A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Rio de Janeiro vs. Castries for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Rio de Janeiro or Castries?

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

Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Rio de Janeiro and Castries 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: Rio de Janeiro or Castries?

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 Luxury Tours to Brazil, and The Best Budget Tours to Brazil.


Which place is cheaper, Castries or Rio de Janeiro?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

The average daily cost (per person) in Rio de Janeiro is $122, while the average daily cost in Castries is $186. 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 Rio de Janeiro and Castries in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Rio de Janeiro $67
    Castries $100
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Rio de Janeiro $134
    Castries $200
Compare Hotels in Rio de Janeiro and Castries

Looking for a hotel in Rio de Janeiro or Castries? 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 Rio de Janeiro


Hotels in Castries


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: Rio de Janeiro Hotel Prices and Castries Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Rio de Janeiro $8.10
    Castries $25
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Rio de Janeiro

Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Rio de Janeiro:


  • Taxi Ride
    $2.98

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Rio de Janeiro

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Rio de Janeiro:

  • Private One Way Transfer to or from Rio: $19
  • Private Transfer from Rio de Janeiro Airport (SDU): $20
  • Private Transfer to Rio de Janeiro Airport (SDU): $20
  • Private Transfer Economic GIG / SDU up to 4 pax to South Zone: $26
  • One Way Shared Transfer from Airport to hotels in Rio de Janeiro: $27
  • Transfer: Galeão Airport(GIG) to Rio de Janeiro City: $29
  • Transfer:Rio de Janeiro City Center -Galeão Airport (GIG): $29
  • Transfer from Rio de Janeiro Galeao International Airport: $32
  • Private One-way Airport Transfer From Galeao Airport To Rio: $36
  • Rio de Janeiro Private Transfer One Way: $44
  • Transfer in Rio: $45
  • Shared Transfer Rio x Isla Grande (Villa do Abraão): $49

Is it cheaper to fly into Rio de Janeiro or Castries?

Prices for flights to both Castries and Rio de Janeiro 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
    Rio de Janeiro $35
    Castries $66
Typical Food Prices in Rio de Janeiro

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Rio de Janeiro:


  • Popcorn
    $0.60
  • Corn on the Cob
    $0.79
  • Hamburger
    $0.99

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.

  • Vegan Rio Cooking Class: Hands-On Moqueca & Caipirinhas: $55
  • Guided Dinner in Rio at a Restaurant of Your Choice: $70
  • Food Tour Rio de Janeiro - The Best Typical Brazilian Dishes: $79
  • Rio: Copacabana Food Tour with 7 Tastings and Local Flavors: $81
  • Family Cooking Class in Rio Make 9 Brazilian Dishes Together: $95
  • Rio Food Tour: Local Favorites, Hidden Gems & Brazilian Flavors: $96
  • Folklore show Ginga Tropical with Optional Dinner: $97
  • Roxy Show - Brazilian Rhythms with optional Barbecue Dinner: $103
  • Brazilian Dinner Show: Cultural Experience in Rio de Janeiro: $115
  • Rio de Janeiro : Official Roxy Dinner Show - Dinner + Show: $129
  • Brazilian Cooking Class in Copacabana with Hotel Pickup: $140
  • 3-Hour Brazilian Cooking Class in Rio de Janeiro: $195

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Rio de Janeiro $22
    Castries $27

Tours and Activities in Rio de Janeiro

Here are a few actual costs in Rio de Janeiro for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • Rio de Janeiro(Ipanema-Copacabana)Scavenger Hunt Self-Guided Tour: $4.53
  • Rio de Janeiro (Urca) Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $4.53
  • Rio de Janeiro Self-Guided Audio Tour: $6.00
  • Self-Guided Audio Tour-Story of Bossanova: Rhythm and soul of Rio: $6.72
  • Self-Guided Audio Tour - Imperial Rio: $6.72
  • Rio de Janeiro Audio Guided Walking Tour 3h00 and 24 reviews: $7.40
  • Discover A Guided Tour: $8.27
  • A Self-Guided Black History Audio Tour of Rio de Janeiro’s Little Africa: $12
  • Self-Guided Tour of Rio's Journey from Colonialism to Democracy: $20
  • Authentic Rocinha Favela Walking Experience with a Local Guide: $20
  • Private guided tour in Rio de Janeiro: $20
  • Skip the Line Maracana Stadium Entrance Ticket: $23

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Rio de Janeiro $12
    Castries $11

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:

  • Lapa by Night: Samba, Cachaça & The Ultimate Rio Pub Crawl: $30
  • More than a Pub Crawl: An Authentic Night Experience in Rio: $33
  • Dance the Night Away at a Pedra do Sal Bar Crawl: $38
  • Petropolis City Tour with Imperial Museum and Optional Lunch & Bohemia Brewery: $47
  • Brazilian Wine Tasting Evening: $123


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Rio de Janeiro and Castries, we can see that Castries is more expensive. And not only is Rio de Janeiro much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Rio de Janeiro is in South America and Castries is in Caribbean Islands, 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 Castries would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Castries 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 Rio de Janeiro Expensive? and Is Castries Expensive?.