Which place is cheaper, Rio de Janeiro or Rhodes?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Rhodes or Rio de Janeiro?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Rhodes and Rio de Janeiro. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.
Where Should I go: Rhodes or Rio de Janeiro?
Rhodes
Rhodes Island is one of the largest and most visited islands in Greece both because of its diversity of sights and its wonderful climate. On the island are some beautiful beaches, well preserved historic sights, and lovely towns. Rhodes City is the capital city on the island of Rhodes and is famous as the former site of the Colossus. Colossus is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and the oldest inhabited medieval town in Europe. Today Rhodes City has an interesting old town that is surrounded by the medieval wall. Inside you'll find countless souvenir shops and restaurants that cater to tourists. Cruise ships also frequent the island, so it's best visited during the off season when the crowds may be slightly less. You will also find that prices drop when the crowds are thinner and the cruise ships are scarce.
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is the most popular travel destination in Brazil. It is the second largest city in Brazil and the sixth largest in the Americas. A portion of the city has been designated a World Heritage Site. It's also famous for Carnival, it's gorgeous beaches, and world-famous landmarks. Rio's appeal as a travel destination is apparent year round due to the great weather and plenty of fun activities. The city has a wonderful natural harbor that is surrounded by Sugar Loaf Mountain, Corcovado Peak, and the hills of Tijuca, creating an absolutely breathtaking and awe-inspiring setting.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 2-Week Tours in Greece, The Best Bicycle Tours in Greece, The Best 10-Day Tours in Brazil, and The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Brazil.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayRhodes €135Rio de Janeiro €98
The average daily cost (per person) in Rhodes is €135, while the average daily cost in Rio de Janeiro is €98. 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 Rhodes and Rio de Janeiro in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personRhodes €58Rio de Janeiro €62
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomRhodes €116Rio de Janeiro €124
Compare Hotels in Rhodes and Rio de Janeiro
Looking for a hotel in Rhodes or Rio de Janeiro? 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: Rhodes Hotel Prices and Rio de Janeiro Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Rhodes €48Rio de Janeiro €7.43
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Rhodes
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Rhodes:
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Taxi Ride€7.00
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Rhodes
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Rhodes:
- Rhodes Airport Transfer to Rhodes Town city or Faliraki (ONE WAY: $55
- Airport Transfer - From/To Airport - From/To Rhodes: $53
- Diagoras Airport: Private One-Way Transfer to/from Rhodes: $39
- East Coast Bay to Bay Full-Day Boat Trip with Transfers: $71
- From Lindos Round-Trip Bus Transfer with Free Time: $28
- Lindos Day Cruise from Rhodes Town with Swimming stops and Hotel Transfers: $55
- Lindos comfortable Transfer with aprx 5hrs Free Time: $22
- Lindos: Transfer to Lindos with 4-Hour Stop (Small Group): $24
- One Way Private Airport Transfers Rhodes Island: $60
- One Way Private Transfer Rhodes Airport to / from Ialyssos - Ixia: $24
- One Way Shuttle Transfer Rhodes Airport to / from Ialyssos-Ixia: $14
- Private One Way Rhodes Airport Transfer To or From Rhodes: $12
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Rio de Janeiro
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Rio de Janeiro:
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Taxi Ride€2.73
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Rio de Janeiro
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Rio de Janeiro:
- 2025 Sambadrome Carnival Parade: Transfer Included Sector 5: $471
- 2025: Rio Carnival Parade at Sapucaí with Transfer Sector 7: $471
- A transfer with safety and comfort in Rio: $45
- Airport Private Transfer - Premium Service: $65
- Airport Transfer: Rio de Janeiro to Airport GIG by Luxury Van: $125
- All Private Transfer from Rio de Janeiro to Ilha Grande: $275
- All-You-Can-Eat Brazilian Churrascaria in Rio de Janeiro with Transfer: $80
- Angra dos Reis Shared Transfer From Rio de Janeiro: $53
- AquaRio Small Group Guided Tour with entrance and transfer: $60
- Arraial do Cabo Private Transfer From Rio de Janeiro: $123
- Arraial do Cabo Shared Transfer From Rio de Janeiro: $54
- Arrival Private Transfer GIG or SDU Airport to Rio City by Minivan: $91
Is it cheaper to fly into Rhodes or Rio de Janeiro?
Prices for flights to both Rio de Janeiro and Rhodes 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 dayRhodes €47Rio de Janeiro €19
Typical Food Prices in Rhodes
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Rhodes:
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Coffee€1.95
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Dinner for Two€23
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Rhodes
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Rhodes.
- All Inclusive Sunset Cruise with Dinner & Unlimited Aperol Spritz, Beer, Wine: $44
- Rhodes Sunset Cruise - Dinner with Live Music set: $44
- Sunset Catamaran Cruise with Dinner: $54
- Guided Rhodes City By Night with Live Music & Dinner: $70
- Rhodes by Night With Dinner - Laterna: $72
- Food & Wine Tour: 11- Course Lunch, Cooking Class, Wine Tasting: $75
- Vine & Dine Tale: 11-Plate Lunch, Wine Discovery, Cooking Mastery: $76
- Sunset Cruise w/ Gourmet Dinner, Drinks & Live Music: $77
- Rhodes Wine & Food Tour: 10 Meal Course Lunch, Wine Tasting, Cooking Class : $86
- Traditional Greek COOKING class and Wine Tasting in Rhodes: $86
- Winery Tour, Tasting and cooking with the Winemaker in Rhodes: $87
- Rhodes Exclusive Sunset Cruise incl. Gourmet Dinner, Drinks, Sax!: $88
Typical Food Prices in Rio de Janeiro
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Rio de Janeiro:
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Popcorn€0.55
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Corn on the Cob€0.73
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Hamburger€0.91
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Rio de Janeiro
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Rio de Janeiro.
- Waterfront Dinner & Live Music Experience: $46
- Barra da Tijuca Food Tour with Drinks: $73
- THE BEST FOOD TOUR: $80
- Dinner & Rio Scenarium Nightclub Admission with Transfer: $85
- 9-Recipe Boozy Brazilian Cooking Class: $85
- Brazilian Meats and Snacks + South American Wines Guided Dinner: $89
- Food Tour Rio de Janeiro - The Best Typical Brazilian Dishes: $92
- Rio Scenarium Entrance, Dinner, and Open Bar: $106
- Rio Bar Food Tour with a Local: $113
- Rio Scenarium: Fast Track Entrance, Dinner & Open Bar: $115
- Brazilian Cooking Class: $129
- Samba Show Admission & Transfer with Dinner Option: $130
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Rhodes €19Rio de Janeiro €20
Tours and Activities in Rhodes
Here are a few actual costs in Rhodes for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Rhodes Old Town Highlights Self-Guided Treasure Hunt & Tour: $7.00
- Escape Game and Tour: $7.00
- Palace of the Grand Master Admission Ticket: $11
- Palace of the Grand Master E-Ticket & Optional Audio: $11
- Self-Guided Audio Tour: $11
- Rhodes Town: Yellow Submarine Cruise with Underwater Views: $11
- Rhodes Town: 45’ Semi-Submarine Cruise with Drinks Included: $11
- Medieval City Self-Guided Game & Tour: $12
- The Palace of the Grand Master. Self-guided Audio Tour: $13
- Throne of Helios: The History of Rhodes 9D Experience: $14
- Submarine Cruise with Underwater Views from Rhodes: $16
- Lindos Bus Tour with Free Time to Explore: $16
Tours and Activities in Rio de Janeiro
Here are a few actual costs in Rio de Janeiro for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Self-Guided Audio Tour - Santa Teresa: the staircase: $6.99
- Rio de Janeiro (Ipanema & Copacabana) Self-Guided Tour: $7.73
- Rio de Janeiro (Urca) Scavenger Hunt and Self-Guided Tour: $7.73
- Salvador Sights Self Guided Tour (Pelourinho): $7.78
- Rio de Janeiro (Urca) Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $7.89
- Rio de Janeiro Self-Guided Audio Tour: $9.00
- A Self-Guided Black History Audio Tour of Rio de Janeiro’s Little Africa: $9.99
- Self-Guided Audio Tour-Story of Bossanova: Rhythm and soul of Rio: $10
- Self-Guided Audio Tour - Imperial Rio: $10
- Hiking Experience to Pedra do Telégrafo: $10
- Favela tour in copacabana with local guide!: $10
- Ticket to the match at maracanã of Flamengo: $10
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayRhodes €12Rio de Janeiro €11
Sample the Local Flavors in Rhodes
Also in Rhodes, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Private Wine Tasting Experience for Beginners: $38
- Rhodian Wines - Private Wine Tasting Under a Sommelier: $54
- 1 Day Rhodes Island Tour with Olive Oil, Honey and Wine Tasting : $55
- Enchanting Lindos, Old Town, History, Culture & Wine Tour: $56
- Rhodes Shore Excursion Including Olive Oil, Honey & Wine Tasting: $59
- Full Day Rhodes Island Tour with Wine Tasting Experience: $60
- Wine tasting in Rhodes, inside the vineyards with the Producer: $60
- Rhodes Island Tour: Lindos, Old Town, Pottery Workshop, Wine Tasting : $60
- Full-Day Rhodes Island Tour with Wine Tasting Experience: $63
- Private Wine Tasting Experience for Wine Lovers: $65
- Rhodes Deluxe Tour including Lindos, Old Town, Wine Tasting : $65
- Full-Day Сomprehensive Tour of Rhodes including Wine Tasting : $67
Sample the Local Flavors in Rio de Janeiro
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Rio de Janeiro:
- Rio: Pub Crawl in Lapa with Cachaça Tasting and Live Samba: $33
- Pub Crawl in Lapa: $34
- Rio de Janeiro Pub Crawl (Lapa district): $35
- Petropolis City Tour with Imperial Museum and Optional Lunch & Bohemia Brewery: $40
- Petropolis Bohemia: Historic tour and visit to the Bohemian Brewery: $60
- Walking tour + Pub crawl + Samba in Lapa: $65
- Petropolis City Tour + Bohemia Brewery + Lunch: $77
- Petrópolis City and Brewery Bohemia Tour - Best of Rio's Mountains: $110
- Brazilian Wine Tasting Evening: $110
- Rio: Sitio Burle Marx and Cachaça Distillery Private Tour: $132
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Rhodes and Rio de Janeiro, we can see that Rhodes is more expensive. And not only is Rio de Janeiro much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Rhodes is in Europe and Rio de Janeiro 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 Rio de Janeiro would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Rio de Janeiro 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 Rhodes would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Rhodes than you might in Rio de Janeiro.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Rhodes Expensive? and Is Rio de Janeiro Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Rhodes or Rio de Janeiro?
Rio de Janeiro has a larger population, and is about 10 times larger than the population of Rhodes. When comparing the sizes of Rhodes and Rio de Janeiro, 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.