Which place is cheaper, Puerto Natales or Mexico City?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Mexico City or Puerto Natales?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Mexico City or Puerto Natales? 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 Natales?
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 Natales
Puerto Natales is a beautiful town located in the Chilean Patagonia on the Senoret Channel. The city is often used as a base camp for trips to the surrounding national parks due to their plentiful restaurant options and access to internet. Puerto Natales is also known for being the base city to the Torres del Paine National Park, which was named the 5th most beautiful place in the world by National Geographic.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 2-Week Tours in Mexico, Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Mexico, The Best Adventure Tours to Chile, and The Best Sightseeing Tours in Chile.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMexico City $214Puerto Natales $84
The average daily cost (per person) in Mexico City is $214, while the average daily cost in Puerto Natales is $84. 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 Natales in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMexico City $41Puerto Natales $38
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMexico City $82Puerto Natales $76
Compare Hotels in Mexico City and Puerto Natales
Looking for a hotel in Mexico City or Puerto Natales? 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 Natales Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Mexico City $13Puerto Natales $19
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$1.20
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Uber Ride$4.21
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Mexico City
Also for Mexico City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Aguascalientes Airport (AGU) Aguascalientes - RoundTrip Transfer: $48
- Aguascalientes to Aguascalientes Airport (AGU) Departure Transfer: $24
- Airport Transfer: Mexico Airport MEX to Mexico by Business Car: $86
- Airport Transfer: Mexico Airport MEX to Mexico by Luxury SUV/Van: $91
- Airport Transfer: Mexico to Mexico Airport MEX by Business Car: $86
- Airport Transfer: Mexico to Mexico Airport MEX by Luxury SUV: $91
- Airport Transfer: Mexico to Mexico Airport MEX by Luxury SUV/Van: $91
- Arrival Transfer: Mexico Airport MEX to Mexico by Business Car: $86
- Arrival Transfer: Mexico Airport MEX to Mexico by Luxury SUV: $91
- Departure Transfer: Mexico to Mexico Airport MEX by Business Car: $86
- Departure Transfer: Mexico to Mexico Airport MEX by Luxury SUV: $91
- International Airport Felipe Angeles(NLU) - Private Transfer To/from Mexico City: $104
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Puerto Natales
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Puerto Natales:
- Puerto Natales Airport Private Transfer: $18
- From Torres del Paine Tour with Transfer: $80
Is it cheaper to fly into Mexico City or Puerto Natales?
Prices for flights to both Puerto Natales 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 $27Puerto Natales $28
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$13
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Coffee and Snacks$4.69
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Dinner for 2$27
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:
- Traveling Spoon Mexican Tacos and Tortillas Private Online Cooking Class: $40
- Virtual Mexican Cooking Class (private and personalized): $50
- Veracruz and Boca del Rio Food Tour with Mangroves Boat Trip: $50
- Local Markets & Food Tour in Mexico City: $50
- Tortilla Crawl: Food Tour in Mexico City: $55
- Uruapan Food Tour: $60
- 3 Hours Food Tour Best Vegan Tacos in Mexico City: $66
- Muchos moles: Multi-variety mole cooking class and feast: $70
- Mexico City Vegan & Veggie Market Explorer plus Cooking Lesson: $72
- Street Food Tour with Friends: $75
- La Roma Authentic Downtown Food Tour: Tacos and Local Flavors: $78
- Food Tour with Ride an Electric Bike in Mexico: $80
Typical Food Prices in Puerto Natales
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Puerto Natales:
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Cake$1.05
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Dinner$18
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Coke$1.05
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Mexico City $15Puerto Natales $29
Tours and Activities in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- MUCHO Museum of Chocolate Entrance Ticket: $4.66
- Double Decker Bus Night Tour: $5.83
- Franz Mayer Museum Admission Ticket: $5.83
- Self-Guided Audio Tour-Moctezuma and the Zocalo:The Aztec Empire : $6.99
- Night Bus Tour Knowing Mexico City: $7.18
- La Roma's Famous Sights and Local Lore: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $7.99
- Private Tour to the Capuchin Convent Chapel made by Luis Barragan : $8.00
- Memory and Tolerance Museum Entry Ticket: $8.16
- Mexico City (Coyoacan) City Sights Self-Guided Tour: $8.75
- Mexico City (Historic Centre) City Sights Self-Guided Tour: $8.75
- Mexico City (Historic Centre) Scavenger Hunt and Self-Guided Tour: $8.95
- Self-Guided Audio Tour: $11
Tours and Activities in Puerto Natales
Here are a few actual costs in Puerto Natales for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- 2 Imperdible Tours Torres del Paine and Perito Moreno: $300
- Balmaceda & Serrano Glaciers Boat Tour and traditional lunch.: $199
- Balmaceda and Serrano Glaciers Sightseeing Cruise from Puerto Natales: $224
- City Bike Tour in Puerto Natales: $58
- From Torres del Paine National Park Day Tour: $80
- Full Day Patagonia Tour from Puerto Natales: $100
- Full Day Torres del Paine Tour: $99
- Full Day Tour to Torres del Paine National Park: $92
- Full day Torres del Paine Shared Tour From Puerto Natales only: $199
- Full day tour Torres del Paine + Milodon cave: $88
- Full-Day Hiking Tour to the Base of Paine Towers at Torres del Paine National Park: $189
- Full-Day Tour of Torres del Paine National Park from Puerto Natales: $143
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMexico City $21Puerto Natales $17
Sample the Local Flavors in Mexico City
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Mexico City:
- Mexico City Pub Crawl: $27
- CDMX Pub Crawl: Mexico City Bar Crawl: $29
- Mexico City Bar Crawl: $39
- Best Bar Crawl at Downtown: $49
- Nightly Historic Center From Above© Rooftop Bar Crawl +Taco Snack: $129
- 2 Hours Private Mexican Wine Tasting in Polanco: $155
- Third Largest Monolith in the World:Bernal with wine tasting: $235
- Cavas Freixenet Wine Tour from Mexico City: $255
Typical Alcohol Prices in Puerto Natales
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Puerto Natales:
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Alcohol$13
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Mexico City and Puerto Natales, we can see that Mexico City is more expensive. And not only is Puerto Natales much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Mexico City is in North America and Puerto Natales 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 Natales would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Puerto Natales 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 Natales.
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 Natales Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Mexico City or Puerto Natales?
Mexico City has a larger population, and is about 560 times larger than the population of Puerto Natales. When comparing the sizes of Mexico City and Puerto Natales, 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.