A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Ponce vs. Yosemite National Park for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Ponce or Yosemite National Park?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Ponce and Yosemite National Park can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.

Where Should I go: Ponce or Yosemite National Park?

Ponce

Ponce is on the south coast of Puerto Rico. It's the second largest city on the island and has been around since 1692 when it was originally founded by Ponce de Leon's grandson Juan Ponce de Leon y Loayza. The city has several nicknames, including La Perla del Sur (The Pearl of the South), La Ciudad Senorial (The Noble, or Lordly, City), and La Ciudad de las Quenepas (Genip City).

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is located in east-central California in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It's one of the most famous and popular parks in the country and is known for its breathtaking granite cliffs, dramatic waterfalls, clear streams, and giant sequoia groves. The park covers 750,000 acres, or 1,200 square miles, and includes thousands of lakes and ponds and an impressive range of biodiversity. There are 800 miles of hiking trails within the park as well. Yosemite National Park is the third most visited park within the United States with an average annual visitation of almost 4 million people.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Luxury Tours to United States of America, and The Best Tours for Seniors to United States of America.


Which place is cheaper, Yosemite National Park or Ponce?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Ponce is $205, while the average daily cost in Yosemite National Park is $129. 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 Ponce and Yosemite National Park in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Ponce $151
    Yosemite National Park $64
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Ponce $302
    Yosemite National Park $128
Compare Hotels in Ponce and Yosemite National Park

Looking for a hotel in Ponce or Yosemite National Park? 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.

Hotels in Ponce


Hotels in Yosemite National Park


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: Yosemite National Park Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Ponce $10
    Yosemite National Park $41

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Ponce

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Ponce:

  • San Juan Departure Share Transfer: $27
  • Isabela / Hatillo to Aguadilla Airport(BQN) - DepartureTransfer: $44
  • San Juan PR Cruise Port to San Juan hotels - Arrival Transfer: $46
  • San Juan hotels to San Juan PR Cruise Port - Departure Transfer: $46
  • San Juan Port to San Juan Airport (SJU) - Departure Private Transfer: $46
  • San Juan Puerto Rico Cruise Port to San Juan hotels - Arrival Private Transfer: $46
  • Private Transfers from SJU Airport to Isla Verde, Condado or San Juan área : $60
  • San juan Puerto Rico PrivateTransfers Airport,Hotels,Cruise Ports: $60
  • Transfer TO or FROM: Airport,Cruise,Hotel in DORADO or RIO GRANDE: $70
  • Private Transfer from San Juan City Hotels to Ponce Cruise Port: $79
  • Aguadilla Hernandez Airport (BQN) to Isabela - RoundTrip Transfer: $87
  • San Juan Airport (SJU) to San Juan hotels - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $92

Is it cheaper to fly into Ponce or Yosemite National Park?

Prices for flights to both Yosemite National Park and Ponce 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
  • Food Meals for one day
    Ponce $35
    Yosemite National Park $40

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Ponce

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Ponce.

  • Private Cooking Class with a Fun Local in San German, Puerto Rico: $96
  • Private Half-Day Food Tour : $130
  • Private San Juan Cooking Class with a Local Expert: $146

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Ponce $56
    Yosemite National Park $19

Tours and Activities in Ponce

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Ponce are as follows:

  • Talking Buildings of Old San Juan: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $5.99
  • Footsteps in San Juan Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour: $17
  • Private Sunset Walking Tour in San Juan: $25
  • Old San Juan Tour (1 Hour) by DUHO: $25
  • Salsa Tours PR Sunset Salsa Beach Class in San Juan, Puerto Rico : $29
  • Historical Walking Tour in Old San Juan: $30
  • Guided Walking Tour in Ponce: $30
  • Guided City Walking Tour: $32
  • La Perla Cultural Tour: $35
  • Historic Old San Juan Sunset Walking Tour: $39
  • Bio Bay Boat Tour with Swimming from La Parguera, Puerto Rico: $50
  • Turtle spotting snorkeling adventure- no Jets : $50

Tours and Activities in Yosemite National Park

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Yosemite National Park are as follows:

  • Yosemite National Park Audio Driving Tour: $11
  • Yosemite Self-Guided Audio Tour: $14
  • Yosemite: Audio Driving Tour: $15
  • Yosemite Panorama Trail Self-Guided Audio Tour: $15
  • Yosemite: Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour: $15
  • Yosemite Valley Tour with Transport from Oakhurst: $130
  • Full-Day Small Group Yosemite & Glacier Point Tour Including Hotel Pickup: $169
  • Big Trees Hike & Riverside Cookout Adventure: $180
  • Yosemite’s High Country Adaptive Tour: $180
  • Yosemite Valley & Glacier Point Adaptive Tour: $180
  • Yosemite Winter Highlights Small Group Tour: $190
  • Yosemite Highlights Small Group Tour: $200

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Ponce $16
    Yosemite National Park $11

Sample the Local Flavors in Ponce

Also in Ponce, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:

  • Artisan Puertorrican Winery and Distillery Tour: $50
  • Old San Juan Bar Crawl: Experience Local Hotspots: $65
  • Local Puerto Rican Rum Distillery Tour - Ron Pepon: $90
  • Rum Distillery and Old San Juan Tour: $99


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Ponce and Yosemite National Park, we can see that Ponce is more expensive. And not only is Yosemite National Park much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Ponce is in Caribbean Islands and Yosemite National Park is in North 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 Yosemite National Park would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Yosemite National Park 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 Ponce would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Ponce than you might in Yosemite National Park.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Ponce Expensive? and Is Yosemite National Park Expensive?.