Easter Island is one of the world’s most remote inhabited islands, sitting over 2,000 miles off the coast of Chile. For many people, that remoteness adds to its allure, and it’s a destination that bucket list trips are made of. But when considering a trip to Easter Island, cost is likely to be the #1 question burning in people’s minds.
Spoiler alert: it’s not cheap. Nothing like traveling in Peru, Bolivia, and even Brazil. But don’t let the higher costs dissuade you. Dreams are meant to be lived!
With some advanced preparation, and knowledge of what to expect cost-wise, you’ll be on a plane to Easter Island in no time.
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HOW MANY PEOPLE?
Two
WHERE DID WE GO?
Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
FOR HOW LONG?
4 days
WHAT DID IT COST?
$2,480.81 total / $620.20 per day / $310.10 per person, per day
Breakdown of what our trip to Easter Island cost
Photo by Kara Patterson
In each of the three continents we visited on our world trip, we planned budget-wise to have one splurge. In South America, Easter Island was definitely that splurge.
Not only is it more expensive than the rest of South America (except maybe the Galapagos), we also weren’t able to utilize any of our travel rewards points to help offset our Easter Island costs.
But at the end of the day, I’m a person who REALLY values once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Which means checking off a bucket list trip at higher cost is totally fine by me.
ESSENTIAL TRIP TO EASTER ISLAND COSTS
TRANSPORTATION (46%)
$1,147.30 total / $286.83 per day / $143.41 per person, per day
© Aliaksei Skreidzeleu via Canva.com
Did you know you can only fly to Easter Island direct from two locations in the WORLD? It makes sense when you think of its location, but direct flights are only available from Santiago or Tahiti via LATAM.
We were already making our way through South America, so popping over to Santiago to catch a flight to Easter Island was no problem for us. However, bear in mind – if you’re coming from the US, expect a higher flight cost!
Additionally, if you REALLY want to see the island, it’s best to rent a car (ours cost $88 per day). While its possible to walk around the island from site to site (and we saw some crazies doing it), if your budget allows, save your time and feet and just get a rental car. We found two days in our rental to be the perfect amount of time to see everything we wanted to see across the island.
Be EXTRA careful with your rental car. The island is so remote that car insurance is not available. Like AT ALL, to ANYONE. Use a credit card that offers rental coverage, or just make super certain to avoid causing any damage. Otherwise paying for it out of pocket will certainly increase your overall Easter Island costs.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE (24%)
$593.99 total / $148.50 per day / $74.25 per person, per day
Photo by Kara Patterson
Anything we ingest (booze included), gets tallied up here. And as you all know…or are learning…we appreciate a good cocktail. Which naturally increases overall F&B costs.
It’s also important to note, our accommodation included breakfast every morning (score!). And while we always appreciate savings, you can see it still didn’t get us very far when it came to the food budget.
Eating out on Easter Island is quite expensive. Our average meal cost was $60. And even a “modest” lunch of two sandwiches and two beers will set you back $40.
YIKES.
ACCOMMODATION (19%)
$461.52 total / $115.38 per day / $57.69 per person, per day
© jarcosa via Canva.com
We absolutely LOVED where we stayed on Easter Island, Cabanas Henua Iti. Not only did it include breakfast every day (as noted above), but the owner also provides round trip transfer from the airport personally.
We had our own two-bedroom cabin with a kitchen, living/dining room, and a front porch. And while not quite centrally located in town (Hanga Roa), we didn’t mind the 20 minute walk on the days we didn’t have our rental car.
However, there are surprisingly TONS of options on the island to choose from. Ranging from budget hostel beds for $30ish a night all the way to all-inclusive resorts for over $800 per night.
VISA FEES (0%)
$Free.99
After our visa experience in Bolivia, I sure appreciate the no-visa-required countries that much more. For travel in Chile (of which Easter Island is a territory of), US citizens are granted a 90 day tourist visa upon arrival.
FLEXIBLE TRIP TO EASTER ISLAND COSTS
ENTERTAINMENT (11%)
$278.00 total / $69.50 per day / $34.75 per person, per day
Photo by Kara Patterson
When visiting Easter Island, most of the main historical attractions are all located within the Rapa Nui National Park. Each person will need to purchase a ticket (which costs $80 each) in order to gain access to the sites.
Our amazing hostess drove us by the office shortly after picking us up so we could purchase our tickets first thing and be ready to hit the ground running.
Also included in entertainment expenses was dinner and show with the Kari Kari dancers. Alright now pay attention to me…DO NOT miss this. It was an absolute highlight for us. There are a few different dance groups to choose from, but we loved Kari Kari and can’t recommend them highly enough.
You can purchase a ticket to the show only, BUT, if you purchase the dinner and a show ticket you get premier seating in the front row! I was so close I could see the sweat running down their abs. It was glorious.
DO NOT misplace your Rapa Nui National Park entrance ticket. There’s no record in a system for your proof of purchase, so if you lose that piece of paper…you have to buy another one (and they do check at every site you visit).
FINAL THOUGHTS
Photo by Kara Patterson
You may look at our trip to Easter Island costs and think “OUCH!”
And yeah, it definitely stung the budget a little bit.
But honestly, Easter Island was one of our favorite stops on the trip. And we prepared our budget in advance for a couple splurges along the way.
Was it expensive? YES.
But was it worth it? A thousand times yes!
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Great way to break it down. I can’t believe how expensive food is. I mean when there are no other options and I’m sure a lot will require being imported, but still. Looks like an amazing place though.