A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Kos vs. Santa Cruz de Tenerife for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Kos or Santa Cruz de Tenerife?

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

Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Kos and Santa Cruz de Tenerife can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.

Where Should I go: Kos or Santa Cruz de Tenerife?

Kos

Kos is a Greek island and third largest island of the Dodecanese group, located near the Turkish coast in the southeast Aegean Sea. It is best known for its beautiful sandy beaches, which make it a popular tourist destination, as well as its ancient Greek and Roman landmarks.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Not everyone traveling to Spain is looking to collapse on a beach somewhere. If you're in search of a bustling, vibrant and colorful Spanish capital city without the crowds of Barcelona, you might want to book a few days in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Located on the eastern tip of the island of Tenerife on the Canary Island chain, Santa Cruz's bright buildings, charming shops and rich, green scenery are there to greet visitors from all over the world - including you.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 2-Week Tours from Athens, The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Greece, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Madrid, and The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Barcelona.


Which place is cheaper, Santa Cruz de Tenerife or Kos?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in Kos is €134, while the average daily cost in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is €126. 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 Kos and Santa Cruz de Tenerife in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Kos 62
    Santa Cruz de Tenerife 48
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Kos 124
    Santa Cruz de Tenerife 96
Compare Hotels in Kos and Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Looking for a hotel in Kos or Santa Cruz de Tenerife? 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 Kos


Hotels in Santa Cruz de Tenerife


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: Kos Hotel Prices and Santa Cruz de Tenerife Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Kos 37
    Santa Cruz de Tenerife 64

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Kos

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

  • Artemis Hamam and Spa with Hotel Transfers Kos Island: $59
  • Departure transfer to Kos Airport : $68
  • From Kalymnos Self-Guided Day Trip with Hotel Transfer: $59
  • Kalymnos, Pserimos & Plati Island Cruise with Hotel Transfer: $59
  • Kos - Airport Private Transfer: $55
  • Kos Airport to Kos Hotels Private One–Way Transfer: $64
  • Kos Hotels to Kos Airport Private One–Way Transfer: $59
  • Kos Private Transfer Services: $52
  • Kos Town: Kalymnos & Pserimos Day Cruise & Optional Transfer: $30
  • Kos transfer services, Kos - Airport - Kos: $107
  • Paradise Beach Return Transfer: $25
  • Roundtrip Bus Transfer to Mount Zia for Sunset Viewing: $27

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Santa Cruz de Tenerife:

  • Whale and Dolphin Watching Catamaran with Transfer and Buffet : $64
  • Tenerife South Airport Departure Transfer (Playa de las américas to Airport): $59
  • Tenerife South Airport Departure Transfer (Costa Adeje Hotels to Airport): $98
  • Santa Cruz Tenerife Cruise Port: Transfer to Tenerife hotels: $252
  • Mount Teide Tour with Transfer and Optional Cable Car Ticket: $43

Is it cheaper to fly into Kos or Santa Cruz de Tenerife?

Prices for flights to both Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Kos 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
    Kos 43
    Santa Cruz de Tenerife 40

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Kos

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

  • Greek Dinner with Music, Dancing, and Unlimited Wine: $43
  • Kefalos Sunset Cruise from Kos with Dinner: $61
  • Sunset Cruise with Swimming and BBQ Dinner: $62
  • Tavern Dinner Experience with Greek Dancing and Wine: $65
  • Kos Cooking Classes by Mama Contessa: $86
  • Private Greek Cooking Class in Kos with Lunch: $90
  • Sunset Safari Tour with Dinner: $95
  • Private Cooking Class in Kos, Local Recipes: $97
  • Half Day Wine Tasting with Dinner in Kos: $117

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Kos 33
    Santa Cruz de Tenerife 25

Tours and Activities in Kos

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

  • First Discovery Walk and Reading Walking Tour: $3.21
  • Kos Scavenger Hunt and Best Landmarks Self-Guided Tour: $6.54
  • Self-Guided Highlights Scavenger Hunt and Walking Tour: $8.02
  • Escape Game and Tour: $8.02
  • Kos Town: Glass-Bottom Boat Cruise with Swimming Stops: $21
  • From Zia Sunset Tour: $27
  • Dory's Glass Bottom Boat Adventure in Pserimos and Pserimos Beach: $29
  • From Kalymnos, Pserimos and Plati Day Cruise: $32
  • From the Port of Full Day Boat Cruise to 3 Islands: $32
  • Kos Island: 3-Island Wooden Ship Cruise w/ Lunch: $32
  • 3-Island Cruise with Greek BBQ Lunch and Swimming: $32
  • Full Day Boat Cruise to 3 Islands with optional pickup: $33

Tours and Activities in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Here are a few actual costs in Santa Cruz de Tenerife for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • Full Day Guided Tour of Teide by Cabrio Bus : $75
  • Full Day Tour of Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal de La Laguna: $49
  • Guided Tour to Teide National Park in Tenerife: $44
  • Private Paragliding Flight Experience in Tenerife: $109
  • Private VIP Tour Tenerife Magic Circle: $258
  • Taucho Flight Experience: $118
  • Tenerife: Forestal Park Tenerife Entry Ticket: $28
  • Tenerife: Introductory Dive for Cruise Ship Passengers: $128
  • Volcano Teide National Park Shared Tour from Costa Adeje Los Cristianos Tenerife: $64

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Kos 19
    Santa Cruz de Tenerife 7.50

Sample the Local Flavors in Kos

Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Kos:

  • Wineries Tour w/ Wine Tastings, Lunch & Transportation: $59
  • From Tour of 2 Wineries with Wine Tasting & Small Bites: $63
  • Kos Island: Wine Tasting & Zia Village Visit for Sunset: $150


When comparing the travel costs between Kos and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, we can see that Kos is more expensive. However, the two cities are actually relatively comparable in price, as the difference is somewhat minimal. Generally, this means that you could travel with generally the same travel style and level of luxury in each place. Since both cities are in Europe, it's no surprise that their costs are relatively close, as many destinations here have somewhat similar travel prices overall.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Kos Expensive? and Is Santa Cruz de Tenerife Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Kos or Santa Cruz de Tenerife?

Santa Cruz de Tenerife has a larger population, and is about 10 times larger than the population of Kos. When comparing the sizes of Kos and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 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.