A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Santorini vs. Arequipa for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Santorini or Arequipa?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

If you're trying to decide where to visit between Santorini or Arequipa, this travel comparison, which includes costs, can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison down below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.

Where Should I go: Santorini or Arequipa?

Santorini

Santorini is a volcanic island that is part of the Cyclades group of the Greek Islands. It has some spectacular views, beautiful sunsets, and excellent beaches. As one of the most popular of the Greek Islands to visit, Santorini sees many tourists every year. However, it's for a good reason, as the famous white-washed buildings that spill down the hill, some with blue domes that match the gorgeous color of the water, are set against the beautiful mountainous backdrop of one of the most scenic areas of the Mediterranean. Home to several of these small and scenic towns such as Oia, Kamari, Perissa, and Fira, visitors can explore the large island, enjoy delicious food, swim at the beaches, hike the hills, and sail the blue waters.

Arequipa

Sitting in the middle of the Misti, Chachani and PichuPichu volcanoes of Peru is the enchanting city of Arequipa. With 468 years of history, the city is full of Spanish colonial architecture. Known to locals as the "white city," the city center, Plaza de Armas, is quite the sight with buildings of sillar white stone made from the rocks of the surrounding volcanoes.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Luxury Tours to Greece, The Best Budget Tours to Greece, The Best Sightseeing Tours in Peru, and The Best Cultural Tours in Peru.


Which place is cheaper, Arequipa or Santorini?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

  • Santorini Prices
    Greece Prices
    Arequipa Prices
    Peru Prices
  • Average Daily Cost Per person, per day
    Santorini €250
    Arequipa €54

The average daily cost (per person) in Santorini is €250, while the average daily cost in Arequipa is €54. 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 Santorini and Arequipa in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Santorini €118
    Arequipa €22
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Santorini €236
    Arequipa €44
Compare Hotels in Santorini and Arequipa

Looking for a hotel in Santorini or Arequipa? 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 Santorini


Hotels in Arequipa


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: Santorini Hotel Prices and Arequipa Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Santorini €35
    Arequipa €5.70

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Santorini

Also for Santorini, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Arrival Private Transfer Santorini Airport JTR To Athinios Port: $73
  • Arrival Private Transfer from Santorini Airport to Athinios Port: $47
  • Arrival Transfer Santorini Airport to Athinios Por by Suv: $36
  • Departure Private Transfer Anthinios Port to Santorini Airport: $47
  • Departure Transfer To Santorini Airport: $18
  • Economy Departure Transfers To Santorini Airport: $15
  • Express Private Transfer Service in Santorini: $14
  • Ferry Transfer Between Santorini and Paros: $82
  • Helicopter Transfer between Mykonos & Santorini: $5,960
  • Luxury Private Transfers in Santorini: $24
  • Luxury Santorini Catamaran Cruise: Lunch, BBQ, Drinks, Transfers: $137
  • Luxury Small-Group Catamaran Cruise with BBQ, Open bar & Transfer: $160

Typical Local Transportation Prices in Arequipa

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


  • Taxi Ride
    €1.28
  • Bus Ride
    €0.41
  • Taxi Ride
    €0.90

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Arequipa

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Arequipa:

  • Private Transfer From Arequipa To Puno With a 2 Hour Stop: $253
  • 3 Day Trek Including Transfer to Puno / Colca Canyon: $214
  • 2 Days Colca Canyon Tour with Transfer to Puno: $138
  • 2-Day Colca Canyon Tour with optional transfer to Puno: $135
  • Colca Canyon + Transfer To Puno: $103
  • Colca Canyon 2 days from Arequipa with final transfer to Puno: $85
  • Colca Canyon full day tour with transfer to Puno: $80
  • Koh Lanta any hotel to Krabi airport Private transfer: $78
  • Colca Canyon Day Trip with Transfer to Puno: $65
  • Arequipa Airport Private Transfer: $38
  • Private Transfer from Arequipa Airport to hotels: $30
  • transfer Airport - Hotel: $21

Is it cheaper to fly into Santorini or Arequipa?

Prices for flights to both Arequipa and Santorini 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
    Santorini €96
    Arequipa €22

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Santorini

For Santorini, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Santorini Cooking Class with Wine Tasting: $90
  • Santorini Sunset Sailing Cruise with Greek BBQ Dinner: $92
  • Farm to Table Food Tour Experience in Santorini: $92
  • Santorini Cooking Lesson with Chef and a Bottle of Wine: $103
  • Cooking Class and Wine Tasting in Santorini: $103
  • The Aegean Cooking Class at Ftelos Brewery: $114
  • Award-Winning Santorini Cooking Class with Greek Chef: $121
  • Luxury Santorini Sunset Cruise: Dinner, BBQ, Open Bar, Transfers: $126
  • Cooking Class in Traditional cave house in Santorini!: $126
  • Cooking Class with Private Chef - prepare & enjoy local menu: $126
  • Santorini Volcano Sunset Cruise with Dinner: $128
  • Santorini Food Tour: Fira Half-Day Small-Group Tour with Tastings: $143

Typical Food Prices in Arequipa

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Arequipa:


  • Coke
    €0.39
  • Lunch
    €2.70
  • Ice Cream
    €1.03
  • Fruit
    €0.77
  • Ice Cream
    €0.90

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Arequipa

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Arequipa.

  • Cooking Class at La Plantation: $36
  • Peruvian Cooking Experience in Arequipa: $43
  • Peruvian Cooking Class in arequipa: $50
  • Arequipa Nights Food Tour with 15+ Tastings: $59
  • Peruvian Cooking Class: $63
  • Arequipa Food Tour: Ancestral Cuisine & City Tour: $70
  • Arequipa Food Tour Experience: $115
  • Food Tour Gastronomic Guided: $119

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Santorini €35
    Arequipa €17

Tours and Activities in Santorini

Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Santorini.

  • Fira Audio Guided Walking Tour 1h00 and 16 audio reviews: $6.75
  • Private Self-Guided Audio Tour in Santorini: $9.15
  • Authentic A Self-Guided Audio Tour of Oia: $9.99
  • Guided Art Tour Contemporary Art Meets a Quiet Santorini Village: $17
  • Self-Guided Treasure Hunt Adventure in Oia Santorini: $22
  • Kayak Rental Adventure in Watersports Santorini: $23
  • Ticket for Akrotiri Archaeological Site: $32
  • Sunset Cruise Santorini Volcano: $34
  • Santorini Volcano and Hot Springs Cruise Tour from Fira Old Port: $34
  • Santorini Volcano & Sunset Caldera Cruise: $34
  • Santorini Shore Excursion: Private Tour with Port Pickup Options: $34
  • Santorini Volcano Cruise with Free Time in Thirasia from Athinios: $34

Typical Entertainment Prices in Arequipa

Here are a few typical costs in Arequipa for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:


  • Monastery Entry
    €2.57
  • Salsa Class
    €2.57
  • Movie Ticket
    €2.80
  • Hot Springs
    €2.57

Tours and Activities in Arequipa

Here are a few actual costs in Arequipa for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • 2 Day - Colca Canyon and Condor Tour from Arequipa, Peru - Group Service: $288
  • 2 Days Climbing Volcano Chachani Tour, Conquer Your First 6,070m: $200
  • 2 Days of Natural Experience in the Colca Canyon: $150
  • 2 days 1 night Colca Canyon tour ending in Puno: $145
  • 2-Day Hiking Tour to the Colca Canyon: $120
  • 2-Day Tour to the Magical Colca Canyon: $68
  • 3 Hour Congata Rover Biking Ride Tour in Arequipa: $50
  • 3-day Colca Canyon Trek Tour Adventure: $90
  • 8-Hours Tour in Arequipa Laguna de Salinas with Pick-up: $30
  • Afternoon : Arequipa Walking tour: $55
  • All inclusive Full day tour Colca Canyon: all Meals & Entrances: $94
  • Arequipa 2 day tour to Colca Canyon and Cruz del Cóndor: $44

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Santorini €25
    Arequipa €15

Sample the Local Flavors in Santorini

Also in Santorini, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:

  • Santorini Highlights Small-Group Tour with Wine Tasting option: $63
  • Santorini Wine Tasting and Wine Pairing: $69
  • Santorini Wine & Village Experience–Megalochori &Wine Tasting(4h): $92
  • Caldera Views, Cliffside Villages, and Santorinian Wine Tasting: $97
  • Premium Wine Tasting with Caldera Views: $102
  • Oia Art Walk Quiet Lanes and Wine Tasting in a Captain's House: $109
  • Santorini Wine Tasting and Wine Museum: $120
  • Santorini Wine Tour with sunset in Oia: $126
  • 4 Hour Blue Domes Tour with Wine Tasting in Santorini: $143
  • Santorini Wine Tour in two or three Wineries: $154
  • Santorini wine tasting and Traditional Cave Settlement Tour: $160
  • Private Highlights Tour with Wine Tasting 4 or 5hour duration: $166

Typical Alcohol Prices in Arequipa

Some typical examples of the costs for nightlife and alcohol in Arequipa are as follows:


  • Beer
    €2.31

Sample the Local Flavors in Arequipa

Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Arequipa:

  • Arequipa Pub Crawl - Bar & Nightclub Tour: $18


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

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


Which is Bigger, Santorini or Arequipa?

Arequipa has a larger population, and is about 40% larger than the population of Santorini. When comparing the sizes of Santorini and Arequipa, 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.