly into Hamburg or Cusco?
Prices for flights to both Cusco and Hamburg 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 dayHamburg €35Cusco €12
Typical Food Prices in Hamburg
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Hamburg:
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Pink Thai Soup Dinner and Spring Rolls€15
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Currywurst and Pommes Frites€5.00
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Donner Kebab and Coke€6.00
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Traditional Hamburg Dinner w/ Beer€15
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Donner Kebab Lunch€4.00
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Sandwich and Coffee Break€6.00
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Fish Sandwich from Fish Market€3.50
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Coffee and Donut€4.00
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Hamburg
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Hamburg.
- St George's Culinary Food Tour: $48
- St. Pauli kulinarisch – Die Food Tour: $48
- Elphi Plaza und HafenCity kulinarisch – Die Food Tour: $59
- Original Musical Dinner Cruise 2024: $117
- Hamburg Private Food Tours with a Local: 100% Personalized : $186
- St. Pauli: Guided Food Tour with 5 Tastings: $484
- Elbphilharmonie Plaza and HafenCity Food Tour: $592
- Elbphilharmonie Plaza and HafenCity Food Tour: $592
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.Hamburg €39Cusco €27
Typical Entertainment Prices in Hamburg
Here are a few typical costs in Hamburg for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
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Tower at St. Michael's Church€3.50
Tours and Activities in Hamburg
Here are a few actual costs in Hamburg for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- The Historic Treasure: 'Speicherstadt' "FREE TOURS'" Hamburg: $2.58
- Selfguided Audiotour "Speicherstadt and HafenCity": $3.22
- Selfguided Audiotour "Old Town and City Center": $3.22
- English Harbor&St.Pauli Pay-What-You-Want Walking Tour: $3.23
- City Exploration Game and Tour: $3.23
- Harbor&St. Pauli Pay-What-You-Want 2-Hour Walking Tour: $3.23
- English Hamburg City Center Pay-What-You-Want Walking Tour: $3.23
- Deutsche Hafen & St.Pauli Bezahl-Was-ihr-wollt Tour zu Fuß: $3.23
- German Hamburg Historic City Center Pay-What-You-Want Tour: $3.23
- First Discovery Walk and Reading Walking Tour: $3.23
- The Local Tour of Hamburg Historic Centre: $3.28
- Germany eSIM Tourist Roaming Data Plan: $4.31
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:
- Free Walking Tour of Cusco: $2.00
- Cusco : Half Day City Tour: $9.00
- Walking Tour Cusco: $10
- Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary Admission Ticket: $10
- CUSCO CITY TOUR 2024 Half Day Tour in Cuzco: $10
- Cusco City Half-Day Tour: $12
- Open Bus Tour of the City’s Wonder’s: $12
- Sightseeing Tour of the City on an Open-Top Bus: $12
- City Tour Cusco / Tour in the City: $12
- Open-Top Bus City Tour: $12
- Mirabus Cusco city tour | Panoramic view |: $12
- Historic Walking Tour with Pisco Sour and Music Show: $13
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayHamburg €17Cusco €8.78
Sample the Local Flavors in Hamburg
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Hamburg:
- Night Pub Crawl through The Repperbahn: $22
- Weekend Night Pub Crawl through the Reeperbahn: $34
- Pub Crawl - Ultimate party pub crawl incl. One-hour drinks flat rate: $44
- Hamburg Pub Crawl including 1 hour flatrate for beer: $51
- Bachelor(ette) Premium Party with Pub Crawl: $404
- Private Pub Crawl Tour: $404
- Private Premium Pub Crawl: $517
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 Hamburg and Cusco, we can see that Hamburg is more expensive. And not only is Cusco much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Hamburg 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 Hamburg would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Hamburg 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 Hamburg Expensive? and Is Cusco Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Hamburg or Cusco?
Hamburg has a larger population, and is about 6 times larger than the population of Cusco. When comparing the sizes of Hamburg 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.