A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Recife vs. Puerto Natales for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Recife or Puerto Natales?

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

Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Recife and Puerto Natales 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: Recife or Puerto Natales?

Recife

One of the largest cities on Brazil's northeast coast, Recife is also the capital of the state of Pernambuco. The city gets its name from the Portuguese word for "reef," as it was built around a landscape of natural reef beaches. Many people visit to enjoy these beaches, experience the culture, and explore the history of this important Brazilian city.

Puerto Natales

Puerto Natales is a beautiful town located in the Chilean Patagonia on the Senoret Channel. The city is often used as a base camp for trips to the surrounding national parks due to their plentiful restaurant options and access to internet. Puerto Natales is also known for being the base city to the Torres del Paine National Park, which was named the 5th most beautiful place in the world by National Geographic.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Jungle Trekking Tours in Brazil, The Best Luxury Tours to Brazil, The Best Adventure Tours to Chile, and The Best Sightseeing Tours in Chile.


Which place is cheaper, Puerto Natales or Recife?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in Recife is $166, while the average daily cost in Puerto Natales is $84. 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 Recife and Puerto Natales in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Recife $88
    Puerto Natales $38
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Recife $176
    Puerto Natales $76
Compare Hotels in Recife and Puerto Natales

Looking for a hotel in Recife or Puerto Natales? 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 Recife


Hotels in Puerto Natales


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: Recife Hotel Prices and Puerto Natales Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Recife $8.47
    Puerto Natales $19

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Recife

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Recife:

  • Departure Transfer from Olinda to Recife Airport: $100
  • Instituto Ricardo Brennand with transfers from Recife: $41
  • Private Transfer from Igarassu to Recife (REC) Airport : $101
  • Private Transfer from Olinda to Recife (REC) Airport: $46
  • Private Transfer from Recife to Carneiros Beach: $114
  • Private Transfer from Recife to Olinda: $46
  • Private Transfer from Recife to Serrambi Beach: $101
  • Private Transfer from Recife to Tamandare Beach: $114
  • Recife Boat Tour with Transfers: $72
  • Airport to Maragogi Hotels Private Transfer: $85
  • Airport to Porto de Galinhas Transfer: $65
  • Shared Transfer from Recife to Cabo de Santo Agostinho: $33

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Puerto Natales

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Puerto Natales:

  • From Torres del Paine Tour with Transfer: $80

Is it cheaper to fly into Recife or Puerto Natales?

Prices for flights to both Puerto Natales and Recife 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
    Recife $70
    Puerto Natales $28

Typical Food Prices in Puerto Natales

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Puerto Natales:


  • Cake
    $1.05
  • Dinner
    $18
  • Coke
    $1.05

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Recife $11
    Puerto Natales $29

Tours and Activities in Recife

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

  • Recife (Historic Centre) Scavenger Hunt and Self-Guided Tour: $7.68
  • Olinda Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $7.86
  • City Tour Recife & Olinda: $27
  • Colonial North Coast beaches - Full-Day Tour: $35
  • Olinda City Tour and Instituto Ricardo Brennand: $94
  • City Tour Recife with Catamaran included: $150

Tours and Activities in Puerto Natales

Here are a few actual costs in Puerto Natales for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • Bus ticket to El Calafate, Argentina: $44
  • City Bike Tour in Puerto Natales: $58
  • Puerto Natales Sightseeing Bike Tour: $62
  • From Torres del Paine National Park Day Tour: $80
  • Torres del Paine Full Day Tour: $87
  • Full day tour Torres del Paine + Milodon cave: $88
  • Full-Day Torres del Paine Tour: $90
  • Full Day Tour to Torres del Paine National Park: $92
  • Full day tour Torres del Paine: $93
  • Torres del Paine Park Full-Day Tour from Puerto Natales: $95
  • Full Day Torres del Paine Tour: $99
  • Full Day Patagonia Tour from Puerto Natales: $100

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Recife -
    Puerto Natales $17

Typical Alcohol Prices in Puerto Natales

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Puerto Natales:


  • Alcohol
    $13


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

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


Which is Bigger, Recife or Puerto Natales?

Recife has a larger population, and is about 70 times larger than the population of Puerto Natales. When comparing the sizes of Recife and Puerto Natales, 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.