Should you visit San Sebastian or Pontevedra?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between San Sebastian or Pontevedra, 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 Sebastian
San Sebastián is a city in northern Spain very well known for its summertime fun in the sun. While the streets are cool and happening at night, they take on a different charm by day. Beautiful beaches line the city's edge, right next to elegant historic architecture and churches, topping charts as some of the best city beaches in Europe. The food, too, is said to be some of the best with traditional Basque cuisine as well as the popular pintxo (tapas) bites. San Sebastián is a place of lively culture, teeming with beauty, flavors, and colors.
Pontevedra
An important port city with a medieval past, Pontevedra sits on the northwestern coast of Spain where the Lerez River opens out into the ocean. It is a part of the Galicia region and is known for its seafood, charming plazas, and old world architecture that include a number of chapels, churches, and cathedrals.
Which city is cheaper, Pontevedra or San Sebastian?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in San Sebastian is €72, while the average daily cost in Pontevedra is €96. 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 Sebastian and Pontevedra in more detail.
Accommodation
A hotel room in San Sebastian is about €64 This assumes double occupancy and modest accommodations.
The prices for places to stay in Pontevedra can vary by date, location, and type. Generally, the average cost for accommodation per person is €49, while a typical double-occupancy hotel room for two people will cost around €98.
Food
While meal prices in San Sebastian can vary, the average travelers spends about €25 per day on food. Based on the spending habits of previous travelers, when dining out, an average meal in San Sebastian should cost around €10 per person. Breakfast prices are usually a little cheaper than lunch or dinner. The price of food in sit-down restaurants in San Sebastian is often higher than fast food prices or street food prices.
The average traveler spends about €34 per day in Pontevedra 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 Sebastian €25
Pontevedra €34
Typical Food prices in San Sebastian
Some typical examples of dining costs in San Sebastian are as follows:
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Dinner for 2
€55
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Lunch for 2
€10
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Lunch for 2
€31
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in San Sebastian
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in San Sebastian.
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Accessible Cooking Class:
$308
Typical Food prices in Pontevedra
For Pontevedra, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
Local Transportation
The average price of local transportation around San Sebastian is €11 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 Pontevedra than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend €18 on transportation in Pontevedra on average per day.
Is it cheaper to fly into San Sebastian or Pontevedra?
Prices for flights to both Pontevedra and San Sebastian 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 Sebastian'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 expenses in Pontevedra, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of €15 per day, per person.
Typical Entertainment prices in San Sebastian
Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in San Sebastian are as follows:
Tours and Activities in San Sebastian
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for San Sebastian are as follows:
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Daily Pintxos Tour for Gourmets:
$118
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Mysterious Urgull Hill: San Sebastian Walking and History Tour:
$45
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Pintxos Tasting Paired with Spanish Wines Experience:
$81
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Private San Sebastian City Walking Tour:
$62
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San Sebastian Vegetarian Pintxos Tasting Tour:
$81
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San Sebastian Walking Tour with Pintxo and a Drink:
$44
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Game of Thrones Dragonstone Experience:
$448
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Game of Thrones Dragonstone Experience - PREMIUM:
$746
Tours and Activities in Pontevedra
For Pontevedra, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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Pontevedra Unveiled (walking tour):
$19
Alcohol
The average person spends about €16 on alcoholic beverages in San Sebastian per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.
Typically, people visiting Pontevedra spend on average €16 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
Sample the Local Flavors in San Sebastian
Also in San Sebastian, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
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Ultimate San Sebastian Pintxos & Wine Tour (Evening):
$136
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between San Sebastian and Pontevedra, we can see that Pontevedra is more expensive. And not only is San Sebastian much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to San Sebastian would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in San Sebastian 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 Pontevedra would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Pontevedra than you might in San Sebastian.
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