Which place is cheaper, Santorini or Zanzibar?
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 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 Luxury Tours to Greece, and The Best Budget Tours to Greece.
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Zanzibar Prices
Tanzania PricesSantorini Prices
Greece Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayZanzibar $62Santorini $291
The average daily cost (per person) in Zanzibar is $62, while the average daily cost in Santorini is $291. 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 $137
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomZanzibar $48Santorini $274
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 $40
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Zanzibar
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Zanzibar:
- Zanzibar Transfer in Land Cruiser Prado: $220
- Arrival Transfer Zanzibar Airport ZNZ to Zanzibar by Luxury Car: $211
- Zanzibar JetCar ride with drone video and transfer included: $168
- Zanzibar Tour in Secret Beach, Kuza Cave and Jozani with transfer: $120
- Zanzibar VIP Transfer in Mercedes-Benz: $120
- Zanzibar Airport Pickup, Stone Town Tour and Nungwi Transfer: $115
- Private Transfer from Makunduchi to Zanzibar (ZNZ) Airport: $98
- Private Transfer from Zanzibar (ZNZ) Airport to Makunduchi: $98
- Zanzibar Quad Adventures from Nungwi or Kendwa & Hotel Transfer: $95
- Zanzibar Ferry Terminal Departure Transfers.: $90
- Private Transfer from Zanzibar (ZNZ) Airport to Jambiani: $89
- Private Transfer from Jambiani to Zanzibar (ZNZ) Airport: $89
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Santorini
Also for Santorini, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Airport or Port One Way Transfer in Santorini: $38
- Airport, Port and Hotel Private Transfer in Santorini: $36
- Arrival Transfer Santorini Airport to Athinios Por by Suv: $38
- Arrival or Departure Shared Transfer in Santorini: $16
- Departure Private Transfer Anthinios Port to Santorini Airport: $75
- Departure Transfer Athinios Port to Santorini Airport JTR by Suv: $38
- Economy Arrival Transfers From Santorini Airport To All Destinations: $16
- Economy Roundtrip Transfer Santorini Airport ( Max 4 stop ): $18
- Economy Transfers From & To Santorini Port: $26
- Express Private Transfer Service in Santorini: $14
- Helicopter Transfer between Mykonos & Santorini: $6,138
- Luxury Private Transfers in Santorini: $25
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 $28Santorini $112
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
- Local Cooking Class with Spice Tour in Zanzibar: $60
- Zanzibar Cooking Lesson: $70
- Traditional Cooking Class in Zanzibar: $77
- Zanzibar Spice & Night Market: Cooking & Street Food Tour: $80
- Cooking Class Tour: $90
- A private half day spice farm with a cooking lesson: $90
- Zanzibar Sunset Dinner Dhow Cruise Kendwa Nungwi: $130
- Exclusive Private Sunset Dinner Sail along North Coast Zanzibar: $140
- Spice Tour; Secret Garden Restaurant; Stone Town; Dinner at The Rock Restaurant: $140
- Private Dinner on Sandbank in Zanzibar: $150
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: $72
- Santorini Cooking Class with Wine Tasting: $75
- Santorini Family Farm Food & Wine Tour with Cooking Class: $100
- Santorini Cooking Lesson with Chef and a Bottle of Wine: $106
- Santorini Volcano Sunset Cruise with Dinner: $118
- The Aegean Cooking Class at Ftelos Brewery: $118
- Cooking Class in Traditional cave house in Santorini!: $130
- Cooking Class with Private Chef - prepare & enjoy local menu: $130
- Santorini Flavors, a Cooking Class in a Dreamy Setting: $130
- Sunset Sea Kayak with Light Dinner with Pick-up Option: $142
- Award-Winning Santorini Cooking Class with Greek Chef: $142
- Santorini Food Tour: Fira Half-Day Small-Group Tour with Tastings: $148
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Zanzibar $13Santorini $41
Tours and Activities in Zanzibar
Here are a few actual costs in Zanzibar for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- 2 Days Tour In Zanzibar: $180
- 2 days tour from Jozani forest to Stone town zanzibar: $270
- 3 Hours Private Stone Town Walking Tour: $20
- 3 hours Spice Tour in Tanzania: $80
- 3-Hour Private City Tour in Zanzibar Island: $25
- 3inONE, Private Spice, Stone Town & Prison Island Tours: $120
- 4h Quad Adventures in Nungwi / Kendwa: $135
- A Full Day Private Tour To Prison Island + Nakupenda + Stone Town: $150
- A Full Day Stone Town and Spice Farm Private Tour: $100
- A Half Day Private Dolphins And Snorkeling Tour To Mnemba Island: $95
- A Half Day Private Prison Island Tour: $106
- A Half Day Private Tour To Spice Farm: $80
Tours and Activities in Santorini
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Santorini.
- Caldera, Villages and Sunsets Experience in Santorini: $4.72
- Fira Audio Guided Walking Tour 1h00 and 16 audio reviews: $6.98
- Authentic A Self-Guided Audio Tour of Oia: $7.99
- Skip the Line Lost Atlantis Experience Ticket: $17
- Guided Art Tour Contemporary Art Meets a Quiet Santorini Village: $18
- Santorini Volcano and Hot Springs Cruise Tour from Fira Old Port: $36
- Fira to Oia Best Taxi-Style Tour!: $36
- Santorini Tour of Caldera with Glass bottom Boat: $37
- E-Ticket to Akrotiri with Audio Tour on your Phone: $37
- Sunset In Oia & Santorini Traditional Villages Bus Tour: $39
- Private Tailor-Made Tour : Explore Santorini with Comfort & Style: $40
- Small-Group Skip Cable Car Santorini Tour for First-Time Cruisers: $41
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayZanzibar $6.75Santorini $29
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
- Top Sights of Santorini with Wine Tasting and Sunset in Oia: $62
- Santorini Highlights Small-Group Tour with Wine Tasting option: $65
- Half Day Simply Santorini Tour with Wine Tasting: $73
- Private Santorini Tour 3-4-5-6 hours-Wine Tasting Optional: $95
- Santorini Private Wine Tour with Local Wineries & Tastings: $101
- Santorini Wine Tasting & Premium Lunch at Award-Winning Winery: $129
- Santorini Wine Tour with sunset in Oia: $130
- Private Highlights Tour with Wine Tasting 4 or 5hour duration: $172
- Santorini Private Highlights Tour & Wine Tasting with local guide: $172
- Santorini Wine Adventure with 12 Wine Tastings, Tapas and Sunset: $178
- Santorini's "Wine Roads": Wine Tasting Tour at 3 Wineries: $178
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.