A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers London vs. Quito for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

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Should you visit London or Quito?

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 London and Quito can help you decide which place is right for you.

Where Should I go: London or Quito?

London

The capital of the United Kingdom is a thriving multicultural metropolis. Steeped in iconic landmarks, world-class museums and royal parks, London is energetic, majestic, ambitious and one of the world's greatest cities. London is a cultural and fashion capital, a great place to go out, an amazing place to eat and one of those cities that is constantly changing with new and exciting things sprouting up almost every day. History and tradition greet you at every turn in the UK's capital. London is also a city with an edgy underbelly, delighting in neon pink dive bars, cheeky graffiti and mind-blowing street food. When you need a break from the action, pop into a pub or relax in one of the city's many parks. Blow through the city on a double-decker bus, and take a pinch-me-I'm-in-London walk through the West End. As one of the most visited cities in the world, London is busy, vibrant and very tourist friendly. The only problem with London is that it's very expensive; it can eat away at your budget if you aren't careful. Luckily, there are also tons of free or cheap things to do in London that can fill your time.

Quito

Nestled between two mountain ranges lies the world's highest capital city, Quito, Ecuador. For history lovers, Quito is a very desirable destination as it's home to the Quito Historic Center – one of the largest and best-preserved historic centers in the Americas.

Even though Quito is full of people – in fact, it's the second most populous city in the country – very few of its inhabitants speak English. Luckily, however, the citizens of Quito tend to speak a slower and more clear Spanish than surrounding areas. This is the perfect place to practice what you read in your Intro to Spanish book.

Before visiting Quito, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, give yourself a few days to grow accustomed to the elevation. Staying 9,350 feet above sea level takes some getting used to. Second, don't be fooled into thinking that just because you're visiting a town on the equator that you'll need all your summer clothes. Because of the city's elevation, the area keeps a relatively cool climate year round.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in United Kingdom, The Best 3-Day Tours in United Kingdom, The Best Adventure Tours to Ecuador, and The Best Eco Tours in Ecuador.


Which place is cheaper, Quito or London?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in London is $238, while the average daily cost in Quito is $52. 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 London and Quito in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    London $154
    Quito $22
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    London $308
    Quito $44
Compare Hotels in London and Quito

Looking for a hotel in London or Quito? 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 London


Hotels in Quito


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: London Hotel Prices and Quito Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    London $32
    Quito $6.99
Typical Local Transportation Prices in London

Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in London:


  • Taxi Ride
    $18
  • Heathrow Express
    $23
  • Luggage Storage
    $10
  • London Map
    $1.62
  • Oyster Card
    $45
  • Train to Gatwick Airport (2)
    $27
  • Oyster Card
    $34

Hired Cars and Shuttles in London

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

  • Chauffeur Car Transfer Services from London To Gatwick Airport: $292
  • Chauffeur Limo Transfer Services from Heathrow Airport To London: $229
  • "Private Group Transfer: Heathrow Airport to City of London": $173
  • "Private Transfer: Heathrow Airport to Central London Hotel": $70
  • "Private Transfer: Heathrow Airport to Dover Cruise Port": $147
  • "Private Transfer: London Heathrow Airport to Bath".: $163
  • "Private Transfer: London Heathrow Airport to Bournemouth".: $153
  • "Private Transfer: London Heathrow Airport to Cambridge.": $107
  • "Private Transfer: London Heathrow Airport to Crawley.": $94
  • "Private Transfer: London Heathrow Airport to Dorking.": $83
  • "Private Transfer: London Heathrow Airport to Dorking.": $82
  • "Private Transfer: London Heathrow Airport to Guildford.": $78

Typical Local Transportation Prices in Quito

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Quito:


  • Taxi from Bus Terminal to Hotel
    $10

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Quito

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Quito:

  • Private Transpor for tours, transfers, visits, etc, for 8 hours: $165
  • From Quilotoa Lake Private Tour with Transfer & Lunch: $145
  • From Mindo Cloud Forest Day Trip with Transfer: $119
  • Quito Airport Private Transfer Service: $112
  • Transfer to Mashpi Reserve one way : $99
  • Private City Tour & Intiñam Museum Visit w/ Transfer: $94
  • Private Transfer from Quito to Baños or Baños to Quito (one way): $90
  • Transfer in and Transfer out: $75
  • Private Transfers Quito to Tena: $65
  • Private Transfer In from International Airport Mariscal Sucre to Quito : $60
  • Private Transfer Quito Airport To Quito City/hotel : $57
  • Airport Transfer- Hotel in Quito 1 Way: $55

Is it cheaper to fly into London or Quito?

Prices for flights to both Quito and London 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
    London $43
    Quito $20
Typical Food Prices in London

Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to London:


  • Lunch at Starbucks
    $16
  • Tea
    $7.53
  • Afternoon Tea at Fortnum & Mason
    $49
  • Morning Tea
    $7.97
  • Pastry
    $6.27
  • Sushi Dinner for One
    $23

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in London

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

  • Borough Market Self-guided food tour: $5.76
  • Hard Rock Cafe with Set Menu for Lunch or Dinner: $35
  • Picadilly Circus: Hard Rock Cafe Set Menu Lunch or Dinner: $36
  • Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus with Set Menu for Lunch or Dinner: $38
  • Traveling Spoon Nepalese Momos Private Online Cooking Class: $40
  • Pizza Making Cookery Class: $53
  • No Diet Club - Best food Tour in East London: $68
  • African & Caribbean Food Tour in Multi-Cultural Brixton: $74
  • Borough Bites, The London Food Tour: $74
  • Borough Market Flavors of London Food Tour: $74
  • Plant Power - Vegan Food Tour: $88
  • Traditional English Walking Food Tour With London Food Tours: $95

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Quito

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Quito.

  • Old Town Highlights & Food Tour: $35
  • 3 Hours Local Food Tour in Quito: $39
  • Guilty Pleasures Walking Food Tours in Quito: $45
  • Cooking class In-home space: $75
  • Private Famous Food Tour of Historic Old Town in Quito: $95
  • Ecuadorian Cooking Class and Local Market Tour: $114
  • Ecuadorian Cooking Classes Rooftop (English): $120
  • Premium Cooking Class Quito Tour: $130
  • Quito Private & All Inclusive Cooking Class with Certified Chef: $235

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    London $41
    Quito $16
Typical Entertainment Prices in London

For London, here are some examples of average entertainment and activity prices from previous travelers:


  • Two Tickets to a Concert
    $104
  • London Symphony Orchestra
    $43
  • London Pass
    $59
  • Comedy Show
    $10

Tours and Activities in London

Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for London.

  • London's Hidden Gems Self Guided City Tour: $3.26
  • London Scavenger Hunt and Best Landmarks Self-Guided Tour: $3.28
  • Harry Potter Movie Locations Self Walking Tour: $3.77
  • Jack the Ripper Self Guided Audio Tour in London: $4.91
  • Private Audio Guided Walking Tour in London: $5.45
  • Soho's Contribution to Health Care History Walking Audio Tour: $5.48
  • Bloomsbury's Contribution to Health Care History: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $5.48
  • Covent Garden: A Self-Guided Photography Tour : $5.54
  • Brick Lane: A self-guided audio tour of East London's vibrant jewel: $5.54
  • Camden Town's Quirky Characters: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $5.54
  • London Lights: A Self-Guided Audio Tour of the Cultural Capital of the World: $5.54
  • Secret An audio tour about the heritage of the city's Russian immigrants: $5.54

Typical Entertainment Prices in Quito

Here are a few typical costs in Quito for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:


  • Entrance to Guyasimine Museum for Two
    $8.00

Tours and Activities in Quito

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

  • Flavors, Colors and History of Quito Private Tour: $185
  • Otavalo Market Private Sightseeing and Surroundings: $110
  • Tour Full-Day Mercado de Otavalo + Cotacachi, Ecuador.: $130
  • 2 Full Days Exploring The Ecuadorian Amazon | Tour Start In Quito: $268
  • 2-Day Private Tour from Quito:Baños and Quilotoa Lagoon: $329
  • 2-Day Private Tour to Otavalo Market, Cuicocha Lake, Peguche and Condor´s Park: $295
  • 2-day Quilotoa Lagoon and the adventure city of Baños: $265
  • 3-Day Andes Adventure Visiting Cotopaxi, Quilotoa and Baños: $239
  • 3-Day Private Tour of Quito: $120
  • 3-Days Andes & Amazon | Tour From Quito: $858
  • 8 Hours Mindo Cloud Forest Tour from Quito includes Lunch: $100
  • All inclusive Quito to Banos 2 day tour: $250

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    London $19
    Quito $17

Sample the Local Flavors in London

Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in London:

  • Self Guided Audio Tour in London Old Pub Crawl: $7.63
  • Fun London Pub Crawl Treasure Hunt with 20% off ALL drinks!: $13
  • 2-Hour Haunted Pub Walking Tour: $20
  • Haunted London Pub Walking Tour: $20
  • 1 Big Night Out Weekday Pub Crawl: $24
  • Craft Brewery Tour with Tasting of 4 Beers: $25
  • Shoreditch Pub Crawl in London: $25
  • Guided Historic Pub Tour (London): $27
  • Pub Crawl of Central London: $29
  • Camden Pub Crawl & Bar Tour London: $31
  • Pub Crawl and Nightlife Tour: $31
  • Burlesque Cabaret Show in Covent Garden: $31

Typical Alcohol Prices in Quito

Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Quito from other travelers:


  • Beers for Two
    $9.00

How are these travel costs calculated?

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

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


Which is Bigger, London or Quito?

London has a larger population, and is about 5 times larger than the population of Quito. When comparing the sizes of London and Quito, 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.
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