Which place is cheaper, Santiago or Oaxaca de Juarez?
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 Oaxaca de Juarez or Santiago?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Oaxaca de Juarez 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: Oaxaca de Juarez or Santiago?
Oaxaca de Juarez
Officially known as Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca is the capital and largest city in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It's a beautiful colonial city in the foothills of the Sierra Madre. The city has beautiful architecture and a variety of festivals as well as a tree lined square called El Zocalo. Oaxaca's economy is heavily dependent on tourism and it is a wonderful place to see Mexican art and handicrafts. There are many artists and artisans in Oaxaca and the contemporary art scene is on the rise. The artists combine the area's rich indigenous culture and tradition with a modern twist. While you're in the area you should definitely make a point of experiencing the area's wonderful museums, interesting architecture, charming hotels and unique twist on Mexican cuisine.
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 One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Mexico City, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Playa del Carmen, The Best Romantic Tours for Couples in Chile, and The Best Luxury Tours to Chile.
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Oaxaca de Juarez Prices
Mexico PricesSantiago Prices
Chile Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayOaxaca de Juarez $51Santiago $150
The average daily cost (per person) in Oaxaca de Juarez is $51, 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 Oaxaca de Juarez and Santiago in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personOaxaca de Juarez $18Santiago $109
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomOaxaca de Juarez $36Santiago $218
Compare Hotels in Oaxaca de Juarez and Santiago
Looking for a hotel in Oaxaca de Juarez 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: Oaxaca de Juarez Hotel Prices and Santiago Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Oaxaca de Juarez $12Santiago $5.41
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Oaxaca de Juarez
Also for Oaxaca de Juarez, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Taxi Transfer from Downtown Oaxaca to the Airport: $20
- Private Transfer to Oaxaca Airport (OAX): $22
- Transfer Hotel to Oaxaca Airport private service: $26
- Oaxaca city: Roundtrip Private/Shared Airport Transfer: $27
- From Oaxaca One way shared transfer to San Jose del Pacifico: $29
- Oaxaca Airport (OAX) to Oaxaca de Juárez - Arrival Transfer: $30
- Oaxaca Airport (OAX) to Oaxaca hotels - Arrival Private Transfer: $30
- Oaxaca hotels to Oaxaca Airport(OAX) - Departure Private Transfer: $30
- Private Transfer Airport Hotel in Oaxaca: $34
- Roundtrip Private Transfer from Oaxaca Airport (OAX) : $43
- Shared Departure Transfer: Hotels to Oaxaca Airport: $46
- Oaxaca Airport (OAX) to Oaxaca de Juárez - Round-Trip Transfer: $60
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:
- Private Scenic Transfer to Mendoza.: $467
- Airport Transfer and Halfday City tour Santiago de Chile: $362
- Private Santiago Visit Haras de Pirque Winery & Transfer Hotel: $300
- Private Transfer San Antonio Cruise from Santiago to Valparaiso: $300
- Transfer Santiago to Cruise Port in Valparaiso or San Antonio: $290
- Transfer Private hotel to Cruise ship in Puerto San Antonio or Valparaiso: $270
- Santiago de Chile : private transfer in SUV to Viña del mar or Valparaíso: $270
- Private Transfer to Sewell UNESCO Andes Town Tour with Lunch: $269
- Maipo Valley Wine Tour, Concha y Toro, Private Transfer from Santiago: $262
- Private Transfer from Arturo Merino Benítez (SCL) Airport to Viña del Mar: $261
- Private Transfer From Santiago airport to San Antonio Pier or Valparaiso Pier : $251
- Santiago Airport (SCL) to Santo Domingo - Round-Trip Transfer: $240
Is it cheaper to fly into Oaxaca de Juarez or Santiago?
Prices for flights to both Santiago and Oaxaca de Juarez 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 dayOaxaca de Juarez $22Santiago $23
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Oaxaca de Juarez
For Oaxaca de Juarez, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Private Oaxaca Street Food Tour - Best Rated : $35
- Central Oaxaca Food Tour: $55
- Food Tour at the Mercado de Abastos: $57
- Tradicional Oaxacan Dinner on Agronomic Biodiversity_01: $60
- Oaxaca: Vegetarian Cooking Class: $65
- Oaxacan Vegetarian Cooking Class: $66
- Oaxaca: Cooking Class with No Set Menu &Local Market Tour: $70
- Flavors of Oaxaca: Cooking Class with No Set Menu and Local Market Tour: $75
- Secret Food Tour: Oaxaca de Juárez: $75
- Oaxaca Central de Abastos Market Food Tour : $78
- Oaxaca: 10 Mexican Salsas Cooking Class with Taco Tasting: $80
- 10 Mexican salsas, enjoy cooking and tasting them in Oaxaca: $80
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.Oaxaca de Juarez $12Santiago $47
Tours and Activities in Oaxaca de Juarez
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Oaxaca de Juarez.
- Oaxaca Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self Guided Tour: $5.13
- Oaxaca: Colonial City Bus Tour: $5.45
- Walking Tour Oaxaca: $5.59
- Oaxaca: Legends Tour Mezcalbús: $6.53
- Oaxaca: Monte Alban, Cuilapam, and Artisan Villages Tour: $20
- Oaxaca: Guided Bike Tour to the Largest Tree in the World: $20
- Oaxaca: Oaxaca City Beyond the Surface Walking Tour: $22
- Half Day Teotitlan Del Valle Village Shared Tour : $25
- Monte Albán Morning Half-Day Tour –Small Group, Transport & Guide: $27
- Oaxaca : City Tour: $27
- Oaxaca: The Art of Death walking tour: $27
- Montealban Tour: $28
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 dayOaxaca de Juarez $13Santiago $8.40
Sample the Local Flavors in Oaxaca de Juarez
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Oaxaca de Juarez:
- Oaxaca Pub Crawl: $17
- Oaxaca Pub Crawl with Mezcal Shots and Live Music: $18
- Check out Hierve el Agua, Mitla, the Tule Tree, Rugs, and a Mezcal Distillery Tour: $49
- Hierve el Agua, Tule Tree, Mitla and Mezcal Distillery Tour: $50
- From Hierve el Agua and Mezcal Distillery: $54
- Only Hierve el Agua and Mezcal Distillery tour: $55
- Only Hierve el Agua and Mezcal Distillery Tour: $55
- Personalized Tour to Hierve el Agua and Mezcal Distillery: $101
- Oaxaca: Mezcal Distillery Tour with Tastings: $125
- Mezcal Distillery Day Trip: $134
- Artisanal Mezcal distillery in an authentic Zapotec village : $150
- Oaxaca: Hierve el Agua, Mezcal Distillery, and Lunch Tour: $272
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 Oaxaca de Juarez and Santiago, we can see that Santiago is more expensive. And not only is Oaxaca de Juarez much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Oaxaca de Juarez is in North America 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 Oaxaca de Juarez would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Oaxaca de Juarez 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 Santiago would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Santiago than you might in Oaxaca de Juarez.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Oaxaca de Juarez Expensive? and Is Santiago Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Oaxaca de Juarez or Santiago?
Santiago has a larger population, and is about 20 times larger than the population of Oaxaca de Juarez. When comparing the sizes of Oaxaca de Juarez 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.
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.