Should you visit Palermo or Positano?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel cost comparison between Palermo and Positano 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.
Positano
Located on the Amalfi Coast in Campania, Italy, Positano is a very scenic town that offers spectacular coastal views. The town sits on the edge of a hill and flows down toward the sea. Because of its dramatic beauty, Positano attracts thousands of visitors year around.
The town dates back to medieval times when it was a port for the Amalfi Republic. It thrived throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries but by the mid-nineteenth century its prosperity was falling. During those times more than half of the population left, migrating predominantly to America. During the 1950s the town gained popularity as a tourist destination, in part because of John Steinbeck's essay about the area in Harper's Bazaar (May, 1953).
Which city is cheaper, Positano 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 Positano is €180. 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 Positano 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.
For a normal double-occupancy room in Positano, €240 is the average cost for a hotel room. Also in Positano, the typical price for a place to stay for one person is €120, such as in a hostel.
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.
Positano food costs typically run travelers around €42 per day. Eating every meal in a nicer restaurant will drive the cost up, and grabbing fast food or casual meals will help you save money.
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Food
Meals for one day
Palermo €23
Positano €42
Typical Food prices in Palermo
Some typical examples of dining costs in Palermo are as follows:
-
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 Positano
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Positano:
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Sitdown Dinner (for Two)
€31
-
Pizza in a Restaurant
€9.32
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Sandwich in a Restaurant
€12
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Positano
For Positano, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
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Positano for Foodies- The authentic food tour in Town:
$106
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Dining experience at a local's home in Positano & cooking demo:
$106
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Dining experience at a local's home in Positano with show cooking:
$106
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Small-group Street food tour in Positano:
$111
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Market tour and lunch or dinner at a local's home in Positano:
$173
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Private Pizza & Tiramisu Class at a local's home with tasting in Positano:
$180
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Private cooking class at a local's home with tasting in Positano:
$180
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Local market visit and private cooking class at a local's home in Positano:
$235
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Vico Equense: Market Tour, Home Cooking Class, and Dinner:
$240
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Exclusive hands-on cooking class with a local in Positano:
$372
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.
Positano's transportation costs can vary by the type of transport chosen by visitors. Naturally, taxis and private drivers cost much more than public transportation options. On average, visitors spend €6.19 per person, per day on transportation in Positano.
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
-
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
Typical Local Transportation prices in Positano
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Positano:
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Positano
Also for Positano, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Positano Private Transfer to Sorrento, Rome or Naples:
$22
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Positano – Sorrento / Private Van Transfer:
$29
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Private Transfer: From Positano to Sorrento with hotel pick-up and drop-off:
$42
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Positano – Sorrento / Private Car Transfer:
$44
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Positano - Napoli Airport (NAP) / Private Departure Van Transfer:
$56
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Sorrento Coast - Positano Private Transfer:
$77
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Private Transfer from Positano to Naples, Door-to-Door, English-speaking driver:
$82
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Private Transfer: From Positano (hotel) to Naples (hotel-airport-train station):
$83
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Positano or Ravello to Naples Airport Private Departure Transfer:
$83
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Private transfer from Naples to positano or reverse:
$91
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Private transfer from Positano to Naples by the scenic coast:
$93
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Private transfer from Positano to Naples or Salerno:
$93
Is it cheaper to fly into Palermo or Positano?
Prices for flights to both Positano 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, admission tickets, things to do, and other entertainment expenses in Positano can vary widely by price. On average, visitors spend around €48 per person, per day on entertainment and sightseeing here.
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
-
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
Typical Entertainment prices in Positano
For Positano, here are some examples of average entertainment and activity prices from previous travelers:
Tours and Activities in Positano
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Positano.
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Path of the Gods Guided Walking Tour:
$44
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Positano Walking tour:
$50
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From Amalfi and Ravello Tour:
$56
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Half-Day Ancient Pompeii Tour from Amalfi Coast:
$56
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Half Day Herculaneum Guided Tour from Amalfi Coast:
$56
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Sorrento & Amalfi Drive guided tour from Amalfi Coast - small group tour:
$62
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Pompeii and Vesuvius guided group tour from Amalfi Coast:
$65
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Napoli: Historic and Panoramic Amalfi Coast Tour:
$78
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Small Group Tour to Positano, Amalfi and Ravello with Lunch:
$81
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Pompeii and Herculaneum group tour from Amalfi Coast:
$81
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Amalfi Coast: Path of the Gods Private Walking Tour:
$88
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Naples: Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello Tour on a Luxury Bus:
$95
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.
Alcoholic beverages can often be a significant portion of a traveler's budget, and the costs can vary greatly from person to person. In Positano, the average amount that a visitor spends on alcoholic beverages per day is €12.
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
Typical Alcohol prices in Positano
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Positano:
Sample the Local Flavors in Positano
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Positano:
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Pompeii & Vesuvius Wine Tour from Amalfi Coast - small group tour:
$162
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Pompeii,Vesuvius with Lunch & wine tasting from Positano all inclusive:
$260
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Private Irpinia Wine Tour from Positano, Amalfi or Ravello with Sommelier:
$301
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Pompeii-Vesuvius-Wine Tasting tour with licensed guide included:
$373
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Paestum Temples+Bufala Mozzarella Farm+Wine tasting in Cilento (from Positano):
$809
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Palermo and Positano, we can see that Positano 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 Positano would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Positano than you might in Palermo.
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