A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Puerto Iguazu vs. San Pedro for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Puerto Iguazu or San Pedro?

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

Should I visit Puerto Iguazu or San Pedro? 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: Puerto Iguazu or San Pedro?

Puerto Iguazu

Puerto Iguazu is located in the northeastern part of Argentina at the border with Paraguay and Brazil. It is a tourist city and travel destination because of its close proximity to Iguazu Falls, which is only 18 kilometers away. Much of the city's infrastructure has grown to maintain the tourist crowds that come to see the falls. The town itself has a population of slightly over 80,000.

San Pedro

San Pedro is the largest town on Ambergris Caye, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Belize. Here you can find a tropical paradise with warm weather, clear blue waters, plenty of activities such as snorkeling and scuba diving, and a host of hotels, restaurants, and other amenities.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Tours for Seniors to Argentina, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Argentina, The Best Budget Tours to Belize, and The Best G Adventures Tours to Belize.


Which place is cheaper, San Pedro or Puerto Iguazu?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in Puerto Iguazu is $8.20, while the average daily cost in San Pedro is $135. 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 Puerto Iguazu and San Pedro in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Puerto Iguazu $3.26
    San Pedro $66
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Puerto Iguazu $6.52
    San Pedro $132
Compare Hotels in Puerto Iguazu and San Pedro

Looking for a hotel in Puerto Iguazu or San Pedro? 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 Puerto Iguazu


Hotels in San Pedro


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: Puerto Iguazu Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Puerto Iguazu $2.52
    San Pedro $34

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Puerto Iguazu

Also for Puerto Iguazu, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • One-Way or Round Trip Airport Transfer: $8.00
  • Puerto Iguazu Airport Shuttle Transfer: $8.34
  • One-Way or Round Trip Airport Transfer: $11
  • Iguazu Falls Argentina Airport Roundtrip Transfer to Hotels: $13
  • Transfer from Iguazú Airport to hotels on the Argentine side: $15
  • Iguazú Falls Brazil & Argentina 3-Day In-Out Transfers: $52
  • Argentine and Brazilian Falls with transfers: $57
  • Iguazu Falls Saver Package! Both sides excursions & transfers : $79
  • Puerto Iguazú Combo: Iguazu Falls 2 Day Tours + transfers: $98
  • Transfer In + Transfer Out IGR Airport Puerto Iguazú Hotels Selva de Iryapu: $145

Hired Cars and Shuttles in San Pedro

Some specific examples of transportation prices in San Pedro:

  • Cave Tubing and Zipline Adventure (Boat Transfer): $205

Is it cheaper to fly into Puerto Iguazu or San Pedro?

Prices for flights to both San Pedro and Puerto Iguazu 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
    Puerto Iguazu $3.01
    San Pedro $40

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Puerto Iguazu

For Puerto Iguazu, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Iguazu Falls: The Argentine Experience Interactive Dinner: $59
  • Argentine Experience: Immersive Dinner & Wine Pairing in Iguazú: $60
  • Puerto Iguazú: Madero Tango Show with Optional Dinner: $76
  • Experience Guamini Mision Dinner and Tango Show Selva Iriapu Hotels Exclusive: $110
  • Rafain Steakhouse Dinner & Show: $117
  • Dinner Show Rafain Steakhouse Gran Meliá Hotel Exclusive - Private Tour: $120
  • Dinner Show Rafain Steakhouse from Puerto Iguazú Hotels Private Tour: $120
  • From Foz do Iguaçu: Madero Tango with dinner: $123
  • Foz do Iguaçu: Argentinean Cooking Class: $135
  • Experience Guamini Mision Dinner and Tango Show Gran Meliá Iguazú Exclusive: $145
  • Dinner Tango Show in Iguazú Falls: $145
  • Churrascaria Rafain - Show and Dinner : $150

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in San Pedro

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

  • Belizean Sunset and Cultural Dinner Cruise: $120

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Puerto Iguazu $2.69
    San Pedro $33

Tours and Activities in Puerto Iguazu

For Puerto Iguazu, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • Iguazu Falls Argentinian Side Full-Day Tour: $18
  • Hito Tres Fronters and La Aripuca City Tour: $24
  • Puerto Iguazú: Iguazú Biocenter Tour: $25
  • Argentine Falls Full-Day Guided Tour One of the 7 Wonders of the World: $31
  • Argentinian Iguazu Falls Full Day Tour: $31
  • Ciudad del Este Shopping Tour: $32
  • Iguazu Falls Brazilian Side Tour: $34
  • Iguazu Falls: one-day tour on the Argentine side: $40
  • City tour with stops at tourist attractions: $41
  • Brazilian Side of Iguazu Falls Half-Day Sightseeing Tour : $41
  • Tour to Iguaçu Brazilian Falls from Argentina: $44
  • From San Ignacio Ruins and Wanda Mines Tour: $46

Tours and Activities in San Pedro

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

  • The best of San Pedro Town walking tour: $202
  • 3 Hours Barrier Reef Tour in Caye Caulker, Belize: $54
  • 5-Hour Guided Jetboat Tour to Secret Beach, San Pedro, Belize.: $200
  • All-Inclusive Full-Day Hol Chan Snorkeling Tour : $120
  • Altun Ha Cave Tubing and Zip line Tours from San Pedro Ambergris Caye: $250
  • Ambergris Caye Sunset Sail Tour on the 40' Sirena Azul Sailboat: $75
  • Belize Hol Chan Marine Reserve & Shark Ray Alley Snorkel Tour - Ambergris Caye: $93
  • Cave Tubing and Zip line Adventure from San pedro Ambergris caye: $250
  • Double Activity Limo Tour: Xunantunich Ruins & Cave Tubing Adventure: $220
  • Exclusive All-in-1 Full Day Shared Guided Tour: $139
  • Hol Chan Full-Day Bucket List Snorkeling and Marine Life Tour: $95
  • Hol Chan Marine Reserve Snorkel Tour on the 40' Sirena Azul Sailboat: $89

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Puerto Iguazu $1.29
    San Pedro $16


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

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Puerto Iguazu Expensive? and Is San Pedro Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Puerto Iguazu or San Pedro?

Puerto Iguazu has a larger population, and is about 4 times larger than the population of San Pedro. When comparing the sizes of Puerto Iguazu and San Pedro, 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.