Which place is cheaper, San Jose 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.
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Masai Mara and San Jose. 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.
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.
San Jose is the capital city of Costa Rica and is likely to be your first and last stop in a visit to the country. The city is situated in the Central Valley and is surrounded by beautiful mountains and valleys, making for a beautiful flight in. The city has an elevation of 1200 meters and sits on a plateau with a beautiful backdrop of lush green forest. Half of the people in Costa Rica reside in the country's capital city. You are likely to stay only a day or two, but there are a handful of things to do and see including museums and markets. You will also find many embassies, as well as the University of Costa Rica in San Jose.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Budget Safaris in Kenya, The Best Luxury Tours to Kenya, The Best Budget Tours to Costa Rica, and The Best Tours for Seniors to Costa Rica.
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
The average daily cost (per person) in Masai Mara is $132, while the average daily cost in San Jose is $103. 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 San Jose in more detail.
Looking for a hotel in Masai Mara or San Jose? 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.
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Masai Mara:
Some typical examples of transportation costs in San Jose are as follows:
Also for San Jose, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
Prices for flights to both San Jose 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.
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Masai Mara.
For San Jose, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Masai Mara are as follows:
For San Jose, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in San Jose:
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Masai Mara and San Jose, we can see that Masai Mara is more expensive. And not only is San Jose much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Masai Mara is in Africa and San Jose is in Central 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 San Jose would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in San Jose 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 Masai Mara would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Masai Mara than you might in San Jose.
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 San Jose Expensive?.