Which place is cheaper, Santiago or Melbourne?
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 Melbourne or Santiago?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Melbourne or Santiago? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Melbourne or Santiago?
Melbourne
Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia, after Sydney. It is also the capital city of the state of Victoria, in southeastern Australia. Melbourne is arguably the best city to experience culture and the arts in Australia. There is a friendly rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney over livability and popularity and Melbourne is definitely the city to visit for its parks, shopping, restaurants, galleries and theaters. Like Sydney, it is situated on the water, at the head of Port Phillip Bay. It's a beautiful city, and although it lacks the major sights that you'll find in Sydney such as the Sydney Opera House or the Harbour Bridge, you will never find yourself lacking for entertainment. It is also a wonderful base for exploring many of the nearby highlights, including Grampians National Park, The Great Ocean Road, and Phillip Island where you can view the penguin parade.
Santiago
Santiago is the capital city of Chile. It is centrally located in the long and narrow country, making it a good jumping off point to explore everywhere else. It's convenient location means that you can go skiing in the Andes one day, and hang out at the beach the next.
Santiago has a cool semi-arid climate that is similar to Mediterranean climates. The summers, which are between November and March, are warm and dry. The temperatures climb to around 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The winters, between June and August, are humid with cold mornings. The daily highs are around 55 degrees Fahrenheit and the lows stay a few degrees above freezing. Rain is more common in the winter months and the dry season is between December and March.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Scuba Diving Tours in Australia, The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Australia, The Best Romantic Tours for Couples in Chile, and The Best Luxury Tours to Chile.
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Melbourne Prices
Australia PricesSantiago Prices
Chile Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMelbourne $195Santiago $150
The average daily cost (per person) in Melbourne is $195, while the average daily cost in Santiago is $150. 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 Melbourne and Santiago in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMelbourne $119Santiago $109
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMelbourne $238Santiago $218
Compare Hotels in Melbourne and Santiago
Looking for a hotel in Melbourne or Santiago? 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: Melbourne Hotel Prices and Santiago Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Melbourne $20Santiago $5.41
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Melbourne
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Melbourne:
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Airport Bus$10
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Tram Ride$2.49
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Melbourne
Also for Melbourne, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Melbourne Airport: Express Bus Transfer to/from City Center: $16
- Express Bus Transfer to or from Melbourne City Center: $19
- Melbourne CBD to Melbourne Airport Private Transfer 4 or more: $32
- Melbourne Airport(Tullamarine): Shared Transfer to Melbourne: $32
- MEL Airport to CBD Private transfers 4 or more: $33
- Melbourne (Tullamarine) Airport: Shared Transfer to Melbourne: $33
- MEL Airport to City Centre Private Transfer: $40
- Melbourne Airport Private Transfer to City: $44
- Transfer Melbourne Airport MEL to City Centre/St Kilda/Hawthorne: $45
- Airport to City Private Transfer (One-way): $66
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service Melbourne HTL-APT (MEL): $69
- Private Car Transfer Melbourne Airport To CBD: $80
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Santiago
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Santiago:
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Metro Ride$1.13
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Santiago
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Santiago:
- Transfer to Valparaiso Cruise Terminal with Winery & Town Tour: $109
- Transfer to Snowy Valley fullday for skiers : $49
- Transfer to San Antonio port with Valparaiso & Casablanca tour: $87
- Transfer from Valparaiso or San Antonio Port + Condor Watching Tour: $230
- Transfer from Valle Nevado, Farellones, Colorado or La Parva ski to Santiago: $83
- Transfer from Santiago To Valle Nevado, Farellones, Colorado or La Parva ski: $100
- Transfer from Santiago Airport to Santiago Centro Commune: $52
- Transfer Santiago-Viña del Mar / Viña del Mar-Santiago: $220
- Transfer Santiago-Valparaiso / Valparaiso-Santiago: $220
- Transfer Santiago to Cruise Port in Valparaiso or San Antonio: $290
- Transfer Santiago de Chile airport: $40
- Transfer Santiago Airport to the commune of Providencia: $56
Is it cheaper to fly into Melbourne or Santiago?
Prices for flights to both Santiago and Melbourne 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 dayMelbourne $53Santiago $23
Typical Food Prices in Melbourne
For Melbourne, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Coffee$2.62
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Pizza$4.58
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Melbourne
For Melbourne, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Melbourne Flavors: Queen Victoria Market Food Tour: $40
- Multicultural Markets Food Tour – Melbourne’s Global Tastes: $51
- Queen Victoria Market: 'Flavours of Australia' Food Tour: $52
- Queen Victoria Market Early Access Food Tour: $53
- Eynesbury Homestead Dinner and Ghost Tour: $54
- Inner North Street Food Tour: $72
- Sunset Kayak Tour with Dinner: $79
- Melbourne Sunset Kayaking Experience with Dinner: $81
- Melbourne Private Multicultural Markets Food Tour: $86
- Best of Little Italy Dinner Tour: $92
- Carlton a Little Italy Dinner Tour: $93
- Chinese Dumpling Cooking Class with a Drink: $99
Typical Food Prices in Santiago
Some typical examples of dining costs in Santiago are as follows:
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Empanada$1.88
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Hamburger$2.50
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Dinner$26
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Santiago
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Santiago.
- Legacy Family Tour Lunch or Dinner Pairing 4 Strokes: $40
- Best Street Food Tour With A Local Guide: $82
- 4-Hour Boozy Chilean Cooking Class in Santiago: $85
- Bali Hai Dinner & Show, Transport and Wine refill: $106
- Dinner Show in Bali Hai with Wine refill and transportation: $114
- Private Dinner & Chilean Folk Show with Transfers: $116
- Alyan Winery Sunset with Wine Tastings and Dinner: $117
- Private Market Tour and Traditional Chilean Cooking Class in a Local Home: $122
- San Cristobal Hill Night Tour with Dinner Show: $129
- Bali Hai Polynesian Dinner Show with Transfer: $130
- Private Night City Tour with San Cristobal Hill And Dinner Show: $181
- Santiago Chilean and Peruvian Cooking Class with a Local Carol: $184
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Melbourne $27Santiago $47
Tours and Activities in Melbourne
For Melbourne, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Melbourne Scavenger Hunt and Highlights Self-Guided Tour: $4.81
- Melbourne (St Kilda) Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $6.41
- Melbourne City Centre Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $6.45
- Melbourne Vampire Quest: Self-Guided Gothic Adventure: $7.20
- Melbourne Self Guided Audio Experience: $9.00
- Immigration Museum Entry Ticket: $9.92
- Melbourne Gardens Explorer Minibus Tour: $9.92
- Scienceworks Entry Ticket: $9.92
- Questo Self-guided Haunted Melbourne Walking Tour: $11
- Melbourne Museum Entry Ticket: $12
- Upside Down House Photo Experience in Australia: $13
- Melbourne Museum Entry Ticket: $13
Tours and Activities in Santiago
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Santiago are as follows:
- Private Half-Day Guided Tour of the City of Santiago.: $280
- Private Sightseeing City Tour in Valparaíso and Viña del Mar: $240
- "Tour Tradicional" Viña Cousiño Macul Oficial español: $26
- 1 Day Tour of Viña Concha y Toro from Santiago: $120
- 4 Hour Santa Rita Winery All inclusive Tour for Wine Lover: $269
- A Fabulous Walking tour by the Old Santiago of Chile -small group: $25
- A full Private Tour of Valparaiso from Santiago : $240
- A historical tour of Santiago, Chile: $18
- An Architect's Tour of Downtown Santiago: $55
- Andean Adventure: Cajón del Maipo & Santuario del Río Spa: $132
- Andean Horse Ride Yerba Loca Sanctuary - Private tour from Santiago: $240
- Andes Day Lagoon in Cajón del Maipo & Embalse el Yeso Private Tour: $200
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMelbourne $17Santiago $8.40
Typical Alcohol Prices in Melbourne
Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Melbourne from other travelers:
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Bottle of Wine$5.07
Sample the Local Flavors in Melbourne
Also in Melbourne, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Melbourne Christmas Bar Crawl: $15
- Melbourne Pub Crawl (Batmania Tours): $19
- Weekly Bar Crawl: 5 Free shots, Club Entry: $20
- Melbourne Halloween Bar Crawl: $24
- Spirits and Ales Haunted Pub Walking Tour: $26
- MELBOURNE Spirits and Ales Haunted Pub Tour: $26
- Melbourne Music Venue Pub Crawl with History + 2 Free Drinks: $26
- Laid back, Yarra Valley Wine Tour: Wine, Cider, Gin, Beer + Choc: $87
- New Chocolate and wine tasting tour in the Yarra Valley: $89
- Cruise Ship Friendly Yarra Valley Wine Tour with Port Pickup: $114
- Yarra Valley: Bus Wine Tour with Lunch and a Glass of Wine: $116
- Yarra Valley Wine Tour & Lunch & Gin/Beer Option: $129
Sample the Local Flavors in Santiago
Also in Santiago, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Ludwig's Original Pub Crawl with VIP Club Entry: $34
- Viña del Mar, Valparaiso, with Wine Tasting: $60
- Undurraga Winery Tour with Entry and Wine Tasting: $63
- Undurraga Wine tour: $70
- Half Day Trip to Undurraga Vineyard from Santiago - Wine Tasting Included: $70
- Valparaiso Port and Viña del Mar with Casablanca Wine Tasting: $79
- Valparaiso Port and Viña del Mar with wine tasting in Casablanca: $79
- Inca Lagoon and Vineyard Visit with Wine Tasting: $80
- Half Day Trip to Cousiño Macul Vineyard from Santiago - Wine Tasting Included: $87
- Half Day Trip to Concha y Toro Vineyard from Santiago - Wine Tasting Included: $87
- Maipo Valley Wine Tour with 4 vineyards from Santiago.: $89
- Kross Brewery Tour: A Craft Beer Tasting Experience: $93
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Melbourne and Santiago, we can see that Melbourne is more expensive. And not only is Santiago much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Melbourne is in Pacific and Santiago 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 Santiago would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Santiago 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 Melbourne would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Melbourne than you might in Santiago.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Melbourne Expensive? and Is Santiago Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Melbourne or Santiago?
Santiago has a larger population, and is about 30% larger than the population of Melbourne. When comparing the sizes of Melbourne and Santiago, 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.
When is the best time to visit Melbourne or Santiago?
Both places have a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. As both cities are in the southern hemisphere, summer is in January and winter is in July.
Should I visit Melbourne or Santiago in the Summer?
The summer brings many poeple to Melbourne as well as Santiago. Most visitors come to Melbourne for the beaches, the city activities, and the family-friendly experiences during these months.
Melbourne is around the same temperature as Santiago in the summer. The daily temperature in Melbourne averages around 20°C (68°F) in January, and Santiago fluctuates around 21°C (70°F).
Melbourne usually gets more rain in January than Santiago. Melbourne gets 45 mm (1.8 in) of rain, while Santiago receives 10 mm (0.4 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Summer Average Temperatures JanuaryMelbourne 20°C (68°F)Santiago 21°C (70°F)
Should I visit Melbourne or Santiago in the Autumn?
Both Santiago and Melbourne are popular destinations to visit in the autumn with plenty of activities. The autumn months attract visitors to Melbourne because of the city's sights and attractions and the shopping scene.
In the autumn, Melbourne is around the same temperature as Santiago. Typically, the autumn temperatures in Melbourne in April average around 15°C (60°F), and Santiago averages at about 15°C (59°F).
In April, Melbourne usually receives more rain than Santiago. Melbourne gets 50 mm (2 in) of rain, while Santiago receives 10 mm (0.4 in) of rain each month for the autumn.
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Autumn Average Temperatures AprilMelbourne 15°C (60°F)Santiago 15°C (59°F)
Should I visit Melbourne or Santiago in the Winter?
Both Santiago and Melbourne during the winter are popular places to visit. The museums, the shopping scene, and the cuisine are the main draw to Melbourne this time of year.
In July, Melbourne is generally around the same temperature as Santiago. Daily temperatures in Melbourne average around 9°C (49°F), and Santiago fluctuates around 9°C (48°F).
Melbourne usually gets less rain in July than Santiago. Melbourne gets 43 mm (1.7 in) of rain, while Santiago receives 80 mm (3.1 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Winter Average Temperatures JulyMelbourne 9°C (49°F)Santiago 9°C (48°F)
Should I visit Melbourne or Santiago in the Spring?
The spring attracts plenty of travelers to both Melbourne and Santiago. Many travelers come to Melbourne for the beaches and the activities around the city.
Melbourne is around the same temperature as Santiago in the spring. The daily temperature in Melbourne averages around 14°C (57°F) in October, and Santiago fluctuates around 15°C (59°F).
In October, Melbourne usually receives more rain than Santiago. Melbourne gets 62 mm (2.4 in) of rain, while Santiago receives 10 mm (0.4 in) of rain each month for the spring.
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Spring Average Temperatures OctoberMelbourne 14°C (57°F)Santiago 15°C (59°F)
Typical Weather for Santiago and Melbourne
| Melbourne | Santiago | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | |
| Jan | 20°C (68°F) | 45 mm (1.8 in) | 21°C (70°F) | 10 mm (0.4 in) |
| Feb | 20°C (68°F) | 43 mm (1.7 in) | 20°C (68°F) | 10 mm (0.4 in) |
| Mar | 19°C (65°F) | 35 mm (1.4 in) | 18°C (64°F) | 10 mm (0.4 in) |
| Apr | 15°C (60°F) | 50 mm (2 in) | 15°C (59°F) | 10 mm (0.4 in) |
| May | 13°C (55°F) | 55 mm (2.2 in) | 12°C (54°F) | 50 mm (2 in) |
| Jun | 10°C (50°F) | 37 mm (1.5 in) | 9°C (48°F) | 40 mm (1.6 in) |
| Jul | 9°C (49°F) | 43 mm (1.7 in) | 9°C (48°F) | 80 mm (3.1 in) |
| Aug | 10°C (51°F) | 51 mm (2 in) | 10°C (50°F) | 40 mm (1.6 in) |
| Sep | 12°C (53°F) | 48 mm (1.9 in) | 12°C (54°F) | 20 mm (0.8 in) |
| Oct | 14°C (57°F) | 62 mm (2.4 in) | 15°C (59°F) | 10 mm (0.4 in) |
| Nov | 16°C (61°F) | 49 mm (1.9 in) | 17°C (63°F) | 10 mm (0.4 in) |
| Dec | 18°C (65°F) | 47 mm (1.9 in) | 20°C (68°F) | 10 mm (0.4 in) |
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.