Which place is cheaper, Quito or Surfers Paradise?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
Jump to 
Should you visit Surfers Paradise or Quito?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between Surfers Paradise 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: Surfers Paradise or Quito?
Surfers Paradise
A tourist mecca, Surfers Paradise is one of the most popular travel destinations along Australia's famed Gold Coast. The beach stretches for miles and there is an endless supply of almost constant parties. You'll find high rise apartments lined up along the shore and plenty of shopping areas, restaurants, nightclubs, and bars. Travelers from around the world visit the area, and it's a right of passage for Australia's teens to vacation in or near Surfers Paradise. For many travelers, Surfers Paradise comes across as little more than a mass marketed, over commercialized, party destination, but for others it is a vacation dream. Prices are highly inflated so you have to keep your whits about you to avoid being ripped off. Surfers Paradise is a destination of extremes and it conjures up extreme emotions in many travelers, be it positive or negative.
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 Australia, The Best Adventure Tours to Australia, The Best Adventure Tours to Ecuador, and The Best Eco Tours in Ecuador.
-
Surfers Paradise Prices
Australia PricesQuito Prices
Ecuador Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per daySurfers Paradise $136Quito $66
The average daily cost (per person) in Surfers Paradise is $136, 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 Surfers Paradise and Quito in more detail.
Accommodation
-
Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personSurfers Paradise $73Quito $22
-
Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomSurfers Paradise $146Quito $44
Compare Hotels in Surfers Paradise and Quito
Looking for a hotel in Surfers Paradise 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: Surfers Paradise Hotel Prices and Quito Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
-
Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Surfers Paradise $12Quito $6.99
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Surfers Paradise
Also for Surfers Paradise, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Chill Out at Byron Bay from Gold Coast (Transfer Only): $84
- Gold Coast Theme Parks: Shared Hotel Transfers: $15
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:
- Unique Quito Transfer Mariscal Sucre Airport to Hotel: $43
- Transfer from or to UIO Airport to any Hotel in Quito: $20
- Transfer from or to Airport Mariscal Sucre (one way): $75
- Transfer Quito → Papallacta (one way / round trip): $85
- Transfer Out from Quito to the Airport: $30
- Transfer In & Out from Quito: $130
- Transfer Airport Quito-Hotel or vice versa with bilingual driver-guide: $43
- Transfer Airport → Quito (one way / round trip): $50
- Shared Transfer from Quito hotels to Airport: $42
- Private Transfer from/to Airport: $35
- Private Transfer from the Airport to the city: $32
- Private City Tour & Intiñam Museum Visit w/ Transfer: $89
Is it cheaper to fly into Surfers Paradise or Quito?
Prices for flights to both Quito and Surfers Paradise 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 daySurfers Paradise $50Quito $34
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Surfers Paradise
For Surfers Paradise, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Buffet Dinner Sightseeing Cruise: $85
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: $15
- Quito Eats Food Tour with 14+ Tastings: $55
- 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
- 3-hour Andean Cooking Class in Quito with a Local Host: $75
- Street Food Tour with Private Transport: $79
- Homemade Local Food Tour in Guayaquil: $80
- 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
Entertainment
-
Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Surfers Paradise $26Quito $16
Typical Entertainment Prices in Surfers Paradise
Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for Surfers Paradise's activities, tours, and tickets:
-
Surf Lesson$86
Tours and Activities in Surfers Paradise
For Surfers Paradise, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Surfers Paradise Sightseeing Midday River Cruise: $11
- Surfers Paradise Sightseeing City Lights Cruise: $17
- Surfers Paradise Sightseeing River Cruises: $17
- Gold Coast Afternoon River Cruise: $21
- Surfers Paradise - 2 Hour Gold Coast Sightseeing Cruise: $21
- Surfers Paradise Sightseeing Sunset River Cruise: $24
- Gold Coast Hop On Hop Off Sightseeing Cruise 1 Day Pass: $33
- Guided Gold Coast Amphibious Bus Tour: $38
- Gold Coast: 360-Degree High-Speed Jet Boat Adventure: $39
- 1 Hour Waterbike Experience on the Gold Coast: $44
- Gold Coast Quack'rDuck Amphibious Tour from Surfers Paradise: $48
- Sunset Cruise: $55
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:
- 2 Day Quito to Cotopaxi and Quilotoa Tour with Accommodation: $281
- 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
- All-Inclusive Private Mindo Cloud Forest Tour from Quito: $220
- Amazon Adventure: 4 Days of Nature & Culture from Quito: $1,770
- Antisana Birding Tours to see CONDORS - by Richard Hernandez: $185
- Antisana Condor Tour from Quito: $220
- Antisana Volcano Birding & Natural History Condor Tour PRIVATE, all included: $210
- Antisana Volcano Condor Birdwatching Private Experience: $90
Alcohol
-
Alcohol Drinks for one daySurfers Paradise $12Quito $17
Sample the Local Flavors in Surfers Paradise
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Surfers Paradise:
- Tamborine Mountain Food & Wine Tour from the Gold Coast: $168
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 Surfers Paradise and Quito, we can see that Surfers Paradise is more expensive. And not only is Quito much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Surfers Paradise is in Pacific 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 Surfers Paradise would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Surfers Paradise 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 Surfers Paradise Expensive? and Is Quito Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Surfers Paradise or Quito?
Quito has a larger population, and is about 80 times larger than the population of Surfers Paradise. When comparing the sizes of Surfers Paradise 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.