Which place is cheaper, Puerto Montt or Mexico City?
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 Mexico City or Puerto Montt?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Mexico City or Puerto Montt? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Mexico City or Puerto Montt?
Mexico City
Mexico City is one of the largest and most populated cities in the world. There are an estimated 26 million people living in the greater Mexico City metropolitan area. The area is about 60 kilometers by 40 kilometers and is surrounded by tall mountains and volcanoes on three sides. Mexico City proper has about 8.8 million people and is the capital of the country. More than a third of the country's economy is based here, making it the wealthiest city in all of Latin America.
Puerto Montt
The Lake District is a region of snow capped volcanoes, pale green lakes and endless miles of virgin and ancient forests. Found 1,016 km away from Santiago de Chile, Puerto Montt is famous for its beautiful lakes and its germanic architecture, old wooden houses and its legendary Iglesia Catedral, found on the town's main square, la Plaza de Armas. The monument, entirely built with alerce (cypress) wood, is the oldest building of the city. The capital of the Lake Region is a good starting point for many memorable excursions in the area.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 2-Week Tours in Mexico, Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Mexico, The Best Tours for Seniors to Chile, and The Best G Adventures Tours to Chile.
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Mexico City Prices
Mexico PricesPuerto Montt Prices
Chile Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMexico City $212Puerto Montt $104
The average daily cost (per person) in Mexico City is $212, while the average daily cost in Puerto Montt is $104. 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 Mexico City and Puerto Montt in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMexico City $38Puerto Montt $61
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMexico City $76Puerto Montt $122
Compare Hotels in Mexico City and Puerto Montt
Looking for a hotel in Mexico City or Puerto Montt? 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: Mexico City Hotel Prices and Puerto Montt Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Mexico City $12Puerto Montt $6.42
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Mexico City
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Mexico City:
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Metro$1.09
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Uber Ride$3.80
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Mexico City
Also for Mexico City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Inbursa Aquarium optional Round trip transfer: $20
- Private Transfer from Airport to Hotel in Mexico City: $27
- Mexico City Private Airport Transfer : $29
- Mexico to Mexico City Airport (MEX) Departure Arrival Transfer: $31
- Mexico City International Airport (MEX) to Mexico City- Private Arrival Transfer: $31
- Roundtrip Private Transfer from Mexico City Airport (MEX): $32
- Transfer & assistance one-way from/to Mexico City Airport/hotel : $34
- Private Departure Transfer: Hotel to Mexico City Airport: $34
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Mexico APT-HTL (MEX) : $36
- Private Transfer From Mexico City Airport to Downtown: $40
- Toluca Airport (TLC) to Toluca - Arrival Private Transfer: $49
- Private Transfers from Airport to Hotel: $55
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Puerto Montt
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Puerto Montt:
- Transfer from Puerto Montt Airport to Puerto Varas: $50
- Transfer from Puerto Montt Airport to Frutillar: $80
- Transfer from Puerto Montt Airport to Castro: $300
- Puerto Varas to Puerto Montt Airport (PMC) - Private Transfer: $42
- Puerto Tepual Airport (PMC) to Puerto Varas - Arrival Transfer: $42
- Puerto Montt to Puerto Varas English private Guided Transfer: $40
- Puerto Montt Shuttle Transfer: $37
- Puerto Montt El Tepual Airport (PMC) to Pucon - Arrival Transfer: $267
- Puerto Montt Departure Transfer from Hotel: $23
- Puerto Montt Airport(PMC) to Frutillar - Arrival Private Transfer: $47
- Puerto Montt Airport(PMC) to Frutillar - Arrival Private Transfer: $75
- Puerto Montt Airport Arrival Transfer to Hotel in Puerto Varas: $24
Is it cheaper to fly into Mexico City or Puerto Montt?
Prices for flights to both Puerto Montt and Mexico City 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 dayMexico City $43Puerto Montt $37
Typical Food Prices in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Lunch for Two$12
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Coffee and Snacks$4.24
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Dinner for 2$25
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Private Street Food Tour Mexico City - Best rated : $35
- Virtual Mexican Cooking Class (private and personalized): $50
- San Juan Market Food Tour Exotic Bites & Flavors: $52
- Coyoacán Market Food Tour Urban Eats & Local Legends: $52
- Local Markets & Food Tour in Mexico City: $53
- Art and Food Tour with Lunch: $54
- Tortilla Crawl: Food Tour in Mexico City: $55
- Mexico City Vegan & Veggie Market Explorer plus Cooking Lesson: $55
- Private Half-Day Traditional Markets Street Food Tour in Mexico City: $57
- 3 Hours Food Tour Best Vegan Tacos in Mexico City: $61
- Old Town Food Tour of 7 Tastings & Secret Dish: $66
- Frida Kahlo Museum & Coyoacan Tacos & Food Tour: $69
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Mexico City $14Puerto Montt $14
Tours and Activities in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- CDMX: Museum of Memory and Tolerance - Children in Silence (Admission ticket): $1.36
- Museum Memory and Tolerance-Children in Silence ticket entry: $1.45
- MUCHO Museum of Chocolate Entrance Ticket: $4.36
- Mexico City (Historic Centre) Scavenger Hunt and Self-Guided Tour: $5.13
- Mexico City (Coyoacan) Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $5.16
- Flavors of the past: A Pre-Hispanic drink tour in Mexico city. : $5.59
- Free Mexico City Centre Tour: $5.59
- CDMX: Museum of Memory and Tolerance - Anne Frank (Entrance ticket): $6.81
- Hidden Gems of Exploration Game and Tour: $7.51
- La Roma's Famous Sights and Local Lore: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $7.99
- Double Decker Bus Night Tour: $8.17
- Guided tour POR the Basilica DE Guadalupe with architect: $8.34
Tours and Activities in Puerto Montt
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Puerto Montt are as follows:
- 6 Hours Shared Tour in Calbuco and Millennial Forest from Hotel: $190
- Alerce Andino National Park/Alerce Millenario/Cruises: $105
- Chiloé Island Full Day Experience Castro, Ancud, Dalcahue & Lunch: $189
- Cruise Shore Private Excursion Osorno Volcano & Petrohué Falls: $256
- Explore Peulla Full Day Tour from Puerto Montt : $64
- Osorno Volcano and National Park Shore Tour for Cruisers : $90
- Petrohué Falls Osorno Volcano Pto Varas Sightseeing Driver Only: $130
- Private Day tour Petrohue Falls, Osorno Volcano & Puerto Varas: $250
- Private Shore Excursion Tour to Puerto Montt, Puerto Varas and Frutillar: $287
- Private Tour of Puerto Montt with Stops : $38
- Half day Llanquihue and Frutillar City tour : $44
- Osorno Volcano Tour Shore Tour in Private: $660
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMexico City $19Puerto Montt $4.49
Sample the Local Flavors in Mexico City
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Mexico City:
- Guided Pub Crawl with Party Games: $23
- Mexico City Pub Crawl: $23
- Zona Rosa Pub Crawl Experience: $94
- Teotihuacan´s Best Balloon Flight: Pyramids and Brewery tours : $120
- Cavas Freixenet Wine Tour from Mexico City: $222
- Private Cheese and Wine Tour to Queretaro: $479
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Mexico City and Puerto Montt, we can see that Mexico City is more expensive. And not only is Puerto Montt much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Mexico City is in North America and Puerto Montt 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 Puerto Montt would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Puerto Montt 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 Mexico City would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Mexico City than you might in Puerto Montt.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Mexico City Expensive? and Is Puerto Montt Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Mexico City or Puerto Montt?
Mexico City has a larger population, and is about 70 times larger than the population of Puerto Montt. When comparing the sizes of Mexico City and Puerto Montt, 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.