Should you visit San Pedro or Quepos?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between San Pedro or Quepos, this travel cost comparison can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.
San Pedro
San Pedro is the largest town on Ambergris Caye, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Belize. Here you can find a tropical paradise with warm weather, clear blue waters, plenty of activities such as snorkeling and scuba diving, and a host of hotels, restaurants, and other amenities.
Quepos
Quepos is both a district and the capital of Aguirre canton in the Puntareanas Province of Costa Rica. The town is quite small, and the district has a population of about 22,000 people. Quepos is a popular tourist destination in Costa Rica due to its close proximity to Manuel Antonio National Park on the Pacific Coast. The town's economy is centered around tourism and there is no shortage of bars and restaurants in the area. The town also has a lively nightlife for such a small community.
Which city is cheaper, Quepos or San Pedro?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in San Pedro is $108, while the average daily cost in Quepos is $76. 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 San Pedro and Quepos in more detail.
Accommodation
A hotel room in San Pedro is about $106 This assumes double occupancy and modest accommodations.
Double occupancy rooms typically run around $98 in Quepos For nicer amenities and a premiere location, you can expect to pay a bit more.
Food
On average, meal and food prices in San Pedro cost around $32 per person, per day. While this price can vary widely by location, the type of restaurant, and the amount of food ordered, a typical meal often costs around $13.
The average traveler spends about $20 per day in Quepos for food, but obviously this is dependent on the type of restaurant and the amount of food ordered. To save money you can grab a lighter lunch or dinner, or you can try fast food or street food.
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Food
Meals for one day
San Pedro $32
Quepos $20
Typical Food prices in Quepos
For Quepos, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Lunch
$12
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Seafood Dinner (for 1)
$16
Local Transportation
The average price of local transportation around San Pedro is $27 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.
Quepos's transportation costs can vary by the type of transport chosen by visitors. Naturally, taxis and private drivers cost much more than public transportation options. On average, visitors spend $6.26 per person, per day on transportation in Quepos.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in San Pedro
Some specific examples of transportation prices in San Pedro:
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Cave Tubing Adventure Air Transfer:
$255
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Quepos
Also for Quepos, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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One-Way Private Transfer from Uvita to Quepos - Manuel Antonio:
$140
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Private transfer from Manuel Antonio Quepos to Hotels in San Jose or the Airport:
$201
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Manuel Antonio to SJO International Airport - Private Transfer:
$209
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Private transfer from Uvita to Hotels in San Jose or the Airport:
$234
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Private Transfer From Manuel Antonio To La Fortuna From 1 to 6 passengers:
$275
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Private Transfer From Manuel Antonio To La Fortuna From 7 to 10 passengers:
$289
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One-Way Private Transfer from Quepos - Manuel Antonio to La Fortuna:
$333
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One-Way Private Transfer from Quepos - Manuel Antonio to Puerto Jiménez:
$333
-
Private Transfer From Manuel Antonio To La Fortuna From 11 to 15 passengers:
$453
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Transfer from Manuel Antonio to Puerto Viejo Limón:
$490
Is it cheaper to fly into San Pedro or Quepos?
Prices for flights to both Quepos and San Pedro 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
San Pedro's costs for entertainment, tickets, attractions, and tours will often cost around $27 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, admission tickets, things to do, and other entertainment expenses in Quepos can vary widely by price. On average, visitors spend around $11 per person, per day on entertainment and sightseeing here.
Tours and Activities in San Pedro
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for San Pedro are as follows:
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Altun Ha Cave Tubing and Zip line Tours from San Pedro Ambergris Caye:
$220
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Ambergris Caye Sunset Sail Tour on the 40' Sirena Azul Sailboat:
$62
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Belize Hol Chan Marine Reserve & Shark Ray Alley Snorkel Tour - Ambergris Caye:
$107
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Cave Tubing and Zip line Adventure from San pedro Ambergris caye:
$208
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Cave Tubing and Zipline Adventure:
$190
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Caves Kayaking Zipline Experience from Ambergris Caye San Pedro:
$142
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Crossing the highlands: From Cusco to Puno or Viceversa - Private tour:
$421
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Hol Chan Marine Reserve Snorkel Tour on the 40' Sirena Azul Sailboat:
$67
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Jungle Tour in the City - from San Jose:
$45
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Mexico Rocks Snorkel Tour on the 40' Sirena Azul Sailboat:
$67
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The Best of San Jose Walking Tour:
$509
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The best of San Pedro Town walking tour:
$496
Tours and Activities in Quepos
For Quepos, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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Manuel Antonio National Park Tour with pick up included:
$25
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Private Hiking, Nature and Discovery Tour in Quepos:
$28
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Private Tour to Manuel Antonio Park and it's Amazing Wildlife:
$33
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Manuel Antonio with Mauro / FULLY PRIVATE TOUR:
$35
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Espadilla Private Reserve jungle night tour with pick up included:
$39
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Manuel Antonio Jungle Night Research Experience in Costa Rica:
$50
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Sloth Tour Manuel Antonio National Park:
$50
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guided community tour (certified):
$54
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Manuel Antonio National Park Tour:
$55
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Manuel Antonio National Park Tour:
$56
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Damas Island Boat tour:
$56
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Manuel Antonio Park Nature Guided Tour:
$56
Alcohol
The average person spends about $13 on alcoholic beverages in San Pedro per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.
Typically, people visiting Quepos spend on average $9.59 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between San Pedro and Quepos, we can see that San Pedro is more expensive. And not only is Quepos much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Quepos would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Quepos 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 San Pedro would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in San Pedro than you might in Quepos.
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