Which city is cheaper, Rovaniemi or Saint Petersburg?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Saint Petersburg vs. Rovaniemi for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons
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Should you visit Saint Petersburg or Rovaniemi?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Saint Petersburg or Rovaniemi? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Saint Petersburg or Rovaniemi?
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a beautiful city that sits on the eastern edge of the Baltic Sea. Its historical city center is threaded with canals and architecturally impressive buildings, leaving little doubt as to why this city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the second largest city in Russia, but perhaps a favorite among travelers. The metropolitan area has a population of over 5 million as well as an impressive culture with fascinating museums, restaurants, and architecture. The city has no shortage of sights and attractions, and many days can be passed while you wander its intricate streets.
Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi is the capital of Lapland, in northern Finland. Almost totally destroyed during World War II, today it's a modern city known for being the "official" home town of Santa Claus, and for viewing the Northern Lights. It's home to Arktikum, a museum and science center exploring the Arctic region and the history of Finnish Lapland. The Science Centre Pilke features interactive exhibits on northern forests.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per daySaint Petersburg $62Rovaniemi $148
The average daily cost (per person) in Saint Petersburg is $62, while the average daily cost in Rovaniemi is $148. 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. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Saint Petersburg and Rovaniemi in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personSaint Petersburg $35Rovaniemi $80
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomSaint Petersburg $70Rovaniemi $160
Compare Hotels in Saint Petersburg and Rovaniemi
Looking for a hotel in Saint Petersburg or Rovaniemi? 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: Saint Petersburg Hotel Prices and Rovaniemi Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Saint Petersburg $7.14Rovaniemi $27
Typical Local Transportation prices in Saint Petersburg
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Saint Petersburg:
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Metro Passes$1.64
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Saint Petersburg
Also for Saint Petersburg, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Private Airport Transfer: from St Petersburg to Pulkovo Airport (LED): $28
- St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport (LED) to hotel - Arrival Private Transfer: $36
- St. Petersburg to St.Petersburg Pulkovo Airport - Departure Private Transfer: $36
- Private Transfer from Peterhof Palace to St. Petersburg City Center: $36
- Private Transfer from St. Petersburg City Center to Peterhof Palace: $37
- Departure Private Transfer St Petersburg City to Pulkovo Airport LED - LuxuryVan: $39
- Departure Private Transfer St. Petersburg to Pulkovo Airport LED by Business Car: $61
- St Petersburg Airport Transfers : St Petersburg to Airport LED by Business Car: $63
- St Petersburg Transfer from city hotels or Cruise port to Pulkovo Airport (LED): $68
- Departure Private Transfer St Petersburg City to Pulkovo Airport LED - LuxuryCar: $80
- St Petersburg Departure Private Transfers from St Petersburg City to Airport LED: $84
- St Petersburg Airport Transfers : St Petersburg to Airport LED in Luxury Van: $89
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Rovaniemi
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Rovaniemi:
- VIP Transfer Rovaniemi and Airport: $56
- Ultra - Rovaniemi Private Airport Transfer - Rovaniemi Airport to City Centre: $9.41
- Ultra - Rovaniemi Private Airport Transfer - City Centre to Rovaniemi Airport: $8.71
- Transfer in Lapland from Railway station, hotels, airport to Kakslauttanen: $524
- Transfer Rovaniemi-Ranua / Ranua-Rovaniemi: $187
- Transfer Rovaniemi - Tromso: $1,120
- Transfer Rovaniemi - Kiruna or Kiruna - Rovaniemi: $809
- Transfer Rovaniemi - Kakslautanen: $498
- Transfer Rovaniemi - Ivalo: $547
- Transfer Rovaniemi - Abisko, Björkliden, Riksgränsen: $796
- Transfer Pyhä/Luosto-Rovaniemi or Rovaniemi-Pyhä/Luosto: $311
- Transfer Levi/Kittilä - Rovaniemi or Rovaniemi - Levi/Kittilä: $435
Is it cheaper to fly into Saint Petersburg or Rovaniemi?
Prices for flights to both Rovaniemi and Saint Petersburg 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 daySaint Petersburg $18Rovaniemi $40
Typical Food prices in Saint Petersburg
For Saint Petersburg, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Lunch for Two$5.64
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Saint Petersburg
For Saint Petersburg, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Enjoy Russian Delicacies in St Petersburg: Cooking Demo and Meal with a Local: $80
- Private Dining: Russian dinner in a traditional St. Petersburg apartment: $91
- Cooking Class and a Dinner with a Local Family (8 people max): $92
- Off-the-tourist Path Food Tour: $103
- Local Market Tour and Cooking Demo with a Homemade Russian Meal in St Petersburg: $107
- Borscht and cabbage pie cooking class and dinner for small private groups: $109
- FOOD TOUR. St.Petersburg: $150
- Private Cooking Class: Learn the secrets of Borsch and Beef Stroganoff: $166
- Private Cooking Class: Russian Blini with Red Caviar and Shchi soup: $179
- Private Cooking Class: Russian Shchi soup and Blini with Red Caviar: $187
- Private Cooking Class: Hands-on Siberian Pelmeni Making Workshop: $188
- Private Cooking Class: Siberian Pelmeni, Stolichny salad and Borsch: $212
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Rovaniemi
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Rovaniemi.
- Northern Lights Hunt in a local Kota in Rovaniemi with Dinner: $111
- Snow Hotel Tour and Ice Restaurant Dinner: $135
- Lappish evening in the Wilderness with dinner: $156
- Lappish Cooking Master Class: $156
- Traditional Lappish evening in the wilderness with dinner: $167
- Best Of Lapland: Sauna, Ice swimming, Dinner & Northern Lights: $172
- Northern Lights Experience with Ice Hotel Visit and Traditional Dinner: $190
- Arctic Snowcastle with Dinner in Ice Restaurant: $190
- Snow Sauna Experience with Dinner: $192
- The Taste of Lapland (Cooking & Aurora Hunting): $197
- Lappish Food Tour with Dili: $274
- Full Day Lapland Tour, including Lunch and Dinner: $310
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Saint Petersburg $18Rovaniemi $41
Tours and Activities in Saint Petersburg
For Saint Petersburg, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- 2-Day Small-Group Visa-Free Tour - Top Highlights of St Petersburg: $20
- 1.5-Hours Saint Petersburg's Metro Tour Hidden Treasures: $25
- Mini-Group 2-Day Shore Excursion of St Petersburg Must-Sees and Boat Cruise: $25
- Saint Petersburg Drawbridges Tour: $41
- Half Day Walking Tour Well Courtyards Tour in Saint Petersburg: $44
- Guided Tour Peter and Paul Fortress, Cathedral and Prison: $56
- Private Tours: $64
- Half Day Bike City Tour in Saint Petersburg: $75
- Private Tour of "Erarta" Galleries: $76
- St Petersburg Communist walking tour + Museum of Russian political history: $77
- Evening River and Canal Cruise Visas Included: $86
- Revolutionary Petersburg City Tour: $86
Tours and Activities in Rovaniemi
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Rovaniemi are as follows:
- 1-Hour Snowmobile Safari Experience: $93
- 4-Hour Northern Lights Mushing Experience in Rovaniemi: $210
- 5 days, 4 nights Santa ClauSs tour to Rovaniemi, Finland: $2,903
- All Day Canoe Adventure to Rovaniemi: $236
- All Day Fishing Adventure: $187
- All Day Reindeer Adventure: $198
- Arctic Circle: Special Northern Lights Hunting Tour by minibus: $78
- Arctic River Fishing Tour: $177
- Aurora Borealis Tour: $96
- Aurora Hunting Photo Tour with Barbeque: $67
- Authentic Reindeer Farm and Canoe Experience from Rovaniemi (Small Group): $156
- Backcountry skiing adventure: $143
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one daySaint Petersburg $9.49Rovaniemi $18
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Saint Petersburg and Rovaniemi, we can see that Rovaniemi is more expensive. And not only is Saint Petersburg much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Saint Petersburg would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Saint Petersburg 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 Rovaniemi would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Rovaniemi than you might in Saint Petersburg.
When is the best time to visit Saint Petersburg or Rovaniemi?
Both places have a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. As both cities are in the northern hemisphere, summer is in July and winter is in January.
Should I visit Saint Petersburg or Rovaniemi in the Summer?
The summer brings many poeple to Saint Petersburg as well as Rovaniemi.
In the summer, Saint Petersburg is a little warmer than Rovaniemi. Typically, the summer temperatures in Saint Petersburg in July are around 18°C (64°F), and Rovaniemi is about 15°C (60°F).
The sun comes out a lot this time of the year in Rovaniemi. People are often attracted to the plentiful sunshine in Saint Petersburg this time of the year. In the summer, Saint Petersburg often gets less sunshine than Rovaniemi. Saint Petersburg gets 267 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Rovaniemi receives 304 hours of full sun.
Saint Petersburg usually gets more rain in July than Rovaniemi. Saint Petersburg gets 77 mm (3 in) of rain, while Rovaniemi receives 50 mm (2 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Summer Average Temperatures JulySaint Petersburg 18°C (64°F)Rovaniemi 15°C (60°F)
Should I visit Saint Petersburg or Rovaniemi in the Autumn?
Both Rovaniemi and Saint Petersburg are popular destinations to visit in the autumn with plenty of activities.
It's quite cold in Rovaniemi in the autumn. In October, Saint Petersburg is generally much warmer than Rovaniemi. Temperatures in Saint Petersburg average around 6°C (42°F), and Rovaniemi stays around 2°C (36°F).
Saint Petersburg usually receives less sunshine than Rovaniemi during autumn. Saint Petersburg gets 70 hours of sunny skies, while Rovaniemi receives 82 hours of full sun in the autumn.
In October, Saint Petersburg usually receives around the same amount of rain as Rovaniemi. Saint Petersburg gets 65 mm (2.6 in) of rain, while Rovaniemi receives 64 mm (2.5 in) of rain each month for the autumn.
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Autumn Average Temperatures OctoberSaint Petersburg 6°C (42°F)Rovaniemi 2°C (36°F)
Should I visit Saint Petersburg or Rovaniemi in the Winter?
Both Rovaniemi and Saint Petersburg during the winter are popular places to visit.
Be prepared for some very cold days in Rovaniemi. It's quite cold in Saint Petersburg in the winter. Saint Petersburg is much warmer than Rovaniemi in the winter. The temperature in Saint Petersburg is usually -8°C (18°F) in January, and Rovaniemi stays around -12°C (10°F).
In the winter, Saint Petersburg often gets more sunshine than Rovaniemi. Saint Petersburg gets 22 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Rovaniemi receives 19 hours of full sun.
Saint Petersburg usually gets less rain in January than Rovaniemi. Saint Petersburg gets 38 mm (1.5 in) of rain, while Rovaniemi receives 44 mm (1.7 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Winter Average Temperatures JanuarySaint Petersburg -8°C (18°F)Rovaniemi -12°C (10°F)
Should I visit Saint Petersburg or Rovaniemi in the Spring?
The spring attracts plenty of travelers to both Saint Petersburg and Rovaniemi.
Rovaniemi can get quite cold in the spring. Be prepared for some very cold days in Saint Petersburg. In the spring, Saint Petersburg is much warmer than Rovaniemi. Typically, the spring temperatures in Saint Petersburg in April are around 4°C (40°F), and Rovaniemi is about -1°C (31°F).
Saint Petersburg usually receives around the same amount of sunshine as Rovaniemi during spring. Saint Petersburg gets 180 hours of sunny skies, while Rovaniemi receives 194 hours of full sun in the spring.
In April, Saint Petersburg usually receives more rain than Rovaniemi. Saint Petersburg gets 33 mm (1.3 in) of rain, while Rovaniemi receives 29 mm (1.1 in) of rain each month for the spring.
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Spring Average Temperatures AprilSaint Petersburg 4°C (40°F)Rovaniemi -1°C (31°F)
Typical Weather for Rovaniemi and Saint Petersburg
| Saint Petersburg | Rovaniemi | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | |
| Jan | -8°C (18°F) | 38 mm (1.5 in) | -12°C (10°F) | 44 mm (1.7 in) |
| Feb | -7°C (20°F) | 31 mm (1.2 in) | -12°C (11°F) | 32 mm (1.3 in) |
| Mar | -2°C (28°F) | 34 mm (1.3 in) | -7°C (19°F) | 35 mm (1.4 in) |
| Apr | 4°C (40°F) | 33 mm (1.3 in) | -1°C (31°F) | 29 mm (1.1 in) |
| May | 11°C (52°F) | 37 mm (1.5 in) | 6°C (43°F) | 31 mm (1.2 in) |
| Jun | 16°C (60°F) | 55 mm (2.2 in) | 13°C (55°F) | 41 mm (1.6 in) |
| Jul | 18°C (64°F) | 77 mm (3 in) | 15°C (60°F) | 50 mm (2 in) |
| Aug | 16°C (62°F) | 80 mm (3.1 in) | 13°C (56°F) | 63 mm (2.5 in) |
| Sep | 11°C (52°F) | 69 mm (2.7 in) | 8°C (46°F) | 63 mm (2.5 in) |
| Oct | 6°C (42°F) | 65 mm (2.6 in) | 2°C (36°F) | 64 mm (2.5 in) |
| Nov | 0°C (32°F) | 54 mm (2.1 in) | -4°C (24°F) | 58 mm (2.3 in) |
| Dec | -5°C (24°F) | 48 mm (1.9 in) | -10°C (15°F) | 42 mm (1.7 in) |
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