A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Addis Ababa vs. Mexico City for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Addis Ababa or Mexico City?

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

If you're trying to decide where to visit between Addis Ababa or Mexico City, this travel comparison, which includes costs, can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison down below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.

Where Should I go: Addis Ababa or Mexico City?

Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia and also the nation's largest when ranked by its population of over three million. There are also more than 120 international missions and embassies in Addis Ababa, making the city a hub for international diplomacy concerning Africa. Other draws include its thriving marketplaces, spicy food, and rich coffee.

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 2-Week Tours in Mexico, and Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Mexico.


Which place is cheaper, Mexico City or Addis Ababa?

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

  • Addis Ababa Prices
    Ethiopia Prices
    Mexico City Prices
    Mexico Prices
  • Average Daily Cost Per person, per day
    Addis Ababa $37
    Mexico City $194

The average daily cost (per person) in Addis Ababa is $37, while the average daily cost in Mexico City is $194. 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 Addis Ababa and Mexico City in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Addis Ababa $20
    Mexico City $35
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Addis Ababa $40
    Mexico City $70
Compare Hotels in Addis Ababa and Mexico City

Looking for a hotel in Addis Ababa 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.

Hotels in Addis Ababa


Hotels in Mexico City


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: Addis Ababa Hotel Prices and Mexico City Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Addis Ababa $3.58
    Mexico City $11
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Addis Ababa

Some typical examples of transportation costs in Addis Ababa are as follows:


  • Short Taxi Ride
    $0.24

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Addis Ababa

Also for Addis Ababa, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • City/Airport Transfers-Addis Ababa: $26
  • City/Airport Transfer in Addis Ababa - Shuttles: $21
  • Bole Airport Transfer: $25
  • Addis Shuttles: On-Time & Reliable, Airport Transfers: $19
  • Addis Ababa Private Airport-Hotel Transfer: $82
  • Addis Ababa Airport transfer and shuttle service(privet): $30
  • Addis Ababa Airport in/out transfer: $49
  • 4 Hours Addis Airport Transfer with Ethiopian Cultural Tour: $299
  • Transfer Services Addis Abeba Airport : $23

Typical Local Transportation Prices in Mexico City

Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Mexico City:


  • Metro
    $0.99
  • Uber Ride
    $3.47

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Mexico City

Also for Mexico City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Mexico City to San Luis Potosi - Private Transfer with Optional Sightseeing: $299
  • Mexico City → San Miguel de Allende - Private Transfer with Optional Sightseeing: $290
  • Mexico City to Guanajuato - Private Transfer with Optional Sightseeing: $271
  • Mexico City International Airport to Mexico City - Private Round-trip Transfer: $255
  • Transfer from Mexico City Airport to Puebla: $245
  • TRANSFER to the balloon flight in Teotihuacan. From 1-6 people: $205
  • Mexico City Private Transfer to or from Airport: $198
  • Airport Transfer: Mexico to Mexico Airport NLU by Luxury SUV: $196
  • Departure Transfer: Mexico to Mexico Airport NLU by Luxury SUV: $194
  • Arrival Transfer: Mexico Airport NLU to Mexico by Luxury SUV: $194
  • Mexico City Airport MEX Tecozautla Thermal Round-Trip Transfer: $142
  • Private pick up Mexico City Airport Transfer to Hotels in Mexico City: $140

Is it cheaper to fly into Addis Ababa or Mexico City?

Prices for flights to both Mexico City and Addis Ababa 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
    Addis Ababa $14
    Mexico City $39
Typical Food Prices in Addis Ababa

Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Addis Ababa:


  • Slice of Cake
    $0.06

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Addis Ababa

For Addis Ababa, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Dinner Cultural shows and best Nightlife : $21
  • Food tour in Addis Ababa with airport pick-up.: $56
  • Mom's cooking class: $60
  • Local Ethiopian Food Tour Addis Ababa: $62
  • Addis abeba Full Cooking class.: $70
  • City Tour, Food Tour, Shopping Mercato Market : $72
  • Yod Abyssinia Cultural Night: Dinner, Music, and Dance: $85
  • Ethiopian cooking class: $95
  • Cooking class in Addis Ababa: $95
  • Local Ethiopian Food Tour: $100
  • Food tours in Addis Ababa Ethiopia: $106
  • Unique Ethiopian Cooking Class and Coffee Ceremony with a Local in Addis Ababa: $116

Typical Food Prices in Mexico City

For Mexico City, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:


  • Lunch for Two
    $11
  • Coffee and Snacks
    $3.87
  • Dinner for 2
    $23

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:

  • Mexico City Street Food Tour (Private) - Best Rated: $29
  • Private Street Food Tour Mexico City - Best rated : $35
  • Traveling Spoon Mexican Tacos and Tortillas Private Online Cooking Class: $40
  • Art and Food Tour with Lunch: $50
  • Virtual Mexican Cooking Class (private and personalized): $50
  • Local Markets & Food Tour in Mexico City: $50
  • 3 Hours Food Tour Best Vegan Tacos in Mexico City: $56
  • Secret Food Tour: Mexico City Old Town: $62
  • Historic Center Food Tour with a Local Guide: $64
  • Secret Food Tours Mexico City: $65
  • Coyoacan Food Tour with a Local Guide: $69
  • Mexico City Food Tour: Coyoacan Local Experience: $71

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Addis Ababa $3.69
    Mexico City $13

Tours and Activities in Addis Ababa

Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Addis Ababa.

  • Addis Ababa City Tours Full-Day Tours : $113
  • VIP Tour to The Unity Park, National Museum Palaces, Garden, Zoo: $95
  • 2 Days Awash National Park Safari Tours: $295
  • 2 Days guided Tour in Addis Abeba: $68
  • 2-Day Sof Omar Cave and Sheik Hussein Shrine Tour: $450
  • 3 Days Meskel Festival Package-Addis Ababa City Tour/Debre Libanos Monastery: $256
  • 3 Days Visiting Harar and Dire Dawa Tours: $480
  • 4 Hour Addis Cuisine Tasting Tour: $85
  • 4 Hours Addis Ababa highlights city tour from Bole airport: $75
  • 5 Days Visiting Tigray Churches Tours: $1,200
  • 9 Days Omo Valley and Danakil Danakil Depression tour: $3,859
  • A guided tour of Addis Abeba that includes a city viewpoint: $65

Tours and Activities in Mexico City

For Mexico City, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • Discover Mexico City’s (CDMX) Gay (LGBTQ) Hotspots Guided Tour: $103
  • Mexico City Tour and Visit Chapultepec Castle. Private service: $100
  • Mixology, Food, Wine and Beer Experience in Xochimilco: $99
  • One Day Mexico City Bus Tour with Major Landmarks: $85
  • Private Tour Teotihuacan Essentials: $129
  • Private Tour from your Hotel to the Pyramids of Teotihuacan: $88
  • Private Walking Tour Historic Center of Mexico City: $118
  • Private guided tour of the Soumaya Museum : $191
  • Romantic tour in San Andrés Mixquic: $150
  • The best of Mixquic walking tour: $150
  • 100% private tour in Chapultepec Castle & around (with transport): $67
  • 2 Days Private Tour with Hiking in Malinche from Puebla: $176

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Addis Ababa $3.05
    Mexico City $17

Sample the Local Flavors in Addis Ababa

Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Addis Ababa:

  • Pub-crawl Tour ( locally crafted beer and wine tasting ): $58
  • Night Tour Addis Ababa beer and wine tasting: $65
  • Pub crawl Addis Ababa: $69

Sample the Local Flavors in Mexico City

Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Mexico City:

  • CDMX Pub Crawl: Mexico City Bar Crawl: $23
  • NORTH ROME NORTH CDMX BEER TOUR (Get to know 4 brewery places): $47
  • Best Bar Crawl at Downtown: $49
  • Polanco: Private Wine Tasting in with Cheese: $79
  • Zona Rosa Pub Crawl Experience: $85
  • Teotihuacan´s Best Balloon Flight: Pyramids and Brewery tours : $120
  • Historic Center from Above © Rooftop Bar Crawl: $129
  • Polanco: Premium Foodie Tour with Wine Tasting: $148
  • Teotihuacan Full Day: Balloon flight+Pyramids Tour and Craft Brewery: $233
  • Third Largest Monolith in the World:Bernal with wine tasting: $235
  • Cavas Freixenet Wine Tour from Mexico City: $255


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Addis Ababa and Mexico City, we can see that Mexico City is more expensive. And not only is Addis Ababa much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Addis Ababa 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 Addis Ababa would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Addis Ababa 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 Addis Ababa.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Addis Ababa Expensive? and Is Mexico City Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Addis Ababa or Mexico City?

Mexico City has a larger population, and is about 4 times larger than the population of Addis Ababa. When comparing the sizes of Addis Ababa and Mexico City, 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.