Which place is cheaper, Quito or Santorini?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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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.
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Santorini Prices
Greece PricesQuito Prices
Ecuador Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per daySantorini $286Quito $66
The average daily cost (per person) in Santorini is $286, while the average daily cost in Quito is $66. 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
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personSantorini $134Quito $22
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomSantorini $268Quito $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
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Santorini $40Quito $6.99
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Santorini
Also for Santorini, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- 24h Luxury Santorini Transfer or Arrival or Departure one way: $70
- Airport, Port and Hotel Private Transfer in Santorini: $35
- Arrival or Departure Shared Transfer in Santorini: $16
- Athinios Port Transfer to Anywhere in Santorini: $29
- Departure Private Transfer Anthinios Port to Santorini Airport: $74
- Departure Transfer Athinios Port to Santorini Airport JTR by Suv: $37
- Economy Departure Transfers To Santorini Airport: $16
- Economy Transfers From & To Santorini Port: $26
- Helicopter Transfer between Mykonos & Santorini: $6,138
- Luxury Private Transfers in Santorini: $24
- Luxury Santorini Catamaran Cruise: Lunch, BBQ, Drinks, Transfers: $134
- Luxury Small-Group Catamaran Cruise with BBQ, Open bar & Transfer: $175
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Quito
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Quito:
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Taxi from Bus Terminal to Hotel$10
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Quito
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Quito:
- From Quilotoa Lake Private Tour with Transfer & Lunch: $166
- Arrival Private Transfer Quito Airport UIO to Quito by Minivan: $137
- Transfer In & Out from Quito: $130
- From Mindo Cloud Forest Day Trip with Transfer: $129
- Panoramic City Tour & Airport Departure Transfer: $114
- Middle of the World Tour with Airport Transfer: $114
- Airport Transfer and City Highlights Tour: $114
- Private City Tour & Intiñam Museum Visit w/ Transfer: $89
- Transfer Quito → Papallacta (one way / round trip): $85
- Private Transfer from Quito to Baños de Agua Santa (one way): $80
- Transfer from or to Airport Mariscal Sucre (one way): $75
- Private Transfer from Quito Airport to Hotels in Quito: $70
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
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Food Meals for one daySantorini $110Quito $34
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: $71
- Santorini Cooking Class with Wine Tasting: $92
- Santorini Family Farm Food & Wine Tour with Cooking Class: $99
- Santorini Cooking Lesson with Chef and a Bottle of Wine: $105
- The Aegean Cooking Class at Ftelos Brewery: $117
- Award-Winning Santorini Cooking Class with Greek Chef: $126
- Cooking Class with Private Chef - prepare & enjoy local menu: $128
- Luxury Santorini Sunset Cruise: Dinner, BBQ, Open Bar, Transfers: $140
- Sunset Sea Kayak with Light Dinner with Pick-up Option: $140
- Miss Anna Santorini Cooking Class: $152
- Grandma Greek Cooking Class in Oia: $152
- Santorini : Night Hike, Wine Tasting and Dinner: $163
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Quito
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Quito.
- Ecuadorian Gastronomy Tasting and Cooking Class in Quito: $12
- 3 Hours Local Food Tour in Quito: $38
- Guilty Pleasures Walking Food Tours in Quito: $45
- From Cayambe Traditional Cooking Class with Transfers: $60
- The Delicious Side of Quito Food Tour: $70
- Food Tour in quaint old town with tastings and lunch: $71
- Street Food Tour with Private Transport: $79
- Hidden Gems Food Tour with Cacao Tasting and Culture: $87
- Cooking Class in Quito with Chef, Market Tour and Transportation: $88
- Cooking Class with Chef, Market Tour & Transportation: $88
- Cooking Class with a chef and local market including hotel pickup: $89
- Ecuadorian Cooking Class with a chef and Local Market: $100
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Santorini $40Quito $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: $7.99
- Skip the Line Lost Atlantis Experience Ticket: $16
- Kayak Rental Adventure in Watersports Santorini: $23
- Sunset Cruise Santorini Volcano & Thirasia: $28
- Ticket for Akrotiri Archaeological Site: $33
- Santorini Volcano and Hot Springs Cruise Tour from Fira Old Port: $35
- Authentic Pyrgos Village Donkey Ride and Feeding Experience: $35
- Santorini Volcano & Sunset Caldera Cruise: $35
- Fira to Oia Best Taxi-Style Tour!: $35
- Small-Group Skip Cable Car Santorini Tour for First-Time Cruisers: $40
- Santorini Volcanic Sunset Cruise: $41
- E-Ticket to Akrotiri with Audio Tour on your Phone: $41
Typical Entertainment Prices in Quito
Here are a few typical costs in Quito for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
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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:
- 2 day 1 night tour to Cotopaxi Volcano and Quilotoa Lagoon all included: $280
- 3-Day Adventure: Quito, Cotopaxi, Quilotoa, Baños, Jungle: $897
- 3-Day Andes Adventure Visiting Cotopaxi, Quilotoa and Baños: $239
- 3-Day Antisana & Amazon comunities, Caves, Baños Guided Tour: $734
- 6-Day Ecuador Heritage Tour: Art, Culture and Otavalo: $1,847
- Amazon Adventure: 4 Days of Nature & Culture from Quito: $1,770
- Antisana Birding Tours to see CONDORS - by Richard Hernandez: $185
- Antisana Volcano Birding & Natural History Condor Tour PRIVATE, all included: $210
- Antisana Volcano Condor Birdwatching Private Experience: $90
- Antisana Volcano Private Day Tour from Quito: $266
- Antisana volcano private tour; birding and hike in the Andes: $130
- Authentic Cloud Forest Experience: $299
Alcohol
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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:
- Santorini Ftelos Brewery Guided Tour and Beer Tasting Experience: $41
- Art and Wine Tour in a Historic Santorini Winery: $41
- Santorini Highlights Small-Group Tour with Wine Tasting option: $64
- Half Day Simply Santorini Tour with Wine Tasting: $72
- Santorini Wine Tasting Museum: $80
- Santorini Wine & Village Experience–Megalochori &Wine Tasting(4h): $93
- 5 Hour Tour & Wine Tasting - Skip Sky Tram Direct Port Pickup: $97
- Caldera Views, Cliffside Villages, and Santorinian Wine Tasting: $99
- Premium Wine Tasting with Caldera Views: $104
- Santorini Wine Tasting and Wine Museum: $122
- Santorini Wine Tasting Tour with Oia Sunset Experience and Pickup: $128
- Santorini Wine Tasting & Premium Lunch at Award-Winning Winery: $128
Typical Alcohol Prices in Quito
Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Quito from other travelers:
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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.