Which place is cheaper, Punta Arenas or Recife?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Recife or Punta Arenas?
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 Punta Arenas 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 Punta Arenas?
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.
Punta Arenas
Punta Arenas is in the far south of Chile and has a long history of maritime commerce, oil extraction, and sheep farming. It's the most populated city on the Strait of Magellan and has all the facilities you might need as a traveler, including banks, markets, drugstores and equipment shops. With a population of about 130,000, the city is a comfortable place to spend time. It serves as a base for Antarctic expeditions, although many expeditions also start in Ushuaia, Argentina, and Christchurch New Zealand.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Jungle Trekking Tours in Brazil, The Best Luxury Tours to Brazil, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Santiago, and The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Chile.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayRecife $166Punta Arenas $63
The average daily cost (per person) in Recife is $166, while the average daily cost in Punta Arenas is $63. 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 Punta Arenas in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personRecife $88Punta Arenas $32
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomRecife $176Punta Arenas $64
Compare Hotels in Recife and Punta Arenas
Looking for a hotel in Recife or Punta Arenas? 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: Recife Hotel Prices and Punta Arenas Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Recife $8.47Punta Arenas $1.80
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Recife
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Recife:
- Private Transfer from Recife to Carneiros Beach: $114
- Private Transfer from Recife to Tamandare Beach: $114
- Private Transfer from Igarassu to Recife (REC) Airport : $101
- Private Transfer from Recife to Serrambi Beach: $101
- Departure Transfer from Olinda to Recife Airport: $100
- Airport to Maragogi Hotels Private Transfer: $85
- Recife Boat Tour with Transfers: $72
- Airport to Porto de Galinhas Transfer: $65
- Private Transfer from Recife to Olinda: $46
- Private Transfer from Olinda to Recife (REC) Airport: $46
- Instituto Ricardo Brennand with transfers from Recife: $41
- Shared Transfer from Recife to Cabo de Santo Agostinho: $33
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Punta Arenas
Also for Punta Arenas, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Private Transfer Punta Arenas Airport to/from Punta Arenas: $33
- Punta Arenas Airport (PUQ) to Punta Arenas - Arrival Transfer: $49
- Private Transfer from Punta Arenas Port to Punta Arenas hotels: $64
- Transfer from Punta Arenas (city or airport) to Puerto Natales: $267
Is it cheaper to fly into Recife or Punta Arenas?
Prices for flights to both Punta Arenas 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
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Food Meals for one dayRecife $70Punta Arenas $21
Typical Food Prices in Punta Arenas
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Punta Arenas:
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Donut$1.05
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Dinner$25
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Recife $11Punta Arenas $6.44
Tours and Activities in Recife
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Recife are as follows:
- City Tour Recife with Catamaran included: $150
- Colonial North Coast beaches - Full-Day Tour: $35
- Olinda City Tour and Instituto Ricardo Brennand: $94
- Olinda Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $7.86
- Recife (Historic Centre) Scavenger Hunt and Self-Guided Tour: $7.68
- City Tour Recife & Olinda: $27
Tours and Activities in Punta Arenas
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Punta Arenas.
- City Sightseeing and Monuments Guided Tour: $52
- Regular city cruise tour: $65
- Fort Bulnes cruises: $70
- Bike Tour in Punta Arenas, 100% local tour.: $70
- Punta Arenas Sightseeing Tour: $72
- King Penguin & Tierra del Fuego Tour: $138
- King Penguin & Tierra del Fuego Tour: $145
- Magdalena Island Penguin Tour by Boat from Punta Arenas: $153
- Punta Arenas Private City Tour Shore Excursion: $155
- Magallanes Reserva and City Tour. Private Shore Excursion.: $158
- Full day Torres del Paine from Punta Arenas ,Regular tours: $180
- Mountain Bike Adventure in Punta Arenas: $192
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayRecife -Punta Arenas $4.86
Typical Alcohol Prices in Punta Arenas
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Punta Arenas:
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Alcohol$7.34
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Recife and Punta Arenas, we can see that Recife is more expensive. And not only is Punta Arenas much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Punta Arenas would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Punta Arenas 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 Punta Arenas.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Recife Expensive? and Is Punta Arenas Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Recife or Punta Arenas?
Recife has a larger population, and is about 10 times larger than the population of Punta Arenas. When comparing the sizes of Recife and Punta Arenas, 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.
When is the best time to visit Recife or Punta Arenas?
Both places have a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. As both cities are in the southern hemisphere, summer is in January and winter is in July.
Should I visit Recife or Punta Arenas in the Summer?
The summer brings many poeple to Recife as well as Punta Arenas.
In the summer, Recife is much warmer than Punta Arenas. Typically, the summer temperatures in Recife in January average around 26°C (79°F), and Punta Arenas averages at about 11°C (52°F).
The sun comes out a lot this time of the year in Punta Arenas. People are often attracted to the plentiful sunshine in Recife this time of the year. In the summer, Recife often gets more sunshine than Punta Arenas. Recife gets 246 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Punta Arenas receives 208 hours of full sun.
Recife receives a lot of rain in the summer. Recife usually gets more rain in January than Punta Arenas. Recife gets 108 mm (4.3 in) of rain, while Punta Arenas receives 39 mm (1.5 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Summer Average Temperatures JanuaryRecife 26°C (79°F)Punta Arenas 11°C (52°F)
Should I visit Recife or Punta Arenas in the Autumn?
Both Punta Arenas and Recife are popular destinations to visit in the autumn with plenty of activities.
In April, Recife is generally much warmer than Punta Arenas. Daily temperatures in Recife average around 26°C (79°F), and Punta Arenas fluctuates around 7°C (44°F).
Recife usually receives more sunshine than Punta Arenas during autumn. Recife gets 185 hours of sunny skies, while Punta Arenas receives 119 hours of full sun in the autumn.
It's quite rainy in Recife. In April, Recife usually receives more rain than Punta Arenas. Recife gets 338 mm (13.3 in) of rain, while Punta Arenas receives 36 mm (1.4 in) of rain each month for the autumn.
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Autumn Average Temperatures AprilRecife 26°C (79°F)Punta Arenas 7°C (44°F)
Should I visit Recife or Punta Arenas in the Winter?
Both Punta Arenas and Recife during the winter are popular places to visit.
The weather in Punta Arenas can be very cold. Recife is much warmer than Punta Arenas in the winter. The daily temperature in Recife averages around 24°C (76°F) in July, and Punta Arenas fluctuates around 1°C (35°F).
In the winter, Recife often gets more sunshine than Punta Arenas. Recife gets 170 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Punta Arenas receives 70 hours of full sun.
It rains a lot this time of the year in Recife. Recife usually gets more rain in July than Punta Arenas. Recife gets 388 mm (15.3 in) of rain, while Punta Arenas receives 30 mm (1.2 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Winter Average Temperatures JulyRecife 24°C (76°F)Punta Arenas 1°C (35°F)
Should I visit Recife or Punta Arenas in the Spring?
The spring attracts plenty of travelers to both Recife and Punta Arenas.
In the spring, Recife is much warmer than Punta Arenas. Typically, the spring temperatures in Recife in October average around 25°C (77°F), and Punta Arenas averages at about 7°C (44°F).
In Recife, it's very sunny this time of the year. Recife usually receives more sunshine than Punta Arenas during spring. Recife gets 247 hours of sunny skies, while Punta Arenas receives 183 hours of full sun in the spring.
In October, Recife usually receives more rain than Punta Arenas. Recife gets 63 mm (2.5 in) of rain, while Punta Arenas receives 29 mm (1.1 in) of rain each month for the spring.
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Spring Average Temperatures OctoberRecife 25°C (77°F)Punta Arenas 7°C (44°F)
Typical Weather for Punta Arenas and Recife
| Recife | Punta Arenas | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | |
| Jan | 26°C (79°F) | 108 mm (4.3 in) | 11°C (52°F) | 39 mm (1.5 in) |
| Feb | 26°C (80°F) | 148 mm (5.8 in) | 11°C (52°F) | 28 mm (1.1 in) |
| Mar | 26°C (80°F) | 257 mm (10.1 in) | 9°C (48°F) | 30 mm (1.2 in) |
| Apr | 26°C (79°F) | 338 mm (13.3 in) | 7°C (44°F) | 36 mm (1.4 in) |
| May | 25°C (78°F) | 319 mm (12.5 in) | 4°C (39°F) | 42 mm (1.7 in) |
| Jun | 25°C (77°F) | 378 mm (14.9 in) | 2°C (35°F) | 28 mm (1.1 in) |
| Jul | 24°C (76°F) | 388 mm (15.3 in) | 1°C (35°F) | 30 mm (1.2 in) |
| Aug | 24°C (75°F) | 205 mm (8.1 in) | 3°C (37°F) | 30 mm (1.2 in) |
| Sep | 24°C (76°F) | 122 mm (4.8 in) | 5°C (40°F) | 24 mm (0.9 in) |
| Oct | 25°C (77°F) | 63 mm (2.5 in) | 7°C (44°F) | 29 mm (1.1 in) |
| Nov | 26°C (79°F) | 36 mm (1.4 in) | 9°C (48°F) | 32 mm (1.3 in) |
| Dec | 26°C (79°F) | 57 mm (2.2 in) | 11°C (51°F) | 29 mm (1.1 in) |
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.