Should you visit Santorini or Monaco?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between Santorini or Monaco, 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.
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.
Monaco
Monaco is a small city-state that is completely surrounded by France. The Italian Riviera is only a few kilometers to the east and the country enjoys a wonderful, Mediterranean climate. Monaco is also the second smallest independent state in the world, with the Vatican being the smallest. It is six times as large of the Vatican and also the world's most densely populated independent country. It is entirely urban and a fun place to spend a few days.
Which city is cheaper, Monaco or Santorini?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Santorini is €131, while the average daily cost in Monaco 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. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Santorini and Monaco in more detail.
Accommodation
The prices for places to stay in Santorini can vary by date, location, and type. Generally, the average cost for accommodation per person is €66, while a typical double-occupancy hotel room for two people will cost around €132.
Monaco's average price for two people sharing a typical double-occupancy hotel room is €188. A typical place to stay for one person, per day is €94.
Food
In Santorini travelers spend around €38 a day on food. You can save money by choosing casual restaurants or food stalls, or you can spend plenty more by dining in nicer restaurants at every meal.
On average, meal and food prices in Monaco cost around €43 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 €17.
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Food
Meals for one day
Santorini €38
Monaco €43
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Santorini
For Santorini, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
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Santorini Caldera: Sunset Cruise with Dinner:
$56
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Wine & Food Tour:
$69
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A taste of Mediterranean Cuisine Dinner:
$86
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Santorini Volcano and Thirassia Sunset Dinner Cruise:
$92
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Fira: 4-Hour Walking Food Tour With Tastings:
$100
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Akrotiri Easy Hike, Beach Visit and Cooking Class:
$106
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Santorini : Sunset Sea Kayak & Snorkel with Dinner:
$118
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Santorini : Cooking Class, Easy Hike, and Snorkeling:
$131
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Santorini Sunset Fishing Trip with Dinner and Drinks:
$154
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Santorini Cooking Class with Wine Tasting & Lunch:
$177
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Santorini Cooking Class and Wine-Tasting Tour:
$177
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5-Hour Food Tour w/ Minibus:
$194
Local Transportation
Public transportation tends to be much less expensive in Santorini than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend €23 on transportation in Santorini on average per day.
The average price of local transportation around Monaco is €14 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.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Santorini
Also for Santorini, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Helicopter Transfer between Mykonos & Santorini:
$3,542
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Oia Sunset: Evening Shuttle Transfer and Free Time:
$16
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Premium Santorini Private Day Tour Lagoon 450, BBQ, drinks, transfer:
$933
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Santorini Airport Hotels Transfer Shuttle Bus Service:
$28
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Santorini Airport Transfer to Fira or Imerovigli:
$56
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Santorini Airport and Ferry Ports Shared Transfer:
$10
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Santorini Private Ride Transfer Services:
$65
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Santorini Taxi Service & Airport, Hotel and Port Transfers:
$65
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Santorini transfer service:
$17
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Airport, Port, and Hotels Minibus Transfer:
$8.07
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Private Deluxe Transfer:
$86
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Transfer Service:
$12
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Monaco
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Monaco:
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Private transfer: Monaco Airport (MCM) to Monaco:
$622
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Between Monaco and Nice: Single Helicopter Transfer:
$199
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Monaco Private Transfer from Monaco-Ville to Nice Airport:
$174
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Nice Airport Transfers : Monaco City to Nice Airport NCE in Luxury Car:
$157
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Nice Airport Transfers : Monaco City to Nice Airport NCE in Luxury Van:
$124
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Departure Private Transfers from Monaco City to Nice Airport NCE in Luxury Van:
$118
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Nice Airport Transfers : Monaco City to Nice Airport NCE in Business Car:
$108
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Departure Private Transfers from Monaco City to Nice Airport NCE:
$98
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Monaco Transfer: Monaco Cruise Port to Nice Airport:
$80
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Private Departure Transfer from Monaco Hotels to Nice Airport:
$65
Is it cheaper to fly into Santorini or Monaco?
Prices for flights to both Monaco 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.
Entertainment
Sightseeing expenses in Santorini, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of €29 per day, per person.
Monaco's costs for entertainment, tickets, attractions, and tours will often cost around €18 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.
Tours and Activities in Santorini
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Santorini.
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Firostefani & Oia Village Minibus Panoramic Tour:
$22
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Minibus Panoramic Sightseeing Tour:
$23
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Unique Oia's Sunset Tour in Santorini:
$30
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Santorini-Unique Oia’s Sunset Tour:
$31
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Royalty Unique Oia’s Sunset Tour in Santorini:
$31
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Mesa Gonia, Pyrgos and Oia Tour:
$33
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From Nea Kameni and Hot Springs 4-Hour Tour:
$38
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Archaeological Bus Tour To Akrotiri Excavations & Red Beach:
$40
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Island Bus Tour: The Majestic Spots Of Santorini:
$44
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3 Hour Santorini Walking Tour with Hotel Pickup:
$50
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Santorini Volcano and Thirassia Islands Tour:
$51
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Volcanic Sunset Cruise:
$54
Typical Entertainment prices in Monaco
Here are a few typical costs in Monaco for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
Tours and Activities in Monaco
Here are a few actual costs in Monaco for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
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3 hours Deluxe Sightdriving tour:
$926
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30 Minute Ferrari California T Sports Car Experience from Monaco:
$290
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Beautiful Nice only for you sightseeing from Monaco:
$648
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Cannes, Antibes and Nice Private Tour from Monaco:
$750
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Cities of artists in Provence sightseeing tour from Monaco:
$778
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Double Supercar Driving Experience from Monaco:
$1,004
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French Riviera Tour:
$1,021
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Full Day Monaco-Monte Carlo Tour with a Driver:
$965
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Group tour of French Riviera from the port of Monaco/Monte-Carlo:
$112
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Guided tour “Love stories of Monte Carlo”:
$496
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Lamborghini Sports Car Experience from Monaco:
$211
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Magic Christmas Tour in Monaco:
$764
Alcohol
Alcoholic beverages can often be a significant portion of a traveler's budget, and the costs can vary greatly from person to person. In Santorini, the average amount that a visitor spends on alcoholic beverages per day is €21.
While the amount that someone spends on alcohol while visiting Monaco may vary from person to person, on average a person spends €21 per day on alcoholic beverages.
Sample the Local Flavors in Santorini
Also in Santorini, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
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5-Hour Santorini Tour with Wine Tasting:
$59
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Private Wine Tasting in a Winery With Caldera View:
$65
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Santorini Highlights Tour with Wine Tasting:
$69
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4-Hours Santorini Vothonas Village Tour with Wine Tasting:
$89
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Half-Day Santorini Tour Vothonas Village with Wine Tasting:
$93
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Authentic Santorinian Tour at Vothonas Village with Wine Tasting:
$93
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Santorini Small-Group Wine Tour:
$98
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Sunset and Wine Tasting Tour by Electric Bike:
$100
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Santorini-Wine Tour Αround Megalochori Village:
$111
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Santorini Small Group Tour with Wine Tasting:
$115
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Santorini-Wine Tour Around Megalochori Village:
$117
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Santorini-Wine Tour Around Megalochori Village:
$124
Sample the Local Flavors in Monaco
Also in Monaco, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
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Authentic Wine Tasting Experience:
$48
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Monaco Shore Excursion: Private Tour of Nice and Eze with Wine Tasting:
$657
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Private St-Jeannet, St-Paul-de-Vence, and Wine Tour from Monaco:
$843
When comparing the travel costs between Santorini and Monaco, we can see that Monaco is more expensive. However, the two cities are actually relatively comparable in price, as the difference is somewhat minimal. Generally, this means that you could travel with generally the same travel style and level of luxury in each place. Since both cities are in Europe, it's no surprise that their costs are relatively close, as many destinations here have somewhat similar travel prices overall.
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