A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Manila vs. Flores for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Manila or Flores?

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 Manila and Flores can help you decide which place is right for you.

Where Should I go: Manila or Flores?

Manila

A sprawling metropolis that is home to more than 12 million people, Manila is one huge, misunderstood concrete jungle, full of diverse cultures, traffic, pollution, restaurants, shopping malls, noise and nightlife. If you're looking to soak in culture and feel the vibe of a place rather than seeking a city that specifically caters to tourists, Manila is the place to be. Capital of the Philippines, Manila is also the center for education, business, and transportation.

Flores

The town of Flores is located in Peten, Guatemala. The main hub is located on an island on Lago Peten Itza, which is connected to the mainland by a causeway. On the other side of the causeway are the towns of Santa Elena and San Benito, however, all three are often referred to as Flores. Most people visit the area for its proximity to the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal, though the town itself is also charming with colonial buildings and historic churches lining the cobbled streets.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 2-Week Tours in Philippines, Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Philippines, The Best Tours for Seniors to Guatemala, and The Best G Adventures Tours to Guatemala.


Which place is cheaper, Flores or Manila?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

The average daily cost (per person) in Manila is $98, while the average daily cost in Flores is $43. 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 Manila and Flores in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Manila $50
    Flores $8.77
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Manila $100
    Flores $18
Compare Hotels in Manila and Flores

Looking for a hotel in Manila or Flores? 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 Manila


Hotels in Flores


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: Manila Hotel Prices and Flores Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Manila $13
    Flores $8.00

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Manila

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Manila:

  • Transfers from Manila, Makati, Taguig and Pasay Hotel to Airport: $50
  • Safe and secure Airport Transfer Best in Manila: $216
  • Quality Safe and Reliable Manila Airport Transfers: $49
  • Private Transfer from Manila Cruise Port to Manila Airport (MNL): $28
  • Private Transfer from Manila Airport (MNL) to Manila Cruise Port: $28
  • Private Transfer from Angeles City to Subic Bay Cruise Port: $100
  • Private One-way Transfer From Manila To Manila Airport: $23
  • Private Departure Transfer: All Hotels in Ortigas: $41
  • Private Departure Airport Transfer in Manila Bay and Makati Area: $23
  • Private Arrival Airport Transfer: All Hotels in Ortigas: $41
  • Private Airport Transfer: Metro Manila → NAIA Airport (MNL): $30
  • NAIA Airport Transfer to/from anywhere in Metro Manila: $31

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Flores

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

  • Transfer : Mayan World Airport to Flores Island Hotels: $10
  • Bus transfer from Flores, Guatemala to Belize City: $20
  • Belize/Caye Caulke/San Pedro Van or Ferry Transfer: $20
  • Tikal National Park Guided Tour with Transfers: $24
  • Flores, Peten: One way shared transfer to Rio Dulce, Izabal: $39
  • From Flores, Peten: One way shared transfer to Tikal: $39
  • Transfer from Flores to Semuc Champey, Lanquin, Tourists Only: $40
  • One way shared transfer to Semuc Champey, Lanquin: $49
  • Tikal Transfer and Tour Guide From Flores: $90
  • Same day Round-Trip VIP Exclusive Transfer to Tikal from Flores: $160

Is it cheaper to fly into Manila or Flores?

Prices for flights to both Flores and Manila 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
    Manila $28
    Flores $23

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Manila

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

  • Manila Food Tour: Introduction to Philippine Street Food: $51
  • Manila Food Tour: Explore World's Oldest Chinatown: $51
  • Ugbo Manila Street Food Tour with Tuktuk Ride: $60
  • ⭐ Manila Street Food Tour in the Downtown, Eat and Drink⭐: $62
  • Guided Food Tour of Binondo with Tastings: $65
  • Street Food tour & Local Jeepney, Tuktuk Ride: $66
  • Binondo Chinatown Food Tour with Free Food Samples: $70
  • Manila Chinatown Food Tour with Local Guide: $71
  • Intramuros and Chinatown Food Tour with Food Samples: $80
  • Cultural Dance Show with Dinner in Manila: $105
  • A taste of Manila's History & Filipino Culture with Buffet Dinner: $175
  • Subic: Sunset Dinner Yacht Cruise from Manila & Clark: $212

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Manila $18
    Flores $20

Tours and Activities in Manila

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Manila are as follows:

  • (Excursion) Day tour in Manila: $258
  • A Night in Old Intramuros Walking Tour: $23
  • Amazing Taal Volcano Sightseeing & Pagsanjan Falls Tour 2in1: $125
  • Antipolo Day Tour with Cloud 9 and Pinto Art Museum: $80
  • BAGUIO CITY DAY TOUR (FROM MANILA): $357
  • BANAUE:BATAD Rice Terraces with Sagada 4D3N PRIVATE TOUR: $7,130
  • Banaue-Hapao Rice Terraces (Car Rental W/ Manila Tourist Driver): $300
  • Cavite Leisure And Farm Tour: $170
  • Club Crawl and Party Experience at BGC: $71
  • Discover Tagaytay's Countryside: Half-Day Sightseeing Tour: $68
  • Experience Intramuros with Bamboo Bicycle - Ecotours: $39
  • Experience Manila's Heritage: Intramuros & More in Half a Day!: $60

Typical Entertainment Prices in Flores

Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for Flores's activities, tours, and tickets:


  • Tikal Entrance (for 2)
    $39
  • Map of Tikal
    $3.27

Tours and Activities in Flores

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

  • Tour and transportation with tour guide to Tikal.: $20
  • Basic Tour to Tikal Includes Transportation and Guide Service: $25
  • From Flowers Sunset Tour in Tikal: $25
  • Shared Guided Sunset Tour in Yaxhá from Flores: $25
  • Yaxha Shared Sunset Tour with Transportation & Guide: $25
  • Tikal Sightseeing Tour: from Mundo Maya Airport in Flores: $30
  • From Tikal Ruins Guided Tour: $31
  • Tikal Ruins Day Tour from Flores: $31
  • From Yaxha Ruins Guided Tour: $36
  • From Tikal Sunrise Archaeological Tour: $37
  • From 2-Day Semuc Champey Tour with Caves & Tubing: $38
  • Full Day Tikal Sunrise Tour from Flores and Archaeological Tour: $48

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Manila $9.14
    Flores $21

Typical Alcohol Prices in Flores

Some typical examples of the costs for nightlife and alcohol in Flores are as follows:


  • Two Margaritas
    $2.62


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

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


Which is Bigger, Manila or Flores?

Manila has a larger population, and is about 510 times larger than the population of Flores. When comparing the sizes of Manila and Flores, 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.