Which place is cheaper, Quito or Paris?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Paris or Quito?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Paris or Quito? 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: Paris or Quito?
Paris
Paris is a dream destination for many people. It's location on the river Seine contributes to its stunning beauty and you can spend many days wandering through its wonderfully diverse neighborhoods. It's known as a city of culture, fashion, food and fun. There is never a shortage of entertainment and activities around town and a highlight of many people's trips to Paris is to explore the city at night, when it truly comes to life. It is not hard to see why this city has received the nickname as the "City of Lights."
Quito
Nestled between two mountain ranges lies the world's highest capital city, Quito, Ecuador. For history lovers, Quito is a very desirable destination as it's home to the Quito Historic Center – one of the largest and best-preserved historic centers in the Americas.
Even though Quito is full of people – in fact, it's the second most populous city in the country – very few of its inhabitants speak English. Luckily, however, the citizens of Quito tend to speak a slower and more clear Spanish than surrounding areas. This is the perfect place to practice what you read in your Intro to Spanish book.
Before visiting Quito, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, give yourself a few days to grow accustomed to the elevation. Staying 9,350 feet above sea level takes some getting used to. Second, don't be fooled into thinking that just because you're visiting a town on the equator that you'll need all your summer clothes. Because of the city's elevation, the area keeps a relatively cool climate year round.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Historical Tours in France, The Best 10-Day Tours in France, The Best Adventure Tours to Ecuador, and The Best Eco Tours in Ecuador.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayParis $249Quito $52
The average daily cost (per person) in Paris is $249, while the average daily cost in Quito is $52. 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 Paris and Quito in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personParis $162Quito $22
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomParis $324Quito $44
Compare Hotels in Paris and Quito
Looking for a hotel in Paris or Quito? 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: Paris Hotel Prices and Quito Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Paris $23Quito $6.99
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Paris
Some typical examples of transportation costs in Paris are as follows:
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Metro$6.86
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Train from Airport$9.64
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Metro tickets$7.29
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Train$21
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Paris
Also for Paris, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Disneyland Private Transfer - Luxury Minivan Service: $185
- Private Roundtrip Airport Transfer for 1 to 3 Persons in Paris: $197
- Private Transfer from Paris to Charles de Gaulle Airport: $84
- Private transfer from Beauvais airport to Paris or back: $268
- Airport Transfer Service Shuttle Disneyland Paris Taxi: $120
- Airport Transfer: Paris Airport CDG to Paris City by Business Car: $101
- Airport Transfer: Paris Airport CDG to Paris City by Luxury EQS: $143
- Airport Transfer: Paris City to Paris Airport CDG by Luxury EQS: $143
- Airport transfer from Paris to Disneyland Paris/Parc Asterix (8pax): $185
- Airport: Private transfer to/from Paris - Charles de Gaulle: $108
- Arrival Private Transfer Paris Airport CDG to Paris by Sedan : $87
- Arrival Private Transfer: Airport Charles de Gaulle OR Orly TO La Defense: $23
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Quito
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Quito:
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Taxi from Bus Terminal to Hotel$10
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Quito
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Quito:
- Private Transpor for tours, transfers, visits, etc, for 8 hours: $165
- From Quilotoa Lake Private Tour with Transfer & Lunch: $145
- From Mindo Cloud Forest Day Trip with Transfer: $119
- Quito Airport Private Transfer Service: $112
- Transfer to Mashpi Reserve one way : $99
- Private City Tour & Intiñam Museum Visit w/ Transfer: $94
- Private Transfer from Quito to Baños or Baños to Quito (one way): $90
- Transfer in and Transfer out: $75
- Private Transfers Quito to Tena: $65
- Private Transfer In from International Airport Mariscal Sucre to Quito : $60
- Private Transfer Quito Airport To Quito City/hotel : $57
- Airport Transfer- Hotel in Quito 1 Way: $55
Is it cheaper to fly into Paris or Quito?
Prices for flights to both Quito and Paris 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 dayParis $44Quito $20
Typical Food Prices in Paris
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Paris:
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Ice Cream$8.57
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Breakfast$7.50
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Breakfast for 2$32
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Dinner on River Cruise$92
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Dinner$61
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Cheese$14
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Paris
For Paris, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- 1h30 Cooking Activity in English: $22
- Hard Rock Cafe Paris with Set Menu for Lunch or Dinner : $33
- Authentic Indian Dinner in Paris : $49
- Paris Capitaine Fracasse 3 Course Seine River Dinner Cruise: $52
- Paris : Seine River Bistronomic Dinner Cruise: $53
- Seine Cruise Departure from Pont Alexandre III with Dinner Included: $64
- Seine River Panoramic Views Dinner Cruise: $67
- Eat, play, love Montmartre: 3H Walking Food Tour -Kids friendly-: $68
- No Diet Club - Paris : Night food tour - Montmartre: $68
- Paris en Scene 3 Course Seine River Dinner Cruise: $68
- 1-Hour Sightseeing Cruise with Bistro Dinner: $68
- Le Marais Guided Food Tour with Tastings: $69
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Quito
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Quito.
- Old Town Highlights & Food Tour: $35
- 3 Hours Local Food Tour in Quito: $39
- Guilty Pleasures Walking Food Tours in Quito: $45
- Cooking class In-home space: $75
- Private Famous Food Tour of Historic Old Town in Quito: $95
- Ecuadorian Cooking Class and Local Market Tour: $114
- Ecuadorian Cooking Classes Rooftop (English): $120
- Premium Cooking Class Quito Tour: $130
- Quito Private & All Inclusive Cooking Class with Certified Chef: $235
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Paris $83Quito $16
Typical Entertainment Prices in Paris
For Paris, here are some examples of average entertainment and activity prices from previous travelers:
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Louvre Entry for Two$19
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Admission to Pantheon$5.36
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Catacombs (2)$25
Tours and Activities in Paris
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Paris.
- Free Walking Tour of Montmartre: $2.15
- Montmartre Self-Guided Highlights Scavenger Hunt Tour: $3.23
- Montmartre Scavenger Hunt and Best Landmarks Self-Guided Tour: $3.26
- Self Guided Tours in Paris with 100 Captivating Audio Stories: $3.28
- Marais Walk Self Guided Audio Tour: $4.36
- Highlights Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt and Tour: $5.38
- Père-Lachaise Cemetery audio guide tour: $5.38
- Paris, Arc de Triomphe: tour with audio guide: $5.38
- Private Audio Guided Walking Tour in Paris: $5.45
- Self-Guided Tour - Père Lachaise Cemetery Audioguide, Paris: $5.46
- Paris Scavenger Hunt and Best Landmarks Self-Guided Tour: $5.46
- Self-Guided Tour - Louvre Audioguide, Paris: $5.46
Typical Entertainment Prices in Quito
Here are a few typical costs in Quito for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
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Entrance to Guyasimine Museum for Two$8.00
Tours and Activities in Quito
Here are a few actual costs in Quito for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Flavors, Colors and History of Quito Private Tour: $185
- Otavalo Market Private Sightseeing and Surroundings: $110
- Tour Full-Day Mercado de Otavalo + Cotacachi, Ecuador.: $130
- 2 Full Days Exploring The Ecuadorian Amazon | Tour Start In Quito: $268
- 2-Day Private Tour from Quito:Baños and Quilotoa Lagoon: $329
- 2-Day Private Tour to Otavalo Market, Cuicocha Lake, Peguche and Condor´s Park: $295
- 2-day Quilotoa Lagoon and the adventure city of Baños: $265
- 3-Day Andes Adventure Visiting Cotopaxi, Quilotoa and Baños: $239
- 3-Day Private Tour of Quito: $120
- 3-Days Andes & Amazon | Tour From Quito: $858
- 8 Hours Mindo Cloud Forest Tour from Quito includes Lunch: $100
- All inclusive Quito to Banos 2 day tour: $250
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayParis $26Quito $17
Typical Alcohol Prices in Paris
Some typical examples of the costs for nightlife and alcohol in Paris are as follows:
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Wine$15
Sample the Local Flavors in Paris
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Paris:
- Daily Paris Pub Crawl : Meet, Drink & Party: $11
- Original Pub Crawl: $16
- Daily Paris Pub Crawl : Meet, Drink & Party: $20
- Latin Quarter Guided Pub Crawl to Bars and Clubs: $22
- Paris Bar Crawl: $24
- Paris Pub Crawl: $25
- Audio guided tour and wine tasting at Caves du Louvre: $32
- Paris Craft gin distillery guided Tour & Tasting in French: $32
- Wine Museum Guided Tour with Wine Tasting: $39
- Guided Visit and Wine Tasting in a Royal Wine Cellar in Paris: $39
- Vineyard tour and wine tasting in Davron: $43
- Paris St Germain Wine Tasting: $43
Typical Alcohol Prices in Quito
Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Quito from other travelers:
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Beers for Two$9.00
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Paris and Quito, we can see that Paris is more expensive. And not only is Quito much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Paris is in Europe and Quito 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 Quito would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Quito 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 Paris would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Paris than you might in Quito.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Paris Expensive? and Is Quito Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Paris or Quito?
Paris has a larger population, and is about 53% larger than the population of Quito. When comparing the sizes of Paris and Quito, 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.