Should you visit Palermo or Pisa?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel cost comparison between Palermo and Pisa can help. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.
Palermo
Located on its north coast, Palermo is the capital city of Sicily. The city has a lot to offer visitors who decide to venture to this often overlooked part of Italy. There is an interesting history, some unique and delicious food, and a fascinating culture. Prices in Sicily are generally cheaper than elsewhere in Italy. There are a handful of budget accommodation options and plenty of mid range hotels that are spread throughout the city. The rooms are usually comfortable and clean but as always, read reviews before making your reservation.
Pisa
Located in Tuscany, Pisa is most famous for its Leaning Tower. The city has a population of about 100,000 people and there are a surprising number of impressive sights that you might miss if you simply pass through to see the tower. There are many architectural and artistic sights that make the city noteworthy as well. The atmosphere of Pisa is also influenced by its university. Of the 100,000 person population, about 60,000 are students. The students bring the city to life with many parties, shows, and interesting cultural events. They stay active into the night and entertainment options are not limited. The student presence is most obvious once you're outside of the touristy Campo dei Miracoli.
Which city is cheaper, Pisa or Palermo?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Palermo is €74, while the average daily cost in Pisa is €96. 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 city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Palermo and Pisa in more detail.
Accommodation
The average price for accommodation for two people in Palermo is €90. This is for two people sharing a typical double occupancy hotel room.
An average hotel room with basic furnishings costs about €96 in Pisa For the most convenient locations and nicer amenities you can expect to pay a bit more.
Food
While meal prices in Palermo can vary, the average travelers spends about €23 per day on food. Based on the spending habits of previous travelers, when dining out, an average meal in Palermo should cost around €9.20 per person. Breakfast prices are usually a little cheaper than lunch or dinner. The price of food in sit-down restaurants in Palermo is often higher than fast food prices or street food prices.
Food in Pisa costs travelers about €40 per day on average. Restaurants can vary significantly in price, so choose wisely if you're trying to save money. Fast food and street stalls are typically your cheapest options, which sit down restaurants can be significantly more expensive.
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Food
Meals for one day
Palermo €23
Pisa €40
Typical Food prices in Palermo
Some typical examples of dining costs in Palermo are as follows:
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Sitdown Dinner (for Two)
€32
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Fast Food Lunch
€5.32
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Palermo
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Palermo.
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Street Food Tour Palermo:
$38
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Walking Tour and street food Tour Palermo:
$44
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Night Street Food Tour of Palermo:
$62
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Palermo Street Food Tour - Do Eat Better Experience:
$65
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A real Sicilian private dinner in Palermo:
$69
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Authentic Sicilian dinner with a local chef in Palermo:
$73
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Private Palermo street food tour with Chef Fulvio:
$74
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Experience Cooking Sicilian:
$76
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Withlocals The 10 Tastings ™: Palermo PRIVATE Food Tour:
$76
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Palermo Traditional Food Tour - Do Eat Better Experience:
$77
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Sicilian Cooking Class : Street and More:
$81
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Sicilian Cuisine Cooking Class in Palermo:
$86
Typical Food prices in Pisa
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Pisa:
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Pisa
For Pisa, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
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Special colorful dinner in Pisa with a local:
$67
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Streetfood tour in Pisa:
$87
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Pisa Food Tour - Do Eat Better Experience:
$101
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Dining experience at a local's home in Pisa with show cooking:
$106
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Small-group Street food tour in Pisa:
$111
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Traditional Home Hands on Cooking Class in Pisa:
$113
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Skip-the-Line Pisa Leaning Tower & Street Food Tour With Local Guide:
$128
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Small Group Market tour and Cooking class in Pisa:
$162
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Private Pizza & Tiramisu Class at a Cesarina's home with tasting in Pisa:
$180
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Market tour and lunch or dinner at a local's home in Pisa:
$180
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Private Cooking Class at a Cesarina's Home in Pisa:
$180
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Local market visit and private cooking class at a Cesarina's home in Pisa:
$267
Local Transportation
While taxis and private drivers typically cost much more than public transportation, people usually spend around €4.51 per day to get around in Palermo.
Public transportation tends to be much less expensive in Pisa than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend €8.77 on transportation in Pisa on average per day.
Typical Local Transportation prices in Palermo
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Palermo:
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Bus to Monreale
€3.00
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Bus From Airport
€6.00
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90 Minute Bus Pass
€1.30
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Short Taxi Ride
€4.35
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Palermo
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Palermo:
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Private Transfer from Palermo to Catania (CTA) Airport:
$666
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Private transfer Palermo to Taormina or vice versa:
$622
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Private transfer: Palermo to Palermo Airport (PMO):
$622
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To MILAZZO PORT from Palermo Airport private transfert:
$406
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Private transfer Palermo to Agrigento or vice versa:
$353
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Private Transfer: Palermo to Syracuse with Valley of the Temples Stop:
$348
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Transfer Palermo Airport to Sicilian Destinations:
$299
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Private Transfer from Palermo to Taormina with Hotel pick-up and drop off:
$258
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To SCIACCA City- RESORT from Palermo AIRPORT Private Transfert:
$249
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Private transfer from Palermo airport to Giardini Naxos or vice versa:
$230
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Private transfer from Palermo airport to Taormina or vice versa:
$230
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Private transfer from Palermo airport to Cefalù and viceversa:
$226
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Pisa
Also for Pisa, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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From Livorno Cruise Port: Bus Transfer to Pisa and Lucca:
$33
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Private Airport Transfer: Pisa International Airport (PSA) to Pisa:
$36
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Private Airport Transfer: from Pisa to Pisa International Airport (PSA):
$36
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Private Transfer Pisa Airport (PSA) to Pisa Hotels:
$58
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Private Transfer Pisa Hotel to Pisa Airport(PSA):
$58
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Pisa Airport (PSA) - Florence / Private Arrival Van Transfer:
$70
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Private Transfer from Pisa (PSA) Airport to Vecchiano:
$78
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Private Transfer from Pisa (PSA) Airport to San Giuliano Terme:
$78
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Pisa Airport private arrival transfer (Pisa Airport to Pisa City):
$83
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Pisa Airport private departure transfer (Pisa city hotels to Pisa Airport):
$83
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Private Transfer from Pisa (PSA) Airport to Calambrone:
$90
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Private Transfer from Pisa (PSA) Airport to Calci:
$90
Is it cheaper to fly into Palermo or Pisa?
Prices for flights to both Pisa and Palermo 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.
Entertainment
Activities, things to do, and other forms of entertainment usually cost around €13 per person, per day in Palermo. This cost includes the price of admission tickets to attractions and museums as well as daily tours.
Sightseeing expenses in Pisa, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of €16 per day, per person.
Typical Entertainment prices in Palermo
Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Palermo are as follows:
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Capuchin Catacombs (for 2)
€6.00
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Castello della Zisa Entrance (for Two)
€12
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Theater Tickets (for Two)
€49
Tours and Activities in Palermo
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Palermo are as follows:
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10-Day Tour to Discover the World Heritage Region of Sicily:
$1,865
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3-Days Tour to discover Western Sicily: Culture, Colors & Flavors, from Palermo:
$873
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3-Hour Palermo Segway PT Authorized Tour:
$118
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5-days Sicily tour: food & culture traveling off the beaten paths:
$1,047
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8 Days Escorted Tour Backroad Sicily:
$2,120
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A culinary experience with the duchess in palermo:
$632
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Agrigento - Family Tree History Tour - Genealogy & Ancestry Records Research:
$580
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Agrigento Valley of the Temples and Villa Romana del Casale Tour from Palermo:
$124
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Archaeological Park of Selinunte and Cave di Cusa from Palermo, Private Tour:
$212
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Best of Palermo shore excursion: Palermo, Monreale and Cefalù private tour:
$244
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Caltanissetta - Family Tree History Tour - Genealogy & Ancestry Records Research:
$580
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Catania - Family Tree History Tour - Genealogy & Ancestry Records Research:
$580
Tours and Activities in Pisa
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Pisa.
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The best of a sightseeing audio tour from Tuttomondo to the Leaning Tower:
$6.99
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Square of Miracles guided tour with Leaning Tower ticket (option):
$19
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Pisa Guided Walking Tour in Spanish and Italian:
$19
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Pisa Guided Walking Tour in Miracoli Square:
$20
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Adventure Park Il Pineto:
$25
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2-Hour Small-Group Walking Tour of Pisa Off The Beaten Path:
$27
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Pisa all inclusive: Baptistery, Cathedral and Leaning Tower guided tour:
$37
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Best of Pisa guided tour with Leaning Tower tickets (option):
$41
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Leaning Tower of Pisa Afternoon Tickets:
$44
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Best of Pisa Guided Tour including the Leaning Tower:
$54
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Best of Pisa Guided Walking Tour with Leaning Tower Entry Ticket:
$61
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Pisa Bike Tour:
$65
Alcohol
The average person spends about €8.81 on alcoholic beverages in Palermo per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.
Typical Alcohol prices in Palermo
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Palermo:
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Beer
€2.56
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Bottle of Quality Wine
€11
Sample the Local Flavors in Palermo
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Palermo:
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Palermo wine tour:
$93
-
Sicilian Cheese and Wine Tasting in Palermo:
$128
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Sicilian Gems Private Day Trip: Erice, Trapani & Marsala Wine Tasting:
$267
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Half-day Private Sicilian Wine Tasting and Winery Tour from Palermo:
$330
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Olive Oil, Salt and Wine Tour from Palermo:
$378
Sample the Local Flavors in Pisa
Also in Pisa, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
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Pisa guided tour and Wine tasting with Leaning Tower ticket (option):
$49
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Half-day Wine Tour in the Tuscan's Hills from Pisa:
$107
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Ramble Through The Rolling Hills Of Chianti (6 Hrs) + Lunch & Wine Tasting:
$174
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Small Group Pisa Day Trip to Siena and San Gimignano Including Wine Tasting:
$181
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Ramble Through The Rolling Hills Of Chianti + Lunch & 2 Wine Tasting:
$224
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EXCLUSIVE Wine Tour in Chianti and Siena with Lunch & Wine Tasting included:
$249
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Full-Day Volterra San Gimignano Private Tour with Wine Tasting:
$249
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Pisa, Lucca and Wine tour:
$260
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Palermo and Pisa, we can see that Pisa is more expensive. And not only is Palermo much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Palermo would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Palermo 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 Pisa would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Pisa than you might in Palermo.
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