Which place is cheaper, Cusco or Santiago?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Santiago or Cusco?
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 Santiago and Cusco. 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: Santiago or Cusco?
Santiago
Santiago is the capital city of Chile. It is centrally located in the long and narrow country, making it a good jumping off point to explore everywhere else. It's convenient location means that you can go skiing in the Andes one day, and hang out at the beach the next.
Santiago has a cool semi-arid climate that is similar to Mediterranean climates. The summers, which are between November and March, are warm and dry. The temperatures climb to around 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The winters, between June and August, are humid with cold mornings. The daily highs are around 55 degrees Fahrenheit and the lows stay a few degrees above freezing. Rain is more common in the winter months and the dry season is between December and March.
Cusco
Cusco is most famous as the historic capital of the Inca Empire. It is in the southern Sierras and is one of the most popular travel destinations within Peru. The city is located at 3,400 meters above sea level so it is best to acclimate yourself slowly to avoid altitude sickness.
Cusco is the starting point for many travelers making their way to the famed Machu Picchu or other Inca sites in the surrounding area.
The city is very beautiful and has impressive architecture throughout. The history is obvious as you walk around town and there are impressive ruins nearby, with the most impressive being Sacsayhuaman. The city also has a significant indigenous population that is obvious from their traditional clothing and style.
Cusco has a subtropical highland climate with a pleasant daytime temperature year around. There are two distinct seasons with the dry season being between May and August and the wet season between December and March. During the dry season there is plenty of sun with occasional nighttime freezes. Frost is less common in the wet season.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Chile, The Best 2-Week Tours in Chile, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Cusco, and The Best 3-Day Tours from Cusco.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per daySantiago $141Cusco $51
The average daily cost (per person) in Santiago is $141, while the average daily cost in Cusco is $51. 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 Santiago and Cusco in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personSantiago $110Cusco $23
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomSantiago $220Cusco $46
Compare Hotels in Santiago and Cusco
Looking for a hotel in Santiago or Cusco? 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: Santiago Hotel Prices and Cusco Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Santiago $5.41Cusco $10
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Santiago
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Santiago:
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Metro Ride$1.13
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Santiago
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Santiago:
- Arturo Merino Benítez Intl Airport: Shared Transfer: $24
- Private Santiago Airport to Santiago Transfer: $25
- Santiago Airport (SCL) to Santiago hotels - Arrival Transfer: $27
- Private Transfer from the Airport to Santiago City: $29
- Private Transfer From The Hotel in Santiago City To the Airport: $29
- Private Transfer: $31
- Departure Transfer - Hotel in Santiago to Santiago International Airport: $35
- Private Santiago Airport to Santiago Transfer: $35
- Arrival Transfer - Santiago International Airport to Hotel in Santiago: $35
- From Farellones/Valle Nevado Roundtrip Transfer: $35
- Valle Nevado Ski Day Trip with Hotel Transfers: $39
- Transfer in Private Minivan from Santiago Airport (SCL) - Santiago de Chile City: $49
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Cusco
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Cusco:
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Taxi Ride$1.09
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cusco
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Cusco:
- Transfers in Cusco: $6.00
- One-Way Cusco Airport Arrival Transfer: $6.12
- Cusco Airport Transfers: $8.00
- Private 1-Way Transfer to Velasco Astete Airport: $9.00
- One-Way Cusco Airport Arrival Transfer: $9.00
- One-Way Airport Transfer to Hotel: $9.50
- Pickup from Cusco airport and transfer to your hotel in Private vehicle: $9.52
- Cusco Airport Departure Transfer: $9.67
- Cusco Airport Arrival Transfer: $9.67
- Private Transfer From the Airport to your Hotel in Cuzco: $9.68
- Transfer Cusco Airport to your Hotel in Cusco: $10
- Transfer Hotel to Airport in Cusco | Private Service |: $10
Is it cheaper to fly into Santiago or Cusco?
Prices for flights to both Cusco and Santiago 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 daySantiago $13Cusco $13
Typical Food Prices in Santiago
Some typical examples of dining costs in Santiago are as follows:
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Empanada$1.89
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Hamburger$2.50
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Dinner$26
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Santiago
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Santiago.
- Sunset Winery Tour with Wine Tastings and Dinner: $45
- Sunset at Alyan Family Wines Winery with Dinner: $92
- Traditional Dinner Show in Santiago: $107
- Dinner Show in Bali Hai: $109
- Small-Group Tour: Night City Tour with Santa Lucia Hill and Dinner Show: $116
- Private Market Tour and Traditional Chilean Cooking Class in a Local Home: $117
- Small-Group Night City Tour: San Cristobal Hill and Dinner Show: $120
- San Cristobal Hill Night Tour with Dinner Show: $129
- Private Tour: Santiago at Night with Dinner and Show: $131
- Private Night City Tour with San Cristobal Hill And Dinner Show: $131
- 4-Hour Private Night Tour with Dinner and Show: $150
- Private Dinner and Show with Transfers: $158
Typical Food Prices in Cusco
Some typical examples of dining costs in Cusco are as follows:
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Sandwich$2.17
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Mango$0.54
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cusco
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Cusco.
- Folkloric Andean Show & 3-Course Dinner at Tunupa: $15
- Small-Group Virtual Peruvian Cooking Experience: $25
- 3-Hour Peruvian Cooking Class: $49
- Cusco Tunupa Restaurant Folk Show with Dinner : $49
- Cusco Cooking Class by ChocoMuseo in Cusco: $50
- Market Tour & Traditional Peruvian Cooking Class in Cusco: $53
- Fully hands-on High End Peruvian Cooking Class & San Pedro Market Guided Visit: $55
- Vegetarian Cooking Class, Local Market Tour in Cusco: $59
- Peruvian Cooking Class and Local Market in Cusco: $59
- Cusco Cooking Classes and San Pedro Market Tour: $59
- Peruvian Cooking Class and Local Market Tour: $63
- Peruvian Cooking Class & Market Tour: $65
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Santiago $47Cusco $29
Tours and Activities in Santiago
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Santiago are as follows:
- Explore Santiago's Soul: Walking In-App Audio Tour: $5.00
- Explore Santiago's Soul: Walking In-App Audio Tour: $5.00
- Santiago Cathedral's Bell Tower Official Tour: $9.00
- La Paz from the Heights: Down hill Walking tour & Cable Cars: $12
- Cable Car Admission Ticket: $15
- Cousiño Macul Official Winery Tour with Tasting: $23
- "Tour Tradicional" Viña Cousiño Macul Oficial español: $23
- Skip the Line: Concha y Toro Traditional Tour Ticket: $25
- Walking tour through Santiago: $26
- From Valle Nevado and Farellones Small Group Tour: $29
- History Walking Tour in Chile: $29
- Half Day tradicional city Tour: $30
Typical Entertainment Prices in Cusco
Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Cusco are as follows:
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Salsa Class$2.71
Tours and Activities in Cusco
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Cusco are as follows:
- Free Walking Tour of Cusco: $2.00
- Guided Walking Tour in English with Local Guide: $5.00
- Cusco : Half Day City Tour: $9.00
- Combined city tour cusco: $10
- Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary Admission Ticket: $10
- Cusco City Tour: $10
- Cusco City Tour including Sacsayhuaman Koricancha and Tambomachay: $10
- CUSCO CITY TOUR 2024 Half Day Tour in Cuzco: $10
- Cusco City Half-Day Tour: $12
- City tours Cusco: $12
- Open-Top Bus City Tour: $12
- Open Bus Tour of the City’s Wonder’s: $12
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one daySantiago $8.41Cusco $9.56
Sample the Local Flavors in Santiago
Also in Santiago, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Premium Wine Tour in Viña Cousiño Macul Spanish official: $37
- Undurraga Winery Tour with Entry and Wine Tasting: $50
- Concha y Toro Ticket and Tour with Wine Tasting: $50
- Undurraga Wine Tasting Tour from Santiago: $62
- Undurraga Wine tour: $63
- Half Day Trip to Undurraga Vineyard from Santiago - Wine Tasting Included: $70
- From Concha y Toro Marqués Half-Day Wine Tasting: $89
- Private Tour: Undurraga Vineyard Experience with Premium Wine Tasting: $92
- half day wine tour to concha y toro from Santiago seasonal offer: $95
- From Maipo Valley Wine Tour: $99
- Maipo Valley Wine Tour with 4 vineyards from Santiago.: $99
- Private Tour: Viña del Mar and Valparaíso Tour with Wine Tasting in Casablanca Valley: $143
Sample the Local Flavors in Cusco
Also in Cusco, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Cusco Pub Crawl - Bar Tour Cusco : $18
- Cusco Pub Crawl: Cusco Bar Hopping Experience : $18
- Exclusive Pub Crawl with 10+ benefits: $18
- Pub Crawl with Skip-the-Line Access and Drinks: $18
- Exclusive Pub Crawl with more than 10 Benefits: $25
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Santiago and Cusco, we can see that Santiago is more expensive. And not only is Cusco much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Cusco would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Cusco 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 Santiago would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Santiago than you might in Cusco.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Santiago Expensive? and Is Cusco Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Santiago or Cusco?
Santiago has a larger population, and is about 20 times larger than the population of Cusco. When comparing the sizes of Santiago and Cusco, 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.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.