Should you visit Santorini or Nice?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between Santorini or Nice, 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.
Nice
Nice, in the French Riviera, is one of the most popular destinations in France. It's located on the southeast coast along the Mediterranean Sea and is the second largest French city on the Mediterranean. It is an energetic city that attracts all types of vacationers from every age group and demographic. It's the 5th largest city in the country and is the capital of the Alpes Maritimes departement. The metropolitan area has a population of about 1 million.
Which city is cheaper, Nice 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 Nice is €105. 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 Nice 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.
The average price for accommodation for two people in Nice is €94. This is for two people sharing a typical double occupancy hotel room.
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.
The price of a meal in Nice can vary widely. However, the average price for food per day is €39 per person, and a typical meal will cost around €16 based on the spending of previous visitors. Less expensive dining options can be found by eating street food or at fast food restaurants.
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Food
Meals for one day
Santorini €38
Nice €39
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
-
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
-
Akrotiri Easy Hike, Beach Visit and Cooking Class:
$106
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Santorini : Sunset Sea Kayak & Snorkel with Dinner:
$118
-
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
-
Santorini Cooking Class and Wine-Tasting Tour:
$177
-
5-Hour Food Tour w/ Minibus:
$194
Typical Food prices in Nice
Some typical examples of dining costs in Nice are as follows:
-
Slushee
€2.50
-
Strawberries
€4.00
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Loaf of Bread
€3.20
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Nice
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Nice.
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Mamaz Social Food Lamb Dinner:
$38
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French dinner with a Mediterranean touch in the heart of Nice:
$44
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Mediterranean Cooking Class & Dinner with View of Nice:
$49
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Nice Food Tour:
$50
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Garden-Fresh Dinner with a View of Nice:
$54
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Provencal cuisine cooking class and meal in Nice:
$77
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Mediterranean fish dinner in Nice:
$79
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Nice Small-Group Walking Food Tour with Local Specialties & Wine Tasting:
$87
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Food Tour Specialities Half-day from Nice Small-Group:
$95
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Nice Small Group Half-Day Walking Food Tour with Lunch:
$100
-
Small-group French Cooking Experience in Saint-Jeannet:
$114
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Nice Afternoon Walking Food Tour with Dinner:
$118
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 Nice is €20 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:
-
Airport, Port, and Hotels Minibus Transfer:
$8.07
-
Santorini Airport and Ferry Ports Shared Transfer:
$10
-
Transfer Service:
$12
-
Oia Sunset: Evening Shuttle Transfer and Free Time:
$16
-
Santorini transfer service:
$17
-
Santorini Airport Hotels Transfer Shuttle Bus Service:
$28
-
Transfer from Santorini Airport&Port all destination except OIA up to 4 customer:
$37
-
Santorini Airport Transfer to Fira or Imerovigli:
$56
-
Santorini Private Ride Transfer Services:
$65
-
Santorini Taxi Service & Airport, Hotel and Port Transfers:
$65
-
Tour of Caldera on Sailing Boat & Bus Transfer:Volcano-Hot springs-Thirassia-Oia:
$75
-
Private Deluxe Transfer:
$86
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Nice
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Nice:
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Private Transfer Nice City or Nice Airport (NCE) to Venice , Italy:
$1,369
-
Nice Milan transfer:
$1,332
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Private Transfer Nice City or Nice Airport (NCE) to Bologna , Italy:
$1,120
-
Transfer from Les Baux de Provence to Nice Airport:
$889
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Your VIP transfer from Chambery Airport to Avoriaz (Mercedes V-class):
$746
-
Marseille Private Transfer:
$515
-
From Helicopter Transfer & Lunch in Monaco:
$495
-
Private Transfer from Nice or Nice Airport (NCE) to Le Castellet:
$435
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Private Transfer Nice City or Nice Airport (NCE) to La Ciotat:
$435
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Luxury transfer from Nice Airport to Valberg ski resort:
$411
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Nice - to Saint Tropez (French Riviera) Airport Transfers:
$375
-
Private Round-Trip Transfer to Monte Carlo from Nice with Lunch:
$365
Is it cheaper to fly into Santorini or Nice?
Prices for flights to both Nice 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.
Nice's costs for entertainment, tickets, attractions, and tours will often cost around €9.45 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
-
Minibus Panoramic Sightseeing Tour:
$23
-
Unique Oia's Sunset Tour in Santorini:
$30
-
Santorini-Unique Oia’s Sunset Tour:
$31
-
Royalty Unique Oia’s Sunset Tour in Santorini:
$31
-
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
Tours and Activities in Nice
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Nice are as follows:
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1-Hour Nice City Private Tour by Vintage Car:
$248
-
100% Nice - Private Premium Tour:
$834
-
2-Hour Nice Private Segway Tour:
$223
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2-Hour Private Walking Tour of Nice:
$210
-
3-Hour Private Bike Tour of Nice:
$56
-
3-Hour Segway Tour to Nice & Villefranche-sur-Mer:
$93
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4-Hour Cannes Private Tour by Classic Car from Nice:
$584
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4-Hour Nice City Tour:
$373
-
4-Hour Nice City Tour:
$373
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4-Hour Nice City Tour:
$373
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5-Hour Evening Tour to Monaco & Monte-Carlo:
$467
-
5-Hour Evening Tour to Monaco & Monte-Carlo:
$467
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.
The average person spends about €13 on alcoholic beverages in Nice per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.
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
-
Private Wine Tasting in a Winery With Caldera View:
$65
-
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
-
Authentic Santorinian Tour at Vothonas Village with Wine Tasting:
$93
-
Santorini Small-Group Wine Tour:
$98
-
Sunset and Wine Tasting Tour by Electric Bike:
$100
-
Santorini-Wine Tour Αround Megalochori Village:
$111
-
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 Nice
Also in Nice, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
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Nice Bar Crawl and Clubbing:
$25
-
1.5-Hour Organic Wine Tasting in Nice:
$56
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Cheese and Wine Tasting in an awesome apartment in the heart of Nice:
$62
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Half-Day Saint Paul de Vence and Wine Tasting Tour from Nice:
$78
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Half-Day Wine Tasting and Saint Paul de Vence Tour from Nice:
$81
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Half-Day Walking, Food & Wine Tour:
$87
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Nice Local Vineyards Small Group Half Day E-Bike Tour with Wine Tasting:
$100
-
Full Day Tour of French Riviera Perched Villages and Wine Tasting from St Jeannet:
$118
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Nice Evening Food & Wine Tasting Tour with a Local:
$124
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Grasse, Gourdon, Valbonne and Wine Tasting Full-day from Nice Small-Group Tour:
$136
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Full-Day Wine Tour in Côtes de Provence From Nice:
$137
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Full-Day Wine Tour in Bellet & Saint-Paul de Vence From Nice:
$137
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Santorini and Nice, we can see that Santorini is more expensive. And not only is Nice much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Nice would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Nice 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 Nice.
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