Which place is cheaper, Mexico City or Masai Mara?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Masai Mara or Mexico City?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Masai Mara and Mexico City. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.
Where Should I go: Masai Mara or Mexico City?
Masai Mara
Masai Mara National Reserve is a beautiful, scenic, nature reserve in southwest Kenya, just west of the capital city, Nairobi. The reserve belongs to the Masai people and was created in order to protect the land and the people and animals living on it. Masai Mara is considered to be one of the best reserves in all of Africa, offering the quintessential African safari experience.
Mexico City
Mexico City is one of the largest and most populated cities in the world. There are an estimated 26 million people living in the greater Mexico City metropolitan area. The area is about 60 kilometers by 40 kilometers and is surrounded by tall mountains and volcanoes on three sides. Mexico City proper has about 8.8 million people and is the capital of the country. More than a third of the country's economy is based here, making it the wealthiest city in all of Latin America.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Budget Safaris in Kenya, The Best Luxury Tours to Kenya, The Best 2-Week Tours in Mexico, and Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Mexico.
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Masai Mara Prices
Kenya PricesMexico City Prices
Mexico Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMasai Mara $132Mexico City $212
The average daily cost (per person) in Masai Mara is $132, while the average daily cost in Mexico City is $212. 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 Masai Mara and Mexico City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMasai Mara $37Mexico City $38
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMasai Mara $74Mexico City $76
Compare Hotels in Masai Mara and Mexico City
Looking for a hotel in Masai Mara or Mexico City? 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: Masai Mara Hotel Prices and Mexico City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Masai Mara $47Mexico City $12
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Masai Mara
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Masai Mara:
- Nairobi Airport (NBO) Private Transfer to Nairobi City/Hotels: $17
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Mexico City
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Mexico City:
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Metro$1.09
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Uber Ride$3.80
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Mexico City
Also for Mexico City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Transfer Mexico city Airport - Mexico city Downtown hotels: $16
- Private Transfer to Mexico City Airport (MEX): $16
- Private Transfer from Mexico City Airport (MEX): $16
- Inbursa Aquarium optional Round trip transfer: $20
- Mexico City International Airport (MEX) to Mexico City- Private Arrival Transfer: $31
- Mexico to Mexico City Airport (MEX) Departure Arrival Transfer: $31
- Roundtrip Private Transfer from Mexico City Airport (MEX): $32
- Transfer & assistance one-way from/to Mexico City Airport/hotel : $34
- Private Departure Transfer: Hotel to Mexico City Airport: $34
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Mexico APT-HTL (MEX) : $36
- Private Transfer From Mexico City Airport to Downtown: $41
- Toluca to Toluca Int Airport (TLC) - Departure Private Transfer: $49
Is it cheaper to fly into Masai Mara or Mexico City?
Prices for flights to both Mexico City and Masai Mara 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
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Food Meals for one dayMasai Mara $57Mexico City $43
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Masai Mara
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Masai Mara.
- Carnivore experience Lunch Or Dinner (Optional Bomas of kenya ): $40
Typical Food Prices in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Lunch for Two$12
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Coffee and Snacks$4.24
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Dinner for 2$25
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Private Street Food Tour Mexico City - Best rated : $35
- Coyoacán Market Food Tour Urban Eats & Local Legends: $52
- San Juan Market Food Tour Exotic Bites & Flavors: $52
- Art and Food Tour with Lunch: $54
- Tortilla Crawl: Food Tour in Mexico City: $55
- Mexico City Vegan & Veggie Market Explorer plus Cooking Lesson: $55
- Private Half-Day Traditional Markets Street Food Tour in Mexico City: $57
- 3 Hours Food Tour Best Vegan Tacos in Mexico City: $61
- Lunch Food Tour: Taste Mexico like a local: $62
- Old Town Food Tour of 7 Tastings & Secret Dish: $66
- Breakfast Food Tour: Taste Mexico like a local: $68
- Frida Kahlo Museum & Coyoacan Tacos & Food Tour: $69
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Masai Mara $60Mexico City $14
Tours and Activities in Masai Mara
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Masai Mara are as follows:
- Airport Layover Tour to Nairobi National Park and Giraffe Center: $225
- Amboseli national park full day tour: $160
- Bomas of Kenya cultural Dance and Acrobatic Show Tour: $64
- Day Tour To Mt. Kenya : $285
- Fairview Coffee Farm Day Tour in Nairobi: $120
- Full Day Tour Nairobi National Park, Elephant Orphanage & Giraffe Center: $275
- Giraffe Center Half-Day Guided Tour from Nairobi: $75
- Half Day Giraffe Center,Baby Elephant&Karen Blixxen Guided Tour: $38
- Half Day Private Tour to Lake Nakuru National Park: $80
- Nairobi African Shopping Tour: $55
- Nairobi City Tour and Afternoon Visit to Bomas of Kenya: $80
- Nairobi Museum KICC Tower Kobe and Bomas of Kenya Day Tour: $115
Tours and Activities in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- CDMX: Museum of Memory and Tolerance - Children in Silence (Admission ticket): $1.36
- MUCHO Museum of Chocolate Entrance Ticket: $4.36
- Free Mexico City Centre Tour: $5.57
- Bastards of Mexico: Unfiltered Tour of the Historic Center: $5.57
- Flavors of the past: A Pre-Hispanic drink tour in Mexico city. : $5.57
- CDMX: Museum of Memory and Tolerance - Anne Frank (Entrance ticket): $6.81
- Hidden Gems of Exploration Game and Tour: $7.47
- Double Decker Bus Night Tour: $8.17
- Skip the Line Tickets for Temple Major: $9.99
- Night Tour of Mexico City Panoramic Ride on a Double-Decker Bus: $10
- Mexico City (Coyoacan) Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $10
- Night City Tour in a Double Decker Bus: $11
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMasai Mara $26Mexico City $19
Sample the Local Flavors in Mexico City
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Mexico City:
- Guided Pub Crawl with Party Games: $23
- Zona Rosa Pub Crawl Experience: $94
- Cavas Freixenet Wine Tour from Mexico City: $222
- Private Cheese and Wine Tour to Queretaro: $479
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Masai Mara and Mexico City, we can see that Mexico City is more expensive. And not only is Masai Mara much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Masai Mara is in Africa and Mexico City 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 Masai Mara would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Masai Mara 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 Mexico City would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Mexico City than you might in Masai Mara.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Masai Mara Expensive? and Is Mexico City Expensive?.
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.