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

Should you visit Roatan or Puerto Montt?

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 Roatan and Puerto Montt. 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: Roatan or Puerto Montt?

Roatan

Your next great vacation lies just thirty miles off the north coast of Honduras. Right above the world's largest coral reef is the island of Roatan. As a popular tourist attraction and standard cruise destination, it's not uncommon to see tons of Americans during your trip. In fact, the cruising industry has had huge impact on the island's culture. While ships are in port, traffic will be heavier and prices may go up. Because of the growth of tourism, most locals speak both Spanish and English.

Puerto Montt

The Lake District is a region of snow capped volcanoes, pale green lakes and endless miles of virgin and ancient forests. Found 1,016 km away from Santiago de Chile, Puerto Montt is famous for its beautiful lakes and its germanic architecture, old wooden houses and its legendary Iglesia Catedral, found on the town's main square, la Plaza de Armas. The monument, entirely built with alerce (cypress) wood, is the oldest building of the city. The capital of the Lake Region is a good starting point for many memorable excursions in the area.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Adventure Tours to Honduras, The Best Adventure Tours to Honduras, The Best Tours for Seniors to Chile, and The Best G Adventures Tours to Chile.


Which place is cheaper, Puerto Montt or Roatan?

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 Roatan is $42, while the average daily cost in Puerto Montt is $104. 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 Roatan and Puerto Montt in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Roatan $11
    Puerto Montt $61
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Roatan $22
    Puerto Montt $122
Compare Hotels in Roatan and Puerto Montt

Looking for a hotel in Roatan or Puerto Montt? 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 Roatan


Hotels in Puerto Montt


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: Roatan Hotel Prices and Puerto Montt Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Roatan $18
    Puerto Montt $6.42
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Roatan

Some typical examples of transportation costs in Roatan are as follows:


  • Water Taxi
    $4.00

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Puerto Montt

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Puerto Montt:

  • Puerto Montt Departure Transfer from Hotel: $23
  • Puerto Montt Airport Arrival Transfer to Hotel in Puerto Varas: $24
  • Puerto Montt Airport Arrival Transfer to Hotel: $25
  • Cruce Andino Office Transfer to or from Puerto Montt: $32
  • Puerto Montt Shuttle Transfer: $37
  • Puerto Montt to Puerto Varas English private Guided Transfer: $40
  • Puerto Varas to Puerto Montt Airport (PMC) - Private Transfer: $42
  • Puerto Tepual Airport (PMC) to Puerto Varas - Arrival Transfer: $42
  • Puerto Montt Airport(PMC) to Frutillar - Arrival Private Transfer: $47
  • Puerto Montt - Puerto Varas Airport English private transfer: $50
  • Transfer from Puerto Montt Airport to Puerto Varas: $50
  • Puerto Montt Airport (PMC) to Puerto Varas City- Arrival Transfer: $63

Is it cheaper to fly into Roatan or Puerto Montt?

Prices for flights to both Puerto Montt and Roatan 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
    Roatan $15
    Puerto Montt $37

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Roatan $26
    Puerto Montt $14

Tours and Activities in Roatan

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

  • Monkeys and sloths, private tour , and beach: $89

Tours and Activities in Puerto Montt

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

  • Private Tour of Puerto Montt with Stops : $38
  • Half day Llanquihue and Frutillar City tour : $44
  • Osorno Volcano and Petrohué Falls Guided Tour: $62
  • Explore Peulla Full Day Tour from Puerto Montt : $64
  • Tour Osorno Volcano and Petrohue Jumps / English: $68
  • Shore Excursion: Osorno Volcano Private Tour from Puerto Montt: $70
  • Osorno Volcano and National Park Shore Tour for Cruisers : $90
  • Puerto Varas: Puerto Montt & Puerto Varas Private City Tour: $90
  • Alerce Andino National Park/Alerce Millenario/Cruises: $105
  • Petrohué Falls Osorno Volcano Pto Varas Sightseeing Driver Only: $130
  • Tagua Tagua Lake and Wild Patagonia Tour: $133
  • Chiloé Island Full Day Experience Castro, Ancud, Dalcahue & Lunch: $189

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Roatan $6.64
    Puerto Montt $4.49


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

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


Which is Bigger, Roatan or Puerto Montt?

Puerto Montt has a larger population, and is about 20 times larger than the population of Roatan. When comparing the sizes of Roatan and Puerto Montt, 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.