Is Sicily Expensive? A Guide to Prices in Sicily

When considering a trip to this gorgeous Mediterranean island, many will ask themselves if Sicily is an expensive destination to visit. Figuring out the prices on Italy’s largest island can be something that is essential to planning your trip, especially if you’re travelling on a budget.

Fortunately, the cost of travelling to Sicily is generally affordable if you’re conscious of where you spend your money – and it certainly isn’t as expensive as other Italian destinations like Venice and the Amalfi Coast.

So if you’re in the process of mapping out your ideal Sicily itinerary and you want to know the average cost of a trip, then this guide should help you out.

Sicily Trip Cost Guide

Travellers to Sicily will find that the region will be more affordable compared to many other areas of Italy and can expect to spend roughly €55-220 per person per day.

However, these prices will vary depending on how much you choose to spend on accommodation, transportation, food, activities and entertainment while visiting this chaotic, beautiful and dynamic island.

Accommodation Prices

The most consistent and, arguably, the largest piece of your travel budget is going to go to lodging. Fortunately, there are tons of accommodation options on the island and countless places to stay in Sicily that you’re sure to find something that suits your travel style and budget.

Though it will likely be the most expensive part of your Sicily travel budget, accommodation prices on the island don’t necessarily have to be overly inflated.

Those visiting Sicily on a budget will be happy to hear that there are plenty of hostels and budget hotels/guesthouses to choose from that won’t break the bank.

In fact, if you want to stretch your hard-earned cash as much as possible, you can get a bed in a hostel dorm for as little as €20 per night. If you’re after a private room in a hostel or a budget hotel, then plan for that to cost around €50 per night – split between two people it works out almost as affordably as a dorm bed.

If you’re travelling on a mid-range budget, then you could opt to stay in either a middle-of-the-road hotel or opt for a holiday flat rental. Both are great options and will generally cost around the same per night.

You can expect to spend about €75-100 per night on either of these. Of course, factors like time of year, location and the town/city you are in can always affect the price. You can view options here.

It can be worth noting that, in general, it can work to bring your average cost down if you opt for a fully furnished apartment over a hotel as you have the option to cook some of your own meals at “home.” This is generally what we like to do while travelling and was what we opted for while we were visiting.

For those who want to travel in luxury while traipsing around Sicily, then that will come with a loftier price tag. Expect the cost of a luxury 4 or 5-star hotel in Sicily to start at around €200-250 per night, again depending on a number of factors. You can view options here.

However, if you travel in the off-season, you can generally halve the per-night cost here and stay in a luxe hotel for around €100 per night!

Assuming you’re splitting costs between two people, plan to spend around €20-125 per person per night on accommodation depending on your preferences.

Transportation Prices

Getting around Sicily is also something that is going to come with its own price tag and, again, it depends on exactly how you plan to get from point A to B to figure out how much it will set you back.

For those who want to rely on public transport in Sicily, you will find that this is a good option and an affordable one, as well.

There is an extensive train network throughout the island that connects major towns and cities frequently and easily. We used it to get around from Catania to some other cities and found the trains comfortable, affordable and easy to navigate.

Longer train journeys, like from Palermo to Catania, for instance, will cost around €15 per person for a one-way ticket. Shorter journeys, such as from Catania to Taormina, will land somewhere around €5. You can book tickets in advance here.

When exploring cities like Catania or Palermo (or even smaller towns and cities like Trapani or Cefalu), you can very easily get around on foot. In fact, in many of these, it’s recommended.

Provided that you only travel between cities every few days and go about on foot while in your destinations, you likely only need to budget around €5-8 per day for transportation.

However, if you want to have some flexibility and the ability to get a bit off the beaten path, you will likely find it easiest to hire a car while visiting Sicily. This brings your average costs up significantly, however, a rental car doesn’t have to break the bank, either.

Keep in mind that it is almost always cheaper to rent a car with a manual transmission (often almost half the cost) and that the daily rate is often reduced if rented for a week rather than for a shorter period of time. You will also have to factor in parking costs as a part of your rental, along with petrol.

In general, if you determine that you would rather get around Sicily via rental car, then expect to spend roughly €25 per person per day on transportation.

If you want to find great deals on hire cars in Sicily, consider browsing Rentalcars.com in order to compare prices across a number of available companies.

Food Prices

One of the top reasons to travel to Sicily is the food – at least in my humble opinion. From succulent caponata to crispy and gooey arancini and everything in between, the food in Sicily simply cannot be missed and indulging in Sicilian specialities was absolutely one of the highlights of our time on the island – but how much will it cost?

Well, budget travellers will delight upon hearing that they can indulge in any number of Sicilian specialities for an incredibly reasonable price.

There are a lot of street food and takeaway options in Sicily (especially in the big cities) where you can get authentic local fare for rock-bottom prices. For instance, you can get massive arancini for around €2-3 (which is enough for a quick lunch) or a jam-packed sandwich for about €3 as well.

For breakfast, if your accommodation doesn’t happen to provide it for you, you can do as the locals do and grab a coffee and a cornetto (an Italian filled croissant) for around €2-3 per person, depending on the location of the cafe.

And if you want to have a sit-down lunch or dinner at a mid-range restaurant or rustic trattoria, you can expect to pay around €6-8 for a plate of pasta. If you want to include some house wine and an appetiser, you can plan to spend around €15-20 per person for an incredibly filling meal.

All in all, even if you eat out all meals, you can easily budget around €25 per person per day and leave feeling very full and satisfied. You can always get your costs a bit down if you cook your own meals and, obviously, you can pay more if you choose higher-end places to eat.

Activities Prices

Now that we’ve covered how much things like accommodation, transportation and food cost in Sicily, you’re likely wondering how much it will cost to actually do things here – unless you are like me and consider food to be an activity in and of itself.

Fortunately, much like in the other aspects of this cost breakdown, the cost of activities in Sicily doesn’t have to be that high.

For instance, it is absolutely free to allow yourself to get lost in the winding streets and open-air market of Palermo. Wandering through the old town of Trapani or traipsing down Via Etnea in Catania are all free and open to all who wish to do it.

However, if you want to enter a museum, climb the bell tower of a church or visit one of countless archaeological sites, this is going to cost something. Fortunately, basic tickets to things like this aren’t too expensive and it’s something that can be worked into most budgets.

Museums and archaeological sites vary in price depending on where they are and what they include, but plan to spend around €10 per person. Or, in the case of Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples, plan to spend €15 in the high season and €9 in the low season – this is also on the higher end for entry fees.

For budget travellers planning to visit one museum or site per day can plan to budget around €5-10 per day for this.

Those who are interested in going on some guided tours will need to budget a bit more for activities. A food tour of Palermo, for instance, will cost around €50-75 per person and something like a wine tasting tour will be closer to €100-150 per person at least.

If you plan to do a couple of these kinds of tours during your trip plus entering a major site each day, plan to budget closer to €30 per person per day.

Entertainment Prices

So how much does it cost to have a bit of fun in Sicily? Again, that can depend on how and where you spend your money but it doesn’t have to break the bank.

If you want to indulge in an icy cold granita or gelato to beat the blistering heat, plan for that to cost around €2-3 depending on the size (and also the location of the shop you’ve popped into). This became a daily necessity for us once the late afternoon heat started to get to us!

For those wanting a classic Italian caffeine fix, coffee prices are quite affordable. You can get a macchiato for under €2 in most local haunts and a cappuccino for the same. You really need not spend a lot on coffee.

And for those who want to partake in the sacred Italian practice of aperitivo will find that there are generally great happy hour deals at cafes and bars in the lead-up to dinner time.

Generally, you can get a spritz or basic cocktail for under €5 (and often closer to €3) along with some basic snacks to munch on. A glass of wine will be around €3 and plan to spend the same on a local draft beer.

If you want to get something to eat while still enjoying a nice alcoholic beverage, many cafes and bars will offer sharing platters that usually include the cost of a number of different specialities (enough to constitute a meal) plus the cost of a cocktail for around €10-15 per person – it’s a great deal if you want to try a lot of things!

In general, plan to budget around €5-15 per person per day on entertainment costs while in Sicily depending on your habits and wants.

Average Prices in Sicily

So how expensive is Sicily? In general, it can be quite an affordable destination if you spend your money wisely and in more local-centric areas.

Below are the averages you should expect to spend on accommodation, transportation, food, activities and entertainment each day. Keep in mind that these prices are assuming that you’re splitting costs for things like accommodation or a rental car between two people.

Accommodation: €20-120 / day

Transportation: €5-25 / day

Food: €15-30 / day

Activities: €10-30 / day

Entertainment: €5-15 / day

On average, expect your total trip cost to be around €55-220 per person per day. Of course, this can range on either side depending on your habits and how you choose to spend your money and time.

Is Sicily expensive to visit? Generally speaking, no it is not. Sicily can be quite an affordable destination to visit in Italy and you can get a great feel for the culture, cuisine and history without breaking the bank.

Are you planning on visiting Sicily? Have any questions? Let us know in the comments!