Which place is cheaper, Arequipa or Seoul?
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 Seoul or Arequipa?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Seoul and Arequipa can help you decide which place is right for you.
Where Should I go: Seoul or Arequipa?
Seoul
With a population of more than 11 million, Seoul is easily the largest city in South Korea. It is also the financial, political, and cultural capital of the country and has much to offer open minded travelers. It is often overlooked by travelers who instead head to Tokyo or Shanghai, but Seoul has a wide range of cultural experiences, food options, and historical sights. Seoul is a city of contrasts with ancient traditions, flashy technology, religious temples and a modern youth culture. It is also more affordable than many of the other Asian metropolis' to which it is often compared. If you're looking for an interesting and different experience that is a little off the tourist trail, Seoul can definitely offer that opportunity.
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 Family-Friendly Tours to South Korea, The Best Adventure Tours to South Korea, The Best Sightseeing Tours in Peru, and The Best Cultural Tours in Peru.
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Seoul Prices
South Korea PricesArequipa Prices
Peru Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per daySeoul $119Arequipa $62
The average daily cost (per person) in Seoul is $119, while the average daily cost in Arequipa is $62. 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 Seoul and Arequipa in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personSeoul $50Arequipa $25
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomSeoul $100Arequipa $50
Compare Hotels in Seoul and Arequipa
Looking for a hotel in Seoul 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.
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: Seoul Hotel Prices and Arequipa Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Seoul $14Arequipa $6.53
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Seoul
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Seoul:
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Subway Card$3.34
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Short Taxi Ride$4.67
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Metro Ride$0.90
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Seoul City Pass Plus$6.67
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Seoul
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Seoul:
- From Round-Trip Transfer to Dae Jang Geum Park: $50
- Gimpo Airport GMP Private Transfer To From Seoul Hotels: $108
- Incheon Airport (ICN) Transfer to Seoul/Suwon/Seongnam/Yongin: $68
- Incheon Airport transfer directly to Seoul city: $113
- Incheon International Airport (ICN): Private Seoul Transfer: $95
- Lotte World 1Day Pass+Obesrvatoy+Private round transfer(Seoul): $115
- Lotte World Theme Park Private Transfer: $223
- Premium Seoul Airport Transfer: Affordable & Convenience: $105
- Private Airport Transfer * Incheon Airport Seoul (1-5 people): $94
- Private Airport Transfer - Incheon Airport ⇔ Seoul (Up to 7 or 11 people): $130
- Private Airport Transfer : Gimpo airport to/from Seoul (1~7pax): $89
- Private Airport Transfer : Incheon to/from Seoul (up to 7 pax): $98
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Arequipa
Some typical examples of transportation costs in Arequipa are as follows:
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Taxi Ride$1.47
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Bus Ride$0.47
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Taxi Ride$1.03
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Arequipa
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Arequipa:
- Private Transfer from Alfredo Rodríguez Ballón Airport to Hotel: $20
- Arequipa Airport Departure Transfer: $22
- Arequipa Airport (AQP) Private Transfer to Arequipa City: $23
- Private Transfer from Arequipa Airport to hotels: $30
- Private Transfer from Arequipa to Alfredo Rodríguez Ballón (AQP) Airport: $37
- Arequipa Airport Private Transfer: $38
- Full Day Tour to Colca including Transfer to Puno: $60
- Koh Lanta any hotel to Krabi airport Private transfer: $78
- Colca Canyon full day tour with transfer to Puno: $80
- Colca Canyon 2 days from Arequipa with final transfer to Puno: $85
- Colca Canyon + Transfer To Puno: $103
- 2 Days Colca Canyon Tour with Transfer to Puno: $115
Is it cheaper to fly into Seoul or Arequipa?
Prices for flights to both Arequipa and Seoul 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 daySeoul $48Arequipa $26
Typical Food Prices in Seoul
Some typical examples of dining costs in Seoul are as follows:
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Rice with Kimchi & Bacon$4.00
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Waffle$0.67
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Dippin' Dots$1.33
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Chicken Fried Rice$3.67
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Chicken Stick$1.33
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Drinking Yoghurt & Mi Chew$1.27
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Lunch Buffet$4.00
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Donut$0.67
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Mushroom Burger$3.47
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Green Tea Ice Cream$2.20
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Udon & Sushi$4.67
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Fresh Burger$3.20
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Soba Noodles Lunch$3.00
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Bibimbap Lunch$3.34
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Fried Rice$3.67
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Vietnamese Dinner$6.34
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Breakfast and Coffee for 2$6.34
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Donut$1.67
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Seoul
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Seoul.
- Guided Street Food Tour at Namdaemun Market: $45
- Seoul Night Run for Local-Favorite Korean BBQ Dinner: $50
- EG Tour Gimpo Peace and Food Tour: $50
- [Wine & K-BBQ] A Perfect Pairing Dinner in Sinchon: $51
- Korean Grandma Cooking Class l Gimbap & Kimchi Pancake l Seoul: $52
- Mangwon Market Food tour By Locals;Cheap Eats to Fancy Feast: $57
- Sunset Walking Tour in Naksan Park with Dinner: $60
- Kimchi Dishes Cooking Class with Wine Pairing: $61
- Wine & K-BBQ: A Perfect Pairing Dinner: $61
- Street Food Tour in Jongno, Heart of Seoul: $63
- Explore Seoul's Flavors on Group Cooking Class Adventure: $63
- Dinner at a Local's Hanok & Seoul's Night Life: $63
Typical Food Prices in Arequipa
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Arequipa:
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Coke$0.44
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Lunch$3.09
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Ice Cream$1.18
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Fruit$0.88
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Ice Cream$1.03
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Arequipa
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Arequipa.
- Peruvian Cooking Experience in Arequipa: $35
- Cooking Class at La Plantation: $36
- Peruvian Cooking Class in arequipa: $50
- Peruvian Cooking Class: $63
- Arequipa Food Tour: Ancestral Cuisine & City Tour: $79
- Arequipa Food Tour Experience: $115
- Food Tour Gastronomic Guided: $119
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Seoul $24Arequipa $20
Typical Entertainment Prices in Seoul
Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Seoul are as follows:
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Palace Tickets$5.34
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Movie Ticket$5.34
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Kimchi Museum$2.00
Tours and Activities in Seoul
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Seoul are as follows:
- Seoul Ghost Tour: Self-Guided Haunted Walk: $5.79
- Seoul Self-Guided Audio Tour: $6.00
- Gyeongbokgung Palace Hanbok Rental Experience Hanboknam (내국인불가): $7.00
- Gyeongbokgung Palace Hanbok Rental Experience in Seoul: $7.00
- Seoul Changdeokgung Palace Hanbok Experience Hanboknam (내국인불가): $7.10
- Alternative A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $7.99
- Gwanghwamun Tour l 120 Minutes to Understand South Korea: $10
- Insadong Running Man Themed Activity Experience Center: $13
- Elysian Gangchon Winter Ski + Eobi Ice Valley Day Tour fr Seoul: $14
- Gyeongbokgung Hanbok Experience at hanboknam: $14
- bukchon Hanbok Experience at hanboknam: $14
- Changdeokgung Hanbok Experience at hanboknam: $14
Typical Entertainment Prices in Arequipa
Here are a few typical costs in Arequipa for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
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Monastery Entry$2.94
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Salsa Class$2.94
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Movie Ticket$3.21
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Hot Springs$2.94
Tours and Activities in Arequipa
Here are a few actual costs in Arequipa for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Pedestrian Tour of the Historic Center of Arequipa: $5.00
- Arequipa Walking Tour city center and drinks experience: $10
- Walking Tour through the Historic Center of Arequipa: $10
- Route of Sillar Private Tours: $12
- Arequipa Sillar Stone Quarries and Culebrillas Canyon Tour: $13
- Arequipa Tasting Tour: $13
- Tour to La Ruta del Sillar and Culesbrillas in Arequipa: $15
- Full Day Tour Sillar Route and Culebrillas Canyon Arequipa: $18
- Rafting in Arequipa Chili River Half Day Tour: $18
- Countryside Tour Arequipa: $18
- Chili River White Water Rafting Adventure with Pickup: $19
- Rafting in Arequipa Chili River Half day Tour: $20
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one daySeoul $11Arequipa $17
Sample the Local Flavors in Seoul
Also in Seoul, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Discover Makgeolli: Inside Seoul's Hidden Urban Brewery: $9.75
- Seoul Pub Crawl by Absolute: $20
- The Seoul Pub Crawl Official: $22
- Pub Crawl: $25
- The Seoul Pub Crawl [official]: $26
- LGBTQ+ Pub Crawl and Drag Show with Local Drag Queen: $28
- Soju Tasting at Distillery - story of 3 pigs: $43
- Rice Wine Tasting with Sommelier - Finest Makgeolli (& Soju): $46
- Soju Tasting at Distillery: $51
- Premium Pub Crawl with Open Bottles: $57
- Craft Makgeolli Brewery Tour & Tasting Experience: $67
- Learn and Craft Makgeolli in a Traditional Brewery: $78
Typical Alcohol Prices in Arequipa
Some typical examples of the costs for nightlife and alcohol in Arequipa are as follows:
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Beer$2.65
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Seoul and Arequipa, we can see that Seoul is more expensive. And not only is Arequipa much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Seoul is in Asia 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 Seoul would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Seoul 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 Seoul Expensive? and Is Arequipa Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Seoul or Arequipa?
Seoul has a larger population, and is about 10 times larger than the population of Arequipa. When comparing the sizes of Seoul 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.
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.