Which place is cheaper, Quito or Santorini?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
Jump to 
Should you visit Santorini or Quito?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between Santorini or Quito, 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 Quito?
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.
Quito
Nestled between two mountain ranges lies the world's highest capital city, Quito, Ecuador. For history lovers, Quito is a very desirable destination as it's home to the Quito Historic Center – one of the largest and best-preserved historic centers in the Americas.
Even though Quito is full of people – in fact, it's the second most populous city in the country – very few of its inhabitants speak English. Luckily, however, the citizens of Quito tend to speak a slower and more clear Spanish than surrounding areas. This is the perfect place to practice what you read in your Intro to Spanish book.
Before visiting Quito, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, give yourself a few days to grow accustomed to the elevation. Staying 9,350 feet above sea level takes some getting used to. Second, don't be fooled into thinking that just because you're visiting a town on the equator that you'll need all your summer clothes. Because of the city's elevation, the area keeps a relatively cool climate year round.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Luxury Tours to Greece, The Best Budget Tours to Greece, The Best Adventure Tours to Ecuador, and The Best Eco Tours in Ecuador.
-
Average Daily Cost Per person, per daySantorini $188Quito $52
The average daily cost (per person) in Santorini is $188, while the average daily cost in Quito is $52. 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 Quito in more detail.
Accommodation
-
Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personSantorini $100Quito $22
-
Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomSantorini $200Quito $44
Compare Hotels in Santorini and Quito
Looking for a hotel in Santorini or Quito? 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: Santorini Hotel Prices and Quito Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
-
Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Santorini $30Quito $6.99
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Santorini
Also for Santorini, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Skip Cable Car! Santorini Shore Excursion with Boat Transfers: $137
- 24h Luxury Santorini Transfer.Arrival/Departure one way: $76
- Arrival Private Transfer Santorini Airport JTR or Port to Santorini by Minibus: $46
- Arrival Private Transfer Santorini Airport JTR or Port to Santorini by Sprinter: $32
- Arrival Shared Transfer in Santorini Island: $22
- Blue Dome And Oia Sunset Small Group Transfer: $38
- Blue Dome and Oia Sunset Small Group Transfer: $38
- Departure Private Transfer Santorini to Santorini Airport JTR by Sedan Car: $23
- Departure Private Transfer Santorini to Santorini Airport JTR or Port by Van: $32
- Departure Private Transfer Santorni to Santorini Airport JTR or Port by Sprinter: $46
- Departure Shared Transfer in Santorini Island: $22
- Economy Transfers From & To Santorini Port: $24
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Quito
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Quito:
-
Taxi from Bus Terminal to Hotel$10
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Quito
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Quito:
- Private Transpor for tours, transfers, visits, etc, for 8 hours: $165
- From Quilotoa Lake Private Tour with Transfer & Lunch: $145
- From Mindo Cloud Forest Day Trip with Transfer: $119
- Quito Airport Private Transfer Service: $112
- Transfer to Mashpi Reserve one way : $99
- Private City Tour & Intiñam Museum Visit w/ Transfer: $94
- Private Transfer from Quito to Baños or Baños to Quito (one way): $90
- Transfer in and Transfer out: $75
- Private Transfers Quito to Tena: $65
- Private Transfer In from International Airport Mariscal Sucre to Quito : $60
- Private Transfer Quito Airport To Quito City/hotel : $57
- Airport Transfer- Hotel in Quito 1 Way: $55
Is it cheaper to fly into Santorini or Quito?
Prices for flights to both Quito 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 daySantorini $51Quito $20
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Santorini
For Santorini, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Traditional Greek Night live Music & Dinner Show in Santorini: $55
- Santorini Caldera: Sunset Cruise with Dinner: $70
- Romantic Sunset Caldera Cruise with Dinner: $70
- Volcanic Sunset Cruise with Dinner: $81
- Catamaran Tour with BBQ Dinner, Drinks, and Music: $85
- Santorini Caldera Sunset Sailing Cruise with Dinner and Wine: $87
- Volcano and Hot Springs Sunset Dinner Cruise: $97
- Santorini Cooking Class with Wine Tasting: $108
- Santorini Volcano Sunset Cruise Including Dinner on Board: $108
- The Aegean Cooking Class: $109
- Cooking Class in Traditional cave house in Santorini!: $120
- Fira: 4-Hour Walking Food Tour With Tastings: $124
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Quito
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Quito.
- Old Town Highlights & Food Tour: $35
- 3 Hours Local Food Tour in Quito: $39
- Guilty Pleasures Walking Food Tours in Quito: $45
- Cooking class In-home space: $75
- Private Famous Food Tour of Historic Old Town in Quito: $95
- Ecuadorian Cooking Class and Local Market Tour: $114
- Ecuadorian Cooking Classes Rooftop (English): $120
- Premium Cooking Class Quito Tour: $130
- Quito Private & All Inclusive Cooking Class with Certified Chef: $235
Entertainment
-
Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Santorini $39Quito $16
Tours and Activities in Santorini
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Santorini.
- Authentic A Self-Guided Audio Tour of Oia: $6.99
- Megalochori: Lost Atlantis 9D Experience Museum Entry Ticket: $15
- Skip the Line Lost Atlantis Experience Ticket: $15
- Akrotiri Archaeological Site Entry Ticket: $16
- E-Ticket to Akrotiri with Audio Tour on your Phone: $24
- Santorini Volcano and Hot Springs Cruise Tour from Fira Old Port: $27
- Volcanic Islands Cruise with Hot Springs Visit: $28
- Kayak Rental Adventure in Watersports Santorini: $33
- Santorini Caldera Cruise Tour (Volcano, Hot Springs, Thirassia): $33
- Santorini Volcano and Hot Springs Tour: $38
- Santorini Volcano & Hot Springs Tour : $40
- Santorini Volcano Half Day Tour: $44
Typical Entertainment Prices in Quito
Here are a few typical costs in Quito for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
-
Entrance to Guyasimine Museum for Two$8.00
Tours and Activities in Quito
Here are a few actual costs in Quito for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Flavors, Colors and History of Quito Private Tour: $185
- Otavalo Market Private Sightseeing and Surroundings: $110
- Tour Full-Day Mercado de Otavalo + Cotacachi, Ecuador.: $130
- 2 Full Days Exploring The Ecuadorian Amazon | Tour Start In Quito: $268
- 2-Day Private Tour from Quito:Baños and Quilotoa Lagoon: $329
- 2-Day Private Tour to Otavalo Market, Cuicocha Lake, Peguche and Condor´s Park: $295
- 2-day Quilotoa Lagoon and the adventure city of Baños: $265
- 3-Day Andes Adventure Visiting Cotopaxi, Quilotoa and Baños: $239
- 3-Day Private Tour of Quito: $120
- 3-Days Andes & Amazon | Tour From Quito: $858
- 8 Hours Mindo Cloud Forest Tour from Quito includes Lunch: $100
- All inclusive Quito to Banos 2 day tour: $250
Alcohol
-
Alcohol Drinks for one daySantorini $28Quito $17
Sample the Local Flavors in Santorini
Also in Santorini, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Top Sights Day Trip, Wine Tasting, & Oia Sunset: $63
- Fira Town Walking Tour with Wine Tasting: $75
- Visit to a Wine Museum and Wine Tasting in Santorini : $76
- 2 Hours Private Wine Tasting Tour in Santorini With Pick Up: $87
- Notos Day Tour through History & Wine Tasting: $98
- Wine Tour with Sunset in Oia: $107
- Santorini Highlights Small-Group Tour with Wine Tasting from Fira: $109
- 5 towns in 5 hours: Santorini Most Popular Tour with Wine tasting: $117
- 3-Hour Wine Tasting in Santorini : $126
- Santorini Wine Adventure with 12 Wine Tastings, Tapas and Sunset: $131
- Santorini wine tasting and Traditional Cave Settlement Tour: $142
- Intimate Santorini - Small Group Shore Excursion and Wine Tasting: $142
Typical Alcohol Prices in Quito
Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Quito from other travelers:
-
Beers for Two$9.00
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Santorini and Quito, we can see that Santorini is more expensive. And not only is Quito much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Santorini is in Europe and Quito 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 Quito would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Quito 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 Quito.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Santorini Expensive? and Is Quito Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Santorini or Quito?
Quito has a larger population, and is about 2 times larger than the population of Santorini. When comparing the sizes of Santorini and Quito, 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.