A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Dar es Salaam vs. Cabo San Lucas for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Dar es Salaam or Cabo San Lucas?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Dar es Salaam and Cabo San Lucas can help you decide which place is right for you.

Where Should I go: Dar es Salaam or Cabo San Lucas?

Dar es Salaam

Having grown from a fishing village, Dar es Salaam is now a major city and commercial port on Tanzania's Indian Ocean coast. While it is mainly used as a stopping point on the way to Zanzibar, it has a few unique treasures of its own such as the Kariakoo Market, National Museum, and the open-air Village Museum.

Cabo San Lucas

Cabo San Lucas ("Cabo") is on the far southern end of the Baja Peninsula. It has countless resorts and activities for visitors. There are world class golf courses, fine dining options, and five star resorts. Prior to the 1980s, Cabo was a quiet fishing village but with the construction of a nearby airport in 1977, the city rapidly grew into one of Mexico's most popular resort vacation spots. Today, Cabo has one of the country's most vibrant nightlife scenes. It also has plenty of water sport activities, and a great beach scene.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Safaris in Tanzania, The Best Safaris in Tanzania, The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Mexico, and The Best Historical Tours in Mexico.


Which place is cheaper, Cabo San Lucas or Dar es Salaam?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

  • Dar es Salaam Prices
    Tanzania Prices
    Cabo San Lucas Prices
    Mexico Prices
  • Average Daily Cost Per person, per day
    Dar es Salaam $493
    Cabo San Lucas $159

The average daily cost (per person) in Dar es Salaam is $493, while the average daily cost in Cabo San Lucas is $159. 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 Dar es Salaam and Cabo San Lucas in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Dar es Salaam $452
    Cabo San Lucas $57
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Dar es Salaam $904
    Cabo San Lucas $114
Compare Hotels in Dar es Salaam and Cabo San Lucas

Looking for a hotel in Dar es Salaam or Cabo San Lucas? 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.

Hotels in Dar es Salaam


Hotels in Cabo San Lucas


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: Dar es Salaam Hotel Prices and Cabo San Lucas Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Dar es Salaam $14
    Cabo San Lucas $25

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Dar es Salaam

Also for Dar es Salaam, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Dar es Salaam Airport Transfers Comfortable Ride to Your Hotel: $60
  • Private Layover Tour with Airport Transfer: $120
  • Ferry Tickets to Zanzibar with Transfers.: $120
  • Private Transfer from Dar El Salaam to Julius Nyerere Airport (DAR): $106
  • Transfer/Airport pick up and drop off: $192

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cabo San Lucas

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Cabo San Lucas:

  • Los Cabos Luxury Private Tesla Transfer from Airport to the Pacifica Area: $293
  • Cabo San Lucas Port to San Jose Del Cabo hotels - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $287
  • Transfer to Cabo San Lucas from Round Trip Airport: $267
  • Los Cabos Airport Transfers: $250
  • Los Cabos Luxury Private Tesla Airport Transfer: $236
  • Los Cabos Luxury Private Tesla Transfer from Airport to Tourist Corridor Area: $236
  • Private Escalade Airport Transfer in Los Cabos: $220
  • Private Round Trip Transfer to San José del Cabo Art Walk: $215
  • Los Cabos Luxury Tesla Transfer from Airport to San José del Cabo Area: $214
  • Private Or Shared Airport Transfers: $210
  • Private Transfer from Cabo San Lucas Airport: $210
  • Private Transfer from Los Cabos Airport to Cabo San Lucas: $210

Is it cheaper to fly into Dar es Salaam or Cabo San Lucas?

Prices for flights to both Cabo San Lucas and Dar es Salaam 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 day
    Dar es Salaam $33
    Cabo San Lucas $80

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cabo San Lucas

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Cabo San Lucas.

  • Authentic Mexican Legacy Cooking Class in Cabo San Lucas: $75
  • AvoCabo Food Tour : $78
  • San Jose del Cabo Food Tour & Visit to the Market: $79
  • Flavors of Authentic Mexican Food Tour: $79
  • San Jose del Cabo Morning Food Tour: $83
  • Catch of the day dinner in your private villa/condo in Cabo or San Jose del Cabo: $90
  • San José del Cabo for Meat Lovers Food Tour: $90
  • Private Mexican Cooking Class in Your Cabo San Lucas Villa or Condo: $90
  • Parrillada dinner with a Private Chef in your villa/condo in Cabo or San Jose: $95
  • Sunset Mexican Dinner Cruise and Live Music in Cabo San Lucas: $95
  • Sunset Dinner Cruise with Tequila & tacos: $95
  • Cabo Sunset Dinner Cruise with Live Music & Open Bar on Cabo Wave: $99

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Dar es Salaam -
    Cabo San Lucas $39

Tours and Activities in Dar es Salaam

Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Dar es Salaam.

  • Private Insightful City Tour of Dar es Salaam: $34
  • Daressalaam city sightseeing private tour: $55
  • Private Tour to Jozani Forest Reserve Half-Day Guided Tour from Zanzibar: $90
  • The Best/Top Rated Cultural City Tour in Dar es Salaam : $90
  • Full Day Private Tour in Dar es Salaam City: $90
  • Dar es Salaam City Tour - Everyday: $97
  • Dar es Salaam City Walking tour - Explore the Life of the Local People!: $100
  • Stone Town & Spice Tour: $110
  • Bagamoyo Tour: $120
  • Dar es Salaam Guided City Experience (Shared Group): $130
  • Dar Es Salaam City Tour (Full Day With Private Guide And Car): $140
  • Dar Es Salaam City Tour: $150

Tours and Activities in Cabo San Lucas

Here are a few actual costs in Cabo San Lucas for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • Art and Wine Evening City tour in San Jose del Cabo for Adults: $119
  • Beach ATV y Camel Ride y Sky Bike Adventure: $140
  • Camel Ride, UTV, and The Arch Tour with Lunch & Tequila Tasting!: $249
  • OffRoad 4X4 UTV Adventure with unlimited Lunch & Tequila : $199
  • Platinum Snorkel Tour : $239
  • Traditional Tequila Tasting Experience with Jorge Cuervo: $87
  • "Exclusive Cabo San Lucas Trimaran Experience with Snorkeling": $180
  • 1 Hour Jet Ski Adventure : $180
  • 2 Hours Horseback Riding Adventure in Cabo: $130
  • 2 Tank Tour in Cabo San Lucas Reserve, Certified Divers with MANTA: $138
  • 2 in 1 Tour | Arc Tour with Beach Drop: $19
  • 2-Hour ATV Riding Experience in San Jose del Cabo: $110

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Dar es Salaam $7.97
    Cabo San Lucas $26

Sample the Local Flavors in Cabo San Lucas

Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Cabo San Lucas:

  • Cabo Bar Crawl - The BEST Bar and Clubs in Cabo : $60
  • Wine Tasting Sunset Cruise Tour in San Jose del Cabo: $280


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Dar es Salaam and Cabo San Lucas, we can see that Dar es Salaam is more expensive. And not only is Cabo San Lucas much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Dar es Salaam is in Africa and Cabo San Lucas is in North 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 Cabo San Lucas would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Cabo San Lucas 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 Dar es Salaam would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Dar es Salaam than you might in Cabo San Lucas.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Dar es Salaam Expensive? and Is Cabo San Lucas Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Dar es Salaam or Cabo San Lucas?

Dar es Salaam has a larger population, and is about 60 times larger than the population of Cabo San Lucas. When comparing the sizes of Dar es Salaam and Cabo San Lucas, 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.