Which place is cheaper, Santa Elena or Mexico City?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Mexico City or Santa Elena?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Mexico City or Santa Elena? 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 Santa Elena?
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.
Santa Elena
Santa Elena is a cute town, and the closest to the Monteverde Cloud Forest. It's one of the most popular destinations in Costa Rica, and is a great place to experience the cloud forest and see some of country's unique wildlife.
In the Monteverde Cloud Forest you have a good chance of seeing rare quetzals which are the national bird of Costa Rica. Other common animals include white-faced capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys, orange-kneed tarantulas, any of 8-9 species of hummingbirds, and sloth.
Santa Elena is about 1,400 meters above sea level and has a humid and damp environment. The average yearly temperature is 64 degrees Fahrenheit and the average rainfall is 3,000 millimetres. Humidity can be anywhere between 74% and 97%.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 2-Week Tours in Mexico, Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Mexico, The Best G Adventures Tours to Costa Rica, and The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Costa Rica.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMexico City $214Santa Elena $92
The average daily cost (per person) in Mexico City is $214, while the average daily cost in Santa Elena is $92. 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 Santa Elena in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMexico City $41Santa Elena $55
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMexico City $82Santa Elena $110
Compare Hotels in Mexico City and Santa Elena
Looking for a hotel in Mexico City or Santa Elena? 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.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Mexico City $13Santa Elena $11
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:
- Mexico City to San Luis Potosi - Private Transfer with Optional Sightseeing: $299
- Mexico City → San Miguel de Allende - Private Transfer with Optional Sightseeing: $288
- Mexico City International Airport to Mexico City - Private Round-trip Transfer: $254
- Mexico City Private Airport Transfers To or From Hotels: $250
- Transfer from Mexico City Airport to Puebla: $245
- Mexico City to Guanajuato - Private transfer, 2 Sightseeing hours, local driver: $237
- Mexico City Private Transfer to or from Airport: $196
- Roundtrip Transfer Private Minivan Mexico City Airport (MEX) - Mexico City: $187
- Mexico City to Puebla - Private Transfer with Optional Sightseeing: $153
- One-way transfer + City Tour: $143
- Mexico City Airport MEX Tecozautla Thermal Round-Trip Transfer: $142
- San Miguel De Allende City Tour with Transfer from Mexico City: $133
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Santa Elena
Also for Santa Elena, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Private Transfer Lake crossing from Monteverde To Arenal From 1 to 6 passengers: $249
- Private Transfer From Monteverde To La Fortuna From 1 to 6 passengers: $270
- Peñas Blancas to Liberia Airport (LIR) Departure Private Transfer: $38
- One-Way Private Transfer: Monteverde to Quepos and Manuel Antonio: $276
- One Way Private Transfer from Monteverde - Liberia: $276
- Direct transfer from Monteverde to San Jose, English Speaking Driver: $179
Is it cheaper to fly into Mexico City or Santa Elena?
Prices for flights to both Santa Elena 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 $27Santa Elena $24
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
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Santa Elena
For Santa Elena, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Night Walk in Monteverde with Dinner Included: $55
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Mexico City $15Santa Elena $30
Tours and Activities in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- City Tour/español-ingles: $68
- Frida Kahlo Tour with Admission Tickets: $76
- Mixology, Food, Wine and Beer Experience in Xochimilco: $99
- Monarch Butterfly Tour from Mexico City: $220
- Romantic Walking tour in Mexico City: $150
- Romantic tour in San Andrés Mixquic: $150
- Teotihuacan Early Access tour with Tequila Tasting: $37
- The best of Mixquic walking tour: $150
- VIP - FULL DAY - Mexico City Private Tour : $180
- 2 Day tour Teotihuacan pyramids +City tour & Xochimilco : $132
- 2 Days Private Tour with Hiking in Malinche from Puebla: $207
- 2 Hours Private Tour with Electric Scooter in Mexico City: $78
Tours and Activities in Santa Elena
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Santa Elena.
- Cloud Forest hanging bridges with a local naturalist tour guide: $70
- Curi-cancha Bird-Watching tour semi private : $50
- Day & Night Nature Tour in Monteverde Combo tour : $190
- Wildlife Tour in Curicancha : $25
- 100% Adventure Park Combo: Zipline, Superman, and Mega Tarzan Tour in Monteverde: $57
- 3 hours of the Longest and Highest Extreme Zip line Experience in Monteverde: $80
- 5-Hour Birdwatching and Photography Tour in Monteverde: $100
- Adventure Day - Outdoor activities for Family and Friends Special Package.: $29
- Adventure Park High Ropes Course : $69
- Authentic experience of Coffee, Cane and Caco inside the forest: $37
- Bird Watching Experience in Monteverde: $90
- Bird-Watching private tour : $100
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMexico City $21Santa Elena $6.22
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
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Mexico City and Santa Elena, we can see that Mexico City is more expensive. And not only is Santa Elena much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Mexico City is in North America and Santa Elena 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 Santa Elena would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Santa Elena 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 Santa Elena.
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 Santa Elena Expensive?.
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.