Which place is cheaper, Santorini or Zanzibar?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Zanzibar or Santorini?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Zanzibar and Santorini can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.
Where Should I go: Zanzibar or Santorini?
Zanzibar
Just off the coast of Tanzania lies an entrancing archipelago known as Zanzibar. This gorgeous string of islands is the land of sultans, palaces beaches and spice-filled markets. Once an important trading center, many restorations have been done in recent years to restore Zanzibar to its ancient grandeur - earning its capital city UNESCO World Heritage status in 2000.
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.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Eco Tours in Tanzania, The Best Cultural Tours in Tanzania, The Best Contiki Tours to Greece, and The Best G Adventures Tours to Greece.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayZanzibar $50Santorini $229
The average daily cost (per person) in Zanzibar is $50, while the average daily cost in Santorini is $229. 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 Zanzibar and Santorini in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personZanzibar $24Santorini $128
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomZanzibar $48Santorini $256
Compare Hotels in Zanzibar and Santorini
Looking for a hotel in Zanzibar or Santorini? 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: Zanzibar Hotel Prices and Santorini Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Zanzibar $11Santorini $38
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Zanzibar
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Zanzibar:
- Private VIP Ferry Tickets to Daressalam with two way transfers : $260
- Private Transfer from Zanzibar Airport to Kiwengwa: $200
- Private Return Transfer From Zanzibar Airport To Paje: $140
- Departure Private Transfer from Island to Zanzibar Airport ZNZ by Luxury Sedan: $125
- Arrival Private Transfer Zanzibar Airport ZNZ to Island by Luxury Car: $125
- Zanzibar COVID-19 Testing Center Private Round Trip Transfer: $99
- Private Transfer from Zanzibar (ZNZ) Airport to Makunduchi: $92
- Private Transfer from Zanzibar (ZNZ) Airport to Kizimkazi: $92
- Private Transfer from Kizimkazi to Zanzibar (ZNZ) Airport: $92
- Private Transfer from Makunduchi to Zanzibar (ZNZ) Airport: $92
- Zanzibar Ferry Terminal Departure Transfers.: $90
- Zanzibar Ferry Terminal Arrival Transfers.: $90
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Santorini
Also for Santorini, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Private Round-trip Transfer from Santorini Thira Airport (JTR) to Kamari,Greece: $50
- Skip Cable Car! Santorini Shore Excursion with Boat Transfers: $154
- 24h Luxury Santorini Transfer.Arrival/Departure one way: $78
- Airport, Port and Hotel Private Transfer in Santorini: $30
- 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
- Departure Private Transfer Santorini to Santorini Airport JTR or Port by Van: $32
- Departure Shared Transfer in Santorini Island: $22
- Departure Transfer To Santorini Port: $33
- Luxury Private Transfer with Mercedes S Class in Santorini: $83
- Luxury Santorini Sailing Cruise: Lunch, BBQ, Open Bar, Transfers: $133
- Private Airport/Port Transfers Santorini: $28
Is it cheaper to fly into Zanzibar or Santorini?
Prices for flights to both Santorini and Zanzibar 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 dayZanzibar $16Santorini $60
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Zanzibar
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Zanzibar.
- Half-Day Kuza Cave Swimming Adventure and Cooking Class: $13
- Private Zanzibar Spices Tour with Traditional Swahili Cooking Lesson: $55
- An romantic cooking Lesson + Spice Farm Tour: $55
- Zanzibar Cooking Class [Swahili food test ] and Spice farm Private tour: $59
- Spice Tour & Cooking Class in Zanzibar: $60
- Zanzibar Spice farm and Cooking Class: $60
- Zanzibar pizza making & wine tasting: $65
- Traditional Zanzibar Cooking Class including Spice Tour: $68
- Zanzibar Spice Farm Tour and Cooking Class : $75
- Cooking Class Tour: $77
- A private half day spice farm with a cooking lesson: $90
- Kidichi Kitchen Experience: Traditional Cooking Masterclass: $105
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 Sailing Cruise with Dinner and Wine: $89
- Santorini Greek Cooking Class: $89
- Greek Cuisine Cooking Class in Santorini: $105
- Santorini Volcano Sunset Cruise Including Dinner on Board: $115
- Santorini Sunset Sailing Cruise: Dinner, BBQ, Open Bar, Transfers: $133
- Santorini Food Tour: Fira Half-Day Small-Group Tour with Tastings: $139
- Santorini Cooking Lesson with Chef and a Bottle of Wine : $164
- Santorini Family Farm Food & Wine Tour with Cooking Class: $166
- Traditional Cooking Lessons with Full Meal & Wine: $166
- Vegan Cooking Lessons with Full Meal & Wine: $166
- Half-Day Inland Fishing Tourism Sunset Tour with Dinner: $166
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Zanzibar $13Santorini $38
Tours and Activities in Zanzibar
Here are a few actual costs in Zanzibar for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- 4 hours Spice Tour in Tanzania: $80
- City Tour in Zanzibar : $33
- Fair Tourism In Paje: $27
- Half-Day Walking Tour in Zanzibar City's Spice Island: $63
- Spice Farm & Prison Island Tour in Zanzibar: $87
- Zanzibar Spice Tour : $124
- 2 days tour from Jozani forest to Stone town zanzibar: $270
- 3 Hour Community Walking Tour: $20
- 3 Hours Private Stone Town Walking Tour : $20
- 3-Hour Private Stone Town Walking Tour: $35
- 4h Quad Adventures in Nungwi / Kendwa: $100
- 5-Hour Mangapwani Historical Cave Tour in Zanzibar: $69
Tours and Activities in Santorini
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Santorini.
- Skip the Line Lost Atlantis Experience Ticket: $16
- Santorini Volcano and Hot Springs Cruise Tour from Fira Old Port: $28
- The Beer Tasting and Pairing Experience: $28
- Santorini Caldera Cruise Tour (Volcano, Hot Springs, Thirassia): $33
- Tour of Caldera with Glass bottom Boat: $36
- Santorini Volcano and Hot Springs Tour: $39
- Santorini Volcano Half Day Tour: $44
- Sunset Cruise in Caldera of Santorini: $44
- Sunset In Oia & Traditional Villages Bus Tour: $46
- Guided Walking Tour in Santorini: $47
- Santorini Traditional Villages and Oia Sunset Tour: $49
- Archaeological bus tour to Akrotiri excavations & Red beach: $54
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayZanzibar $6.72Santorini $27
Sample the Local Flavors in Zanzibar
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Zanzibar:
- Thrilling Pub Crawl In Zanzibar. Visit 3 Unique Bars: $26
Sample the Local Flavors in Santorini
Also in Santorini, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Half Day Simply Santorini Tour with Wine Tasting: $68
- Visit to a Wine Museum and Wine Tasting in Santorini : $78
- Santorini Highlights Small-Group Tour with Wine Tasting from Fira: $93
- Notos Day Tour through History & Wine Tasting: $100
- 5 towns in 5 hours: Santorini Most Popular Tour with Wine tasting: $119
- Santorini Wine Adventure with 12 Wine Tastings, Tapas and Sunset: $133
- Intimate Santorini - Small Group Shore Excursion and Wine Tasting: $144
- Santorini Wine Tour with 10 Wine Tastings and Oia Sunset: $150
- Wine Tour in Santorini with private guide, wine museum and tasting: $159
- Private Wine Tour in Santorini : $166
- Half-Day Virtual Reality Tour and Wine Tasting: $166
- Santorini Wine Tasting and Sunset Getaway Small Group Tour: $166
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Zanzibar and Santorini, we can see that Santorini is more expensive. And not only is Zanzibar much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Zanzibar is in Africa and Santorini is in Europe, 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 Zanzibar would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Zanzibar 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 Zanzibar.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Zanzibar Expensive? and Is Santorini Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Zanzibar or Santorini?
Santorini has a larger population, and is about 49% larger than the population of Zanzibar. When comparing the sizes of Zanzibar and Santorini, 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.