Which place is cheaper, Marrakech or Abu Dhabi?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Abu Dhabi or Marrakech?
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 Abu Dhabi and Marrakech can help you decide which place is right for you.
Where Should I go: Abu Dhabi or Marrakech?
Abu Dhabi
It doesn't get more "lifestyles of the rich and famous" than a vacation to Abu Dhabi. The federal capital and center of government for the United Arab Emirates is arguably the most modern city in the world.
Abu Dhabi has a population of 1.5 million and provides a home to several oil companies and embassies, but this place is definitely a playground for the world's fanciest tourists. This city has several large projects underway including Yas Island's Formula 1 track and Ferrari theme park.
Note: homosexuality is still outlawed in the UAE with harsh punishments including deportation, fines, jail time or even a death sentence.
Marrakech
Marrakech is on of the most popular travel destinations in Morocco. It is the third largest city in Morocco after Casablanca and Rabat and is located near the foothills of the Atlas Mountains only a few hours from the Sahara Desert. It's a beautiful city that is often referred to as the "Pink City" because of the pale pink color of many of the city's buildings. These striking colors make the city particularly beautiful during the evening hours when the low sun creates a very dramatic lighting.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Budget Tours to United Arab Emirates, The Best Tours for Seniors to United Arab Emirates, The Best 10-Day Tours in Morocco, and The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Morocco.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayAbu Dhabi $164Marrakech $69
The average daily cost (per person) in Abu Dhabi is $164, while the average daily cost in Marrakech is $69. 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 Abu Dhabi and Marrakech in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personAbu Dhabi $98Marrakech $46
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomAbu Dhabi $196Marrakech $92
Compare Hotels in Abu Dhabi and Marrakech
Looking for a hotel in Abu Dhabi or Marrakech? 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: Abu Dhabi Hotel Prices and Marrakech Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Abu Dhabi $20Marrakech $6.30
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Abu Dhabi
Some typical examples of transportation costs in Abu Dhabi are as follows:
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Car Rental$31
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Taxi to Airport$14
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Abu Dhabi
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Abu Dhabi:
- Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi Tickets With Meal and Transfers : $98
- Warner Bros World Ticket's -Abu Dhabi Without Transfer: $220
- Warner Bros General Admission with Transfers: $150
- Try find your better than us! Airport transfer service in Abu Dhabi HTL-APT(AUH): $52
- Try find your better than us! Airport transfer service in Abu Dhabi APT-HTL(AUH): $56
- Transfer in private vehicle from Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH)- Abu Dhabi City: $61
- Transfer in private minivan from Abu Dhabi City - Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH): $67
- Transfer in private minivan from Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH)- Abu Dhabi City: $67
- Tickets to Global Village with Private Transfer: $95
- Skydive in Abu Dhabi | Tandem Skydive with transfer: $817
- Roundtrip Transfer Private Minivan Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH) - Abu Dhabi City: $133
- Private transfer: Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH) to Abu Dhabi: $40
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Marrakech
Also for Marrakech, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Marrakech Airport Transfer: $5.01
- Transfer from Al Madina Airport: $5.79
- Private transfer from or to the airport: $6.38
- Marrakech : Transfer privé vers ou depuis l'aéroport de Rak: $6.38
- Marrakech Airport transfer ( ONE WAY pick-up OR/OU ONE WAY drop-off): $6.51
- Marrakech Airport Transfer (ONE WAY pick-up OR/OU ONE WAY drop-off): $6.51
- Marrakech Airport Transfer ( ONE WAY pick-up OR/OU ONE WAY drop-off): $7.05
- Marrakesh: 1-Way Private Transfer to Menara Airport: $7.45
- Private Transfers to Marrakech from Ménara Airport: $7.59
- Marrakech City Center Private Airport Transfer: $8.00
- Private Transfer: from Marrakech Airport to your hotel: $8.10
- Marrakech : Private Transfer to/from RAK Airport: $8.20
Is it cheaper to fly into Abu Dhabi or Marrakech?
Prices for flights to both Marrakech and Abu Dhabi 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 dayAbu Dhabi $45Marrakech $13
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Abu Dhabi
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Abu Dhabi.
- Abu Dhabi Desert Safari BBQ Dinner Live Shows Pick & Drop More: $45
- Abu Dhabi Desert Safari With BBQ Dinner & Live Shows: $49
- Desert Safari, Quad Bike, Camel Ride & BBQ Dinner: $50
- Desert Tour with BBQ Dinner and Hotel Transfer: $51
- Abu Dhabi Desert Safari With Live Shows And BBQ Buffet Dinner: $60
- Evening Desert Safari Abu Dhabi with Hot BBQ Dinner : $62
- Abu Dhabi Evening Desert Safari with BBQ Dinner and all Camp Activities : $72
- Desert Safari Abu Dhabi w/ Sand Boarding, Camel Ride & BBQ Dinner: $75
- Abu Dhabi Evening Desert Safari & Dinner Under the Stars: $77
- Evening Desert Safari Abu Dhabi with BBQ Dinner & Shows: $81
- Abu Dhabi Evening Desert Safari with Camel Ride and Dinner: $84
- Abu Dhabi Afternoon Desert Safari and BBQ Dinner: $90
Typical Food Prices in Marrakech
For Marrakech, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Orange Juice on the Square$0.30
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Breakfast$1.20
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Dates$0.60
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Olives$0.90
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Sandwich$1.29
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Souvenir Spices$6.18
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Marrakech
For Marrakech, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Magical dinner in agafay desert with camel ride: $19
- Marrakech desert: Agafay Desert Sunset Dinner Show: $21
- Restaurant Dinner Experience with Hotel Pickup: $21
- All-inclusive Dinner and camel ride experience in Agafay desert : $22
- Dinner Show in Agafay Desert with Quad Bike & Camels: $22
- Typical Moroccan Dinner at the inhabitant in Marrakech: $22
- Sunset in Agafay: Dinner, Camel, Quad-Book Adventure with Viator: $22
- Desert Dinner, Camel Ride, Sunset & Show: $23
- Dinner in Desert Marrakech and Camel ride at Sunset: $23
- Moroccan Cooking Class with a Local Chef: $24
- From Agafay Desert Sunset Dinner with Live Show: $25
- From Camel Ride Sunset Dinner and Show Desert: $26
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Abu Dhabi $39Marrakech $7.01
Tours and Activities in Abu Dhabi
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Abu Dhabi are as follows:
- Abu Dhabi Louvre Museum Entrance Ticket: $41
- Abu Dhabi Tour-Sheik Zayed Mosque, Emirates Palace With Louvre Musuem: $115
- Ferrari World Entrance ticket : $95
- Full Day Abu Dhabi City & Louvre Museum Tour: $90
- Private Full-Day Tour in Abu Dhabi: $234
- Ticket to Louvre Museum, Abu Dhabi: $19
- 17 Minutes Helicopter Tour in Abu Dhabi: $245
- 4 Hour Cultural Tour of Abu Dhabi - Private Tour: $160
- 8 hours Private Tour: Ferrari World and Louvre Museum with Pickup: $270
- Abu Dhabi 4G & 5G Data Roaming for Tourist: $8.51
- Abu Dhabi : Private Custom Walking Tour with A Guide: $43
- Abu Dhabi : Private Walking Tour with A guide (Private Tour): $44
Typical Entertainment Prices in Marrakech
Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for Marrakech's activities, tours, and tickets:
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Palace Tickets$1.99
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Golf at Atlas Golf$56
Tours and Activities in Marrakech
For Marrakech, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Marrakech Medina Walking Tour With Local Guide: $5.00
- Marrakesh: Cactus Thiemann Entry Ticket: $8.30
- Atlas Mountains Tour with Camel Ride: $9.00
- Ourika Valley Day Trip From Marrakech Private Day Tour: $9.99
- Marrakech Airport to Hotel – Your Premium Arrival Experience: $11
- 1/2 day Guided Medina Walking Tour & Souks : $13
- Marrakech:Quad Tour in Palmeraie: $14
- Historical Marrakech Walking Tour: $15
- Full Day Hiking Tour to Atlas Mountains from Marrakech: $15
- Marrakech activities: Camel ride tour Marrakech: $15
- Marrakech Sightseeing Tour: $15
- Anima Garden Admission Ticket: $16
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayAbu Dhabi $13Marrakech $15
Sample the Local Flavors in Marrakech
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Marrakech:
- Bar Crawl with Local Guide & Drinks: $28
- Moroccan wine tasting workshop in Marrakech: $70
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Abu Dhabi and Marrakech, we can see that Abu Dhabi is more expensive. And not only is Marrakech much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Abu Dhabi is in Middle East and Marrakech is in Africa, 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 Marrakech would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Marrakech 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 Abu Dhabi would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Abu Dhabi than you might in Marrakech.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Abu Dhabi Expensive? and Is Marrakech Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Abu Dhabi or Marrakech?
Marrakech has a larger population, and is about 39% larger than the population of Abu Dhabi. When comparing the sizes of Abu Dhabi and Marrakech, 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.
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.