Which place is cheaper, Quito or Salzburg?
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 Salzburg or Quito?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between Salzburg 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: Salzburg or Quito?
Salzburg
Most people know of Salzburg from its roll in the infamous movie "The Sound of Music." Every child who fell in love with this movie knows the gazebo scene in the rain, or could sing "My Favorite Things" as they skip down the Salzach River, but once you get past the obvious cliches, you can see that Salzburg is a city with a lot of depth and culture aside from the movie.
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 2-Week Tours in Austria, The Best Tours for Seniors to Austria, The Best Adventure Tours to Ecuador, and The Best Eco Tours in Ecuador.
-
Salzburg Prices
Austria PricesQuito Prices
Ecuador Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per daySalzburg $217Quito $66
The average daily cost (per person) in Salzburg is $217, 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 Salzburg and Quito in more detail.
Accommodation
-
Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personSalzburg $107Quito $22
-
Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomSalzburg $214Quito $44
Compare Hotels in Salzburg and Quito
Looking for a hotel in Salzburg 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: Salzburg Hotel Prices and Quito Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
-
Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Salzburg $23Quito $6.99
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Salzburg
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Salzburg:
- Arrival Private Transfers: Salzburg Airport SZG to Salzburg in Business Car: $99
- Arrival Private Transfers: Salzburg Airport SZG to Salzburg in Luxury Van: $102
- Departure Private Transfers: Salzburg to Salzburg Airport SZG in Business Car: $99
- From Salzburg to Munich Airport- Private Transfer - punctual & friendly Driver: $275
- Hallstatt daytrip: Transfer to Hallstatt + Salzburg and back: $523
- Private Salzburg transfer : $239
- Private Transfer From Salzburg To Innsbruck, English Speaking Driver : $287
- Private Transfer From Salzburg To Kitzbuhel, English Speaking Driver : $201
- Private Transfer From Zell am See To Salzburg, English Speaking Driver: $201
- Private Transfer Salzburg → Munich, Hotel-to-Hotel, English-speaking driver: $275
- Private Transfer between Salzburg Airport and Salzburg City: $72
- Private Transfer from Salzburg to Munich With 2h of Sightseeing: $275
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:
- Quito Airport Arrival Transfer to Hotel: $20
- Private Departure Transfer from Quito to the Airport - One Way: $21
- Private Transfer from or to Quito Airport (one way): $21
- Mariscal Sucre Quito Airport (UIO) to Quito hotels - Arrival Private Transfer: $22
- Quito airport private transfer IN or OUT: $28
- Quito PRIVATE Arrival Transfer from Airport to Hotels: $28
- Quito PRIVATE Arrival Transfer from Airport to Hotels: $28
- Transfer Out from Quito to the Airport: $30
- Transfers To and From the Airport in Quito Ecuador: $35
- Private Transfer to Quito airport and hotel : $35
- Quito PRIVATE Departure Transfer from Hotels to the Airport: $36
- Quito PRIVATE Arrival Transfer from Airport to Hotels: $36
Is it cheaper to fly into Salzburg or Quito?
Prices for flights to both Quito and Salzburg 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 daySalzburg $84Quito $34
Typical Food Prices in Salzburg
Some typical examples of dining costs in Salzburg are as follows:
-
Lunch Salad$11
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Salzburg
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Salzburg.
- Austrian Apple Strudel Cooking Class including Lunch in Salzburg: $69
- Salzburg Christmas Cookies and Apple Strudel Cooking Lesson: $69
- Apple Strudel & Prezel Cooking Class incl. Dinner & Music: $94
- Best of Mozart Concert and Dinner or VIP Dinner at Fortress Hohensalzburg: $98
- Mozart and Advent/Christmas Concert with Dinner at Fortress Hohensalzburg: $98
- Mozart Dinner Concert in Salzburg: $102
- Mozart Concert and Dinner or VIP Dinner at Fortress Salzburg with River Cruise: $129
- Sound of Music Tour with Edelweiss Cooking Class in Salzburg: $149
- Best of Mozart Concert and GOLDEN VIP Dinner at Fortress Hohensalzburg: $153
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Quito
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Quito.
- Quito Cooking Class Shared Experience: $59
- Ecuador Food Tour: $69
- Cooking Class in Quito with Chef, Market Tour and Transportation: $88
- Cooking Class with a chef and local market including hotel pickup: $89
- Tour Quito with Cooking Class with Professional Chef: $95
- Quito Private Best Street Food Tour with a Local Guide: $114
- Ecuadorian Cooking Classes Rooftop (English): $120
- Premium Cooking Class Quito Tour : $135
- Cooking Class at the Andes & Roses: PRIVATE Day trip from Quito: $149
- Quito Food Tour Where my Family Go Urban Art New and Old Quito: $155
Entertainment
-
Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Salzburg $35Quito $16
Tours and Activities in Salzburg
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Salzburg are as follows:
- Salzburg Self Guided Audio Tour with Options: $3.57
- Salzburg Scavenger Hunt and Highlights Self-Guided Tour: $4.78
- Mozart's Salzburg Exploration Game and Tour: $7.16
- Zell am See Exploration Game and Tour: $7.16
- Salzburg Uncovered: Your Self Guided Adventure: $8.35
- A taste of An audio tour through the birthplace of Mozart: $12
- Sightseeing with the Sound of Music: A Salzburg Audio Tour: $12
- Stiegl Brauwelt Museum ticket: $17
- Fun & mobile puzzle rally tour in Mozart's footsteps through Salzburg: $26
- Fun & mobile puzzle rally tour through Salzburg: $31
- Salzburg Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour : $36
- Salzburg Old Town Walking Tour, Mozart, Mirabell Gardens: $39
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:
- Quito Old Town, Free walking tour Cacao taste included!: $1.00
- Skip the Line-Entry to Heaven's Gateway The Basilica Towers!: $7.99
- Night Tour in Quito with free time at Old Town: $15
- Quito Walking Experience Tour with Activities: $25
- Quito Private Walking Tour with a Local: $35
- Quito Oldtown: A Cultural-Gastro Walking Tour and Shopping: $40
- Gastronomic and Cultural Walking Tour of Quito with Tastings: $40
- Half-Day Ecuadorian Gastronomy Tour in Quito: $40
- Quito Half Day PRIVATE City tour: $42
- Quito Historic Center Night Tour: $42
- Half Day Bike Tour Discovering Quito: $48
- Fruit Tasting Experience with +15 Exotics Flavors of Ecuador: $49
Alcohol
-
Alcohol Drinks for one daySalzburg $31Quito $17
Typical Alcohol Prices in Salzburg
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Salzburg:
-
Beer$4.34
Sample the Local Flavors in Salzburg
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Salzburg:
- Private Austrian Wine Tasting with a Pro-Sommelière: $203
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
Sample the Local Flavors in Quito
Also in Quito, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Ecuador Spirit Craft Brewery Tasting and Latitude 0 Private Tour: $155
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Salzburg and Quito, we can see that Salzburg is more expensive. And not only is Quito much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Salzburg is in Europe 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 Salzburg would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Salzburg 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 Salzburg Expensive? and Is Quito Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Salzburg or Quito?
Quito has a larger population, and is about 9 times larger than the population of Salzburg. When comparing the sizes of Salzburg 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.