8 South American Cities With Cheapest Flights From The U.S.

The cheapest South American cities to fly to from the United States usually include Bogotá, Medellín, Cartagena, Lima, Quito, Guayaquil, Cali, Georgetown.

Colombian and Ecuadorian cities tend to show up often because they’re closer to the U.S. and are served by airlines that keep pricing competitive. Lima also stays in the mix because it’s a major gateway into South America, while Georgetown has become a better-value option than many travelers realize thanks to growing airline coverage from the U.S.

Avianca, Copa, Spirit, JetBlue, Caribbean Airlines, and American are some of the main airlines worth focusing on if looking for which airlines offer the cheapest flights to South America from the U.S.

Let's take a deeper look at which cities offer the cheapest fares from the United States

Bogotá, Colombia

Bogotá is usually one of the cheapest South American cities to fly to from the U.S. because it has heavy competition, strong demand, and a lot of service from both budget-friendly carriers and major Latin American airlines. It also works well as a gateway city, since once you land in Bogotá, it’s easy to continue on to other cities across Colombia and the rest of South America.

Cheap Airlines Servicing Bogotá From The U.S.

• Avianca: Avianca lists Bogotá among its top destinations from the United States, and it’s one of the main reasons fares to Colombia stay competitive.
• Copa Airlines: Copa sells U.S.-to-Bogotá itineraries through Panama City, which adds a lot of extra competition on this route.
• Spirit Airlines: Spirit publishes low-fare service to Bogotá from U.S. cities, helping keep Bogotá near the front of the pack for cheaper South America flights.
• LATAM Airlines: LATAM also offers nonstop U.S.-to-Bogotá service, adding another major airline into the mix.

Once in Bogotá, travelers can easily connect onward across Colombia and much of South America, which makes it one of the easiest budget-friendly starting points on the continent.

Medellín, Colombia

Medellín is another city that regularly shows up with lower fares from the U.S., especially from Florida and other eastern gateways. Part of the reason is simple—there’s steady demand, short-ish flying time compared with deeper South America, and a good mix of carriers competing for Colombia traffic.

Cheap Airlines Servicing Medellín From The U.S.

• Avianca: Avianca actively markets Medellín from U.S. points of sale and lists it among its top U.S. destinations.
• Spirit Airlines: Spirit shows some of the lowest published fares to Medellín from cities like Orlando and Fort Lauderdale.
• Copa Airlines: Copa includes Medellín in its U.S. destination set through Panama City.

Medellín also works nicely as a connection point for domestic Colombia trips, so it’s a good fit for travelers trying to stretch one ticket into a bigger trip.

Cartagena, Colombia

Cartagena stays competitive because it blends leisure demand with shorter routing from the U.S., and it gets attention from both ultra-low-cost and full-service carriers. For beach travelers, it’s often one of the more approachable South America airfare markets from the U.S.

Cheap Airlines Servicing Cartagena From The U.S.

• Spirit Airlines: Spirit publishes low-fare Cartagena service from U.S. cities, including Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.
• Avianca: Avianca sells Cartagena itineraries from U.S. gateways like Miami, New York, and Washington.
• Copa Airlines: Copa also includes Cartagena among its top destinations from the U.S.

Cartagena is especially appealing because you can find a warm-weather South America destination without having to fly as deep into the continent as places farther south.

Lima, Peru

Lima is one of the most reliable South American hubs for finding competitive flights from the U.S. It gets a lot of service, works as a major connecting point for Peru and the wider region, and has strong coverage from both LATAM and Copa, plus service from Avianca as well.

Cheap Airlines Servicing Lima From The U.S.

• LATAM Airlines: LATAM lists direct flights to Lima from major U.S. cities including Miami, New York, Orlando, and Los Angeles.
• Copa Airlines: Copa sells U.S.-to-Lima itineraries through Panama City, which adds more fare pressure.
• Avianca: Avianca includes Lima among its top destinations from the U.S.

Lima is also one of the best entry points if you want cheap onward flights inside Peru or further south into Chile, Argentina, or Bolivia.

Quito, Ecuador

Quito often surprises travelers by how affordable it can be from the U.S. Compared with farther-flung South American capitals, it benefits from shorter flying distances and solid coverage from Avianca, Copa, and LATAM.

Cheap Airlines Servicing Quito From The U.S.

• Avianca: Avianca markets Quito from several U.S. cities and keeps Ecuador in the conversation for lower fares.
• Copa Airlines: Copa offers U.S.-to-Quito itineraries and regularly prices this market competitively via Panama.
• LATAM Airlines: LATAM also sells Quito itineraries from the U.S. through its network.

Quito makes even more sense for travelers who want to pair the city with the Galápagos or other Ecuador routes later in the trip.

Guayaquil, Ecuador

Guayaquil is another South American city that often comes in cheaper than travelers expect. It benefits from the same Ecuador advantage as Quito—closer geography to the U.S.—but it can also show strong pricing because it’s a major commercial gateway and not just a leisure market.

Cheap Airlines Servicing Guayaquil From The U.S.

• Avianca: Avianca’s Ecuador pages show Guayaquil as one of its promoted U.S.-market destinations.
• Copa Airlines: Copa offers U.S.-to-Guayaquil itineraries and publishes fares from cities like New York, Orlando, and Chicago.
• LATAM Airlines: LATAM also sells Guayaquil trips from the U.S. through its South American network.

Guayaquil is also useful as a practical gateway city if the goal is to continue deeper into Ecuador or combine it with other regional stops.

Cali, Colombia

Cali doesn’t get talked about as much as Bogotá or Medellín, but it often deserves a spot in budget flight conversations because the Colombia market is so competitive overall. It’s one of those cities where connecting service helps keep fares from drifting too high. (Avianca)

Cheap Airlines Servicing Cali From The U.S.

• Avianca: Avianca lists Cali among its U.S. destination options.
• Spirit Airlines: Spirit says its Colombia network includes Cali on its route map.
• Copa Airlines: Copa includes Cali among its top destinations from the U.S.

For travelers who want Colombia without always paying Bogotá or Cartagena-style demand spikes, Cali can be a smart one to watch.

Georgetown, Guyana

Georgetown is one of the better South American cities to watch for cheaper flights from the U.S., especially compared with deeper southern destinations. Part of that is because several airlines are actively competing for Guyana traffic, and part of it is that Georgetown has become a more visible market on official airline fare pages from places like New York, Miami, Orlando, and Washington.

Cheap Airlines Servicing Georgetown From The U.S.

• JetBlue: JetBlue has a dedicated Georgetown page and currently shows fares from U.S. cities including New York, Raleigh/Durham, Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando.
• Copa Airlines: Copa publishes fares from the United States to Georgetown and shows cities like Miami, New York, Orlando, and Washington Dulles on its fare pages.
• Caribbean Airlines: Caribbean Airlines actively sells Georgetown flights and also publishes U.S.-to-Guyana fares from cities like New York, Orlando, and Miami.
• American Airlines: American also has a live Georgetown destination page with published fares, which adds more competition into this market.

There are several airlines offering cheap flights to South America. Tap the title link above to view a complete guide on all of the cheapest airlines and the U.S. airports they service, or choose a city to see which are the cheapest carriers to South America that service that city.