A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Split vs. Puerto del Carmen for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Split or Puerto del Carmen?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Split and Puerto del Carmen. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.

Where Should I go: Split or Puerto del Carmen?

Split

Spit is a historic city in Central Dalmatia with many opportunities to glimpse its fascinating past in its historic city center. Centuries ago the city grew up around a Diocletian palace that was used as refuge by the locals.

Today, as you wander around the historic center, you can see the remains of the Roman walls, temples, and squares. Despite it's appeal to tourists, Split is much more than just a tourist destination. It is larger than you might initially realize and it spreads well beyond the historic center. There is a population of about 300,000 in the larger area and it is an economic center for the region.

Split has a beautiful climate with mild winters, countless sunny days, and a generally pleasant temperature. As such, there are many opportunities to enjoy yourself outdoors, whether by participating in sports or walking around the city's quaint streets. Winters in Split are also quite mild, but there may be one snowy day, on average, every year. This rare snowfall can cause a significant disruption in the flow of traffic.

Puerto del Carmen

Located on the south-eastern coast of the Canary Island of Lanzarote, Puerto del Carmen is a popular resort area best known for its high concentration of bars, pubs, restaurants, and clubs. By day, visitors frequent the beaches for swimming, sunbathing, windsurfing, and other watersports - and by night, they flock to enjoy the live music and drinks of the area's thriving nightlife.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Walking Tours in Croatia, The Best Luxury Tours to Croatia, The Best 3-Day Tours from Madrid, and The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Madrid.


Which place is cheaper, Puerto del Carmen or Split?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Split is $116, while the average daily cost in Puerto del Carmen is $185. 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 Split and Puerto del Carmen in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Split $78
    Puerto del Carmen $105
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Split $156
    Puerto del Carmen $210
Compare Hotels in Split and Puerto del Carmen

Looking for a hotel in Split or Puerto del Carmen? 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.

Hotels in Split


Hotels in Puerto del Carmen


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: Split Hotel Prices and Puerto del Carmen Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Split $15
    Puerto del Carmen $41

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Split

Also for Split, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • private transfer from Split airport to Novalja/Zrće: $535
  • private transfer from Split airport or Trogir to Šibenik: $182
  • Zagreb to Private Transfer with Plitvice Lakes: $1,016
  • Transfers from Split Airport to City Center and surrounding: $75
  • Transfer from Split to Zagreb with Entry Ticket to Plitvice Lakes: $185
  • Transfer from Split to Dubrovnik with 2 hours stop in Ston Town: $94
  • Transfer Split airport to Split: $66
  • Transfer Split airport to Split: $86
  • Transfer Split airport to Makarska: $149
  • Taxi Transfer from airport Split to Murter Tisno or Sibenik: $86
  • Transfer to Zagreb with Plitvice Lakes Entry Tickets: $181
  • Private Transfer to Zagreb with Plitvice Lakes Stop: $735

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Puerto del Carmen

Also for Puerto del Carmen, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Lanzarote : Parasailing activity with hotel transfer: $102

Is it cheaper to fly into Split or Puerto del Carmen?

Prices for flights to both Puerto del Carmen and Split 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 day
    Split $25
    Puerto del Carmen $55

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Split

For Split, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Small Group Food Tour: $37
  • Homemade Dinner under the Stars in Split: $85
  • Food Tour in Split ( Small Group): $96
  • Split Food Tour (Small Group): $98
  • Vegan Food tour of Split with local gastronomy: $102
  • Walking Vegan Food Tour of Split: $104
  • Old Town Food Tour: $107
  • Split Food Tour: Discover Split One Bite At A Time: $131
  • Split Cooking Class - Afternoon Edition Shared Activity: $191
  • Private Authentic Wine & Food tour from Split: $240
  • Culinary Experience – Cooking Class & Walking Tour Split: $251

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Split $3.96
    Puerto del Carmen $18

Tours and Activities in Split

For Split, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • Blue Lagoon and 3 Islands Small Group Tour with Lunch: $82
  • History tour: $33
  • SPLIT-"Emperor's City for History Lovers"/PRIVATE Walking Tour+Cellars Museum : $210
  • "Blue Lagoon" Half day Chill out tour from Split: $75
  • "Not Today" - Game of Thrones and History of Split Private Guided Walking Tour: $66
  • 2 Day Pass with Sightseeing Bus: $33
  • 2 Hour Walking Tour of Split with an Art Historian: $24
  • 2 Hours Split Walking tour with free food tasting: $33
  • 2-Hour Private Guided Tour of Split in a Classic Ford T: $45
  • 2-Hour Sunset Cruise Split: $87
  • 2-Hour Sunset Cruise Split: $86
  • 2-hours Split Segway Tour: $87

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Split $8.49
    Puerto del Carmen $64

Sample the Local Flavors in Split

Also in Split, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:

  • From Krka Waterfalls & Swimming & Wine tasting: $24
  • From Krka Waterfalls, Food & Wine Tasting Tour: $26
  • Tower Pub Crawl in Split: $29
  • Krka Waterfalls, Food & Wine Tasting tour from Split: $31
  • Split/Trogir: Krka National Park Day Trip with Wine Tasting: $38
  • Wine Tasting and Sunset Klis Fortress Tour from Split: $38
  • Krka National Park Tour with tour Guide & Wine tasting from Split & Trogir: $46
  • Split&Sip: Educational wine tasting: $51
  • Wine Tasting in the Diocletian's Palace: $53
  • Wine Tasting in the Diocletian’s Palace: $55
  • Diocletian's Palace Walking and Wine Tasting Tour: $71
  • From Split/Trogir: Mostar and Medjugorje Tour with Wine Tasting: $74


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Split and Puerto del Carmen, we can see that Puerto del Carmen is more expensive. And not only is Split much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Split would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Split 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 Puerto del Carmen would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Puerto del Carmen than you might in Split.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Split Expensive? and Is Puerto del Carmen Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Split or Puerto del Carmen?

Split has a larger population, and is about 6 times larger than the population of Puerto del Carmen. When comparing the sizes of Split and Puerto del Carmen, 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.