Should you visit Riga or Tallinn?
Should I visit Riga or Tallinn? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Riga
Riga is the vibrant capital city of Latvia. It continues to gain popularity as a tourist destination in part because it is the base for the airline Air Baltic. This affordable airline offers discount flights around Europe and most of these flights pass through Riga with a forced overnight layover. This encourages travelers to visit this fascinating city for at least a night or two.
Tallinn
Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is located on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. It has a population of more than 430,000 people and is a charming, yet cosmopolitan place to visit. The Old Town is at the center of the city's tourism, and the beauty and architecture is very impressive. The city's close proximity to Helsinki makes it a popular day trip from Finland, but cheap plane flights have also encouraged visitors from around Europe to spend several days in this city. In particular, summer months can become quite crowded.
Which city is cheaper, Tallinn or Riga?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Riga is €82, while the average daily cost in Tallinn is €74. 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 city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Riga and Tallinn in more detail.
Accommodation
If you're traveling alone, you may be able to find a budget hotel or hostel for around €42. But for two people in a standard two-person hotel room in Riga the cost is €84 on average.
The prices for places to stay in Tallinn can vary by date, location, and type. Generally, the average cost for accommodation per person is €40, while a typical double-occupancy hotel room for two people will cost around €80.
Food
Riga food costs typically run travelers around €26 per day. Eating every meal in a nicer restaurant will drive the cost up, and grabbing fast food or casual meals will help you save money.
Tallinn food costs typically run travelers around €25 per day. Eating every meal in a nicer restaurant will drive the cost up, and grabbing fast food or casual meals will help you save money.
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Food
Meals for one day
Riga €26
Tallinn €25
Typical Food prices in Riga
Some typical examples of dining costs in Riga are as follows:
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Riga
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Riga.
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Private Guided Virtual Food Tour of Riga:
$12
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Central Market Latvian Food Tour:
$34
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Riga Medieval Dinner:
$102
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Riga Medieval Dinner:
$102
Typical Food prices in Tallinn
For Tallinn, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Lunch for Two
€7.68
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Dessert
€1.15
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Tallinn
For Tallinn, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
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Estonian food tour in Tallinn:
$12
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Tallinn Sunset Dinner Cruise:
$73
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Tallinn Beer House Dinner:
$75
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Tallinn Russian Dinner:
$96
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Tallinn 3-Hour Estonian Food Tour:
$106
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Tallinn Food Tour with Round-trip Transfer Port-City:
$131
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Tallinn Segway and Food Tour:
$156
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Vegan Food Tours Tallinn:
$242
Local Transportation
The average price of local transportation around Riga is €12 per person, per day. As this average includes both taxis and public transport, keep in mind that the prices of private drivers and taxis are significantly more expensive than public transportation.
Public transportation tends to be much less expensive in Tallinn than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend €9.68 on transportation in Tallinn on average per day.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Riga
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Riga:
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Transfer service Riga airport:
$37
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Transfer from Riga to Tallinn:
$283
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Taxi Transfer:
$42
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Riga to Vilnius transfer with Sightseeing:
$347
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Riga to Tallinn transfer with Sightseeing:
$335
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Riga Tank Ride - 2 Hours - Guided with Return Transfers:
$1,192
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Riga Return Airport Transfer:
$66
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Riga Party Bus Airport Transfer:
$382
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Riga Limo Airport Transfer:
$133
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Riga International Airport RIX Luxury Van Private Departure Transfer:
$54
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Riga International Airport RIX Luxury Van Private Arrival Transfer:
$54
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Riga Airport to City Center Private Transfers:
$51
Typical Local Transportation prices in Tallinn
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Tallinn:
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Tram Around Town for Two
€1.66
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Tallinn
Also for Tallinn, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Ultra - Tallinn Private Transfer from Tallinn Cruise Port to City Centre:
$8.71
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Ultra - Tallinn Private Transfer from City Centre to Tallinn Cruise Port:
$8.71
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Private Airport Transfer: Tallinn Airport (TLL) to Tallinn:
$14
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Private Airport Transfer: from Tallinn to Tallinn Airport (TLL):
$14
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Private Arrival Transfer from Tallinn TLL Airport to Tallinn City:
$15
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Private Departure Transfer from Tallinn City to Tallinn TLL Airport:
$15
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Arrival Private Transfer Tallinn Airport (TLL) to Tallinn City:
$23
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Departure Private Transfer Tallinn City to Tallinn TLL by Car:
$23
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Private Tallinn TLL Airport - Tallinn City Round-Trip Transfer:
$29
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City Transfer Tallinn:
$33
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Tallinn TLL Airport Luxury Van Private Arrival Transfer:
$35
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Tallinn TLL Airport Luxury Van Private Departure Transfer:
$35
Is it cheaper to fly into Riga or Tallinn?
Prices for flights to both Tallinn and Riga 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.
Entertainment
Riga's costs for entertainment, tickets, attractions, and tours will often cost around €17 per person, per day. This cost can vary widely by the type of activity, however, as this includes admission tickets, day tours, museums, and other things to do.
Sightseeing expenses in Tallinn, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of €4.50 per day, per person.
Tours and Activities in Riga
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Riga are as follows:
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"Best of Riga" 6-hour Private Car & Walking Tour:
$373
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2 Day Gastronomy Tour In Latgale:
$267
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2 Day Gauja National Park Tour:
$199
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2 Day Kurzeme Winery Tour:
$224
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ATV-QUAD rent and guided tours:
$48
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All Inclusive Honest History Tour - Āraiši, Cēsis, Līgatne, Sigulda:
$248
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Alternative Riga Photoshoot Tour:
$49
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An audio tour of Old from St Peter's Church to the Monument of Freedom:
$5.00
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Art Nouveau Small Group Walking Tour of Riga:
$193
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Art Nouveau Walking Tour in Riga:
$57
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Beer Bike Experience:
$45
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Best of Riga Walking Tour:
$231
Tours and Activities in Tallinn
For Tallinn, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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Pioneer Street Art Tour in Tallinn Telliskivi Creative City:
$12
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Tallinn Self-Guided Audio Tour:
$15
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Tour to the Paljassaare Special Protection Area:
$16
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Skip the Line: Tallinn TV Tower Entrance Ticket:
$16
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Skip the Line: Tallinn Legends Interactive Museum Entrance Ticket:
$17
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Tallinn National Unity Tour on E-bike:
$19
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1-Hour Good Morning Tallinn Running Tour:
$19
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Tallinn TV Tower: Fast-Lane Ticket:
$19
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Tallinn Bay Sightseeing Cruise:
$22
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Tallinn Day Cruise: TOWERS OF TALLINN:
$22
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Tallinn Ghost and Legends Walking Tour:
$24
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Tallinn Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour:
$28
Alcohol
The average person spends about €16 on alcoholic beverages in Riga per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.
Typically, people visiting Tallinn spend on average €12 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
Sample the Local Flavors in Riga
Also in Riga, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
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Pub Crawl in Riga:
$37
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Pub Crawl- Your best night out in Riga with our local guide!:
$47
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Riga Public Pub Crawl:
$60
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Riga Happy Hour Pub Crawl:
$64
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Riga Brewery Tour:
$83
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Riga Brewery Tour:
$83
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Riga Beer Killer Bar Crawl:
$83
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Riga Wine Tasting Session:
$115
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Gauja National Park Tour: Castles and Wine Tasting:
$149
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Culinary, Historic and Wine Tour to Sigulda and Cesis:
$224
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Exclusive Latvian Wine Tasting In Riga:
$380
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1.5-Hour Latvian Wine Tasting Experience:
$476
Sample the Local Flavors in Tallinn
Also in Tallinn, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
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Pub Crawl:
$33
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Nudist Winery Wine Tasting and Winery tour in Tallinn:
$44
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Tallinn Brewery Fiesta:
$77
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Tallinn Guided Bar Crawl:
$77
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Tallinn Bar Crawl:
$85
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Tallinn Beer House Brewery Fiesta:
$90
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City tour Craft Brewery visit and tasting of craft beers ciders and cheeses:
$90
When comparing the travel costs between Riga and Tallinn, we can see that Riga is more expensive. However, the two cities are actually relatively comparable in price, as the difference is somewhat minimal. Generally, this means that you could travel with generally the same travel style and level of luxury in each place. Since both cities are in Europe, it's no surprise that their costs are relatively close, as many destinations here have somewhat similar travel prices overall.
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