Which place is cheaper, Cusco or Madrid?
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 Madrid or Cusco?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Madrid and Cusco 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: Madrid or Cusco?
Madrid
Madrid, the capital of Spain, overs visitors countless opportunities to experience Spain's culture, art, cuisine, and nightlife. It is the largest city in Spain, and as such has much to explore. The city is situated on the Iberian Peninsula on the Spanish central Castillian plateau. If you're flying into Spain, you'll likely fly into the Madrid airport as it's one of the largest airports in Europe. Madrid is well connected to the rest of Spain with planes, trains and buses, making it a popular place to visit for many travelers doing a European tour.
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 One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Barcelona, The Best 10-Day Tours from Madrid, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Cusco, and The Best 3-Day Tours from Cusco.
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Madrid Prices
Spain PricesCusco Prices
Peru Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMadrid €162Cusco €57
The average daily cost (per person) in Madrid is €162, while the average daily cost in Cusco is €57. 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 Madrid and Cusco in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMadrid €78Cusco €22
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMadrid €156Cusco €44
Compare Hotels in Madrid and Cusco
Looking for a hotel in Madrid 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: Madrid Hotel Prices and Cusco Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Madrid €18Cusco €9.51
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Madrid
Some typical examples of transportation costs in Madrid are as follows:
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Taxi Ride€26
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Madrid
Also for Madrid, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Private transfer departure from City Centre to Madrid Airport: $29
- Seamless Madrid Airport Transfer One Way or Round Trip Options: $41
- Madrid Airport (MAD) to Madrid - Arrival Private Transfer: $42
- Madrid Airport Private Arrival Transfer: $49
- Private Transfers Madrid Airport to Central Madrid: $50
- Private One-way Airport Transfer Madrid Airport To Madrid: $59
- Private Transfer from San Vicente del Raspeig to Alicante–Elche (ALC) Airport: $63
- Private Transfer from Novelda to Alicante–Elche (ALC) Airport: $63
- One-way Private Transfer From/To Madrid Airport: $63
- Private Transfer Madrid Barajas Airport to Madrid: $65
- Private One-way Airport Transfer Madrid To Madrid Airport: $66
- Arrival Private Transfer by Business Car from MAD Airport to Madrid: $67
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€1.03
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cusco
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Cusco:
- Private Transfer to Ausangate and the 7 Lagoons from Cusco: $210
- Private Transfer from Alejandro Velasco Astete (CUZ) Airport to Valle Sagrado: $171
- Private Transfer from Valle Sagrado to Alejandro Velasco Astete (CUZ) Airport: $168
- Private Transfer from Alejandro Velasco Astete (CUZ) Airport to Ollantaytambo: $152
- Private Transfer from Ollantaytambo to Alejandro Velasco Astete (CUZ) Airport: $149
- Cuzco to Ollantaytambo Train Station - Departure Private Transfer: $106
- Transfer Cusco - Ollantaytambo train station: $95
- Ollantaytambo train station to Cuzco city or airport- Roundtrip Private Transfer: $82
- Private Transfer to Ollantaytambo Station and Sacred Valley 24 7: $69
- Airport Cusco Transfers: $69
- Private Transfer from Cusco Airport to Urubamba: $60
- Tourist Transfer from Cusco to Hydroelectric: $60
Is it cheaper to fly into Madrid or Cusco?
Prices for flights to both Cusco and Madrid 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 dayMadrid €59Cusco €21
Typical Food Prices in Madrid
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Madrid:
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Coffee€2.00
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Ice Cream€3.00
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Kebabs (for 2)€16
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Croissant€1.50
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Lunch at Airport (for 2)€16
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Madrid
For Madrid, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Zarzuela Opera and Dinner at La Castafiore Restaurant in Madrid: $65
- Small-Group Food Tour with Local Tapas & Spanish Wine: $69
- Small-Group Food Tour with Tapas, Wine & Vermouth: $74
- Spanish Tapas Experience and Sangría Showcooking in Madrid: $76
- 10 Tapas Cooking Class Experience in Madrid with Sangria: $87
- Guided Food Tour of Tapas, Ham, Olive Oil & Vermouth: $89
- Madrid Tapas & Wine Tasting Food Tour – Small Group Local Bars: $91
- Madrid Ultimate Spanish Cuisine Food Tour: $93
- Madrid Spanish Omelet Cooking Class and Bottomless Wine brunch: $94
- The Best Flamenco in Madrid Show with Dinner and Drink: $97
- Madrid Food Tour in a Neighborhood Market with Churros: $105
- Tapas & Paella Cooking Class in Madrid with a Professional Chef: $105
Typical Food Prices in Cusco
Some typical examples of dining costs in Cusco are as follows:
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Sandwich€2.05
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Mango€0.51
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cusco
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Cusco.
- Cusco Tunupa Restaurant Folk Show with Dinner: $32
- Cooking Class: Lomo Saltado, Papa Huancaina, Pisco Sour in Cusco: $48
- Cusco Cooking Class by ChocoMuseo in Cusco: $54
- High-End Peruvian Cooking Class, Pisco Sour & San Pedro Market: $57
- Short Immersion Cooking Class: $60
- Peruvian Cooking Class Cocktails and Market Tour in Cusco: $63
- Cooking Class in Ollantaytambo: $68
- Cooking Class Peruvian Culinary Experience with Local Chefs: $70
- Dinner Show at SUYU a Peruvian Gastronomic and Experience: $77
- Cusco Tour at Night: Planetarium, Dinner & Pisco Sour: $79
- Cusco Food Tour: Andean Cuisine & City Tour: $79
- Curious Monkey Cusco- Market and Streets, Walking Food Tour: $80
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Madrid €33Cusco €28
Tours and Activities in Madrid
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Madrid.
- Madrid Walking Tour from Puerta del Sol to Retiro Park: $3.52
- Walking Tour of Madrid Modern: $3.52
- Private Audio Guided Walking Tour in Madrid: $3.52
- Tuk Tuk Tour of the Best of Madrid (booking only): $3.52
- Madrid - Medieval to Modern Walking Tour (English): $3.53
- Madrid City Highlights Walking Tour: $4.70
- A Self-Guided Tour of El Retiro Park’s Rise, Ruin and Redemption: $5.00
- Where Cervantes Feuded: A Self-Guided Madrid Tour: $5.00
- Madrid Historical Self-Guided Walking City Tour & Scavenger Hunt: $5.29
- Madrid Old Town Self Guided Tour with Mobile App: $5.99
- Madrid Self-Guided Audio Tour: $6.00
- Multicultural A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $7.33
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€2.57
Tours and Activities in Cusco
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Cusco are as follows:
- 1 Day Ausangate 7 Lakes Hiking Tour & Hot Springs: $48
- 1 Day Palcoyo 7-Color Mountain Hiking Tour: $45
- 1 Day Rainbow Mountain Walking Tour: $35
- 1 Day Sacred Valley VIP Tour from Cusco: $100
- 1 Day Tour to Palccoyo (Alternative Rainbow Mtn) from Cusco, Peru: $154
- 1-Day Humantay Lake Tour From Cusco: $60
- 1-Day Tour Rainbow Mountain from Cusco: $190
- 2 Day Machu Picchu Tour by Car: $150
- 2 Day Tour to Machupicchu by Minivan: $145
- 2 days 1 night - Machupicchu by bus tour: $220
- 2-Day Group Tour: Cusco City Tour & Sacred Valley of the Incas: $46
- 2-Day Machu Picchu Tour by Minivan from Budget Adventure: $203
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMadrid €19Cusco €9.03
Typical Alcohol Prices in Madrid
Some typical examples of the costs for nightlife and alcohol in Madrid are as follows:
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Beer€5.00
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Drinks and Tapas (for 2)€13
Sample the Local Flavors in Madrid
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Madrid:
- Visit to the Winery with Wine Tasting and Appetizers in Navarra: $12
- Madrid Pub Crawl: VIP Entry & Shots, Games (Kapital, Fitz, Shoko): $14
- Pub Crawl Madrid-The Original since 2005-Shots-Fun-Clubs-Dance: $29
- Wine Tour with tasting in the Natural Park of La Mata: $38
- Wine Tasting in Madrid Experience: $54
- Madrid Tapas and Wine Tour with a Local Guide: $73
- Rooftop Bar Crawl Madrid Experience: $76
- New Year Eve Madrid Pub Crawl: $81
- Spanish Wine Tasting : $90
- Spanish Wine Tasting and Tapas Tour: $100
- Wine Tasting and Flamenco Master Class in Madrid: $101
- Madrid Tapas & Wine Tour with Rooftop Views and Local Guide: $115
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, Drinks And Club with no waiting lines: $18
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Madrid and Cusco, we can see that Madrid is more expensive. And not only is Cusco much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Madrid 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 Madrid would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Madrid 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 Madrid Expensive? and Is Cusco Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Madrid or Cusco?
Madrid has a larger population, and is about 10 times larger than the population of Cusco. When comparing the sizes of Madrid 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.