A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Arusha vs. Rome for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Arusha or Rome?

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

Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Arusha and Rome can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.

Where Should I go: Arusha or Rome?

Arusha

Arusha is a city in East Africa's Tanzania, located at the base of volcanic Mt. Meru. It’s a gateway to safari destinations and to Africa’s highest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro, lying some 100 kilometers northeast. To the west lies Serengeti National Park, home to wildlife including lions, rhinoceros, giraffes and leopards. Annual migrations feature huge herds of wildebeests crossing its plains. Arusha is Tanzania’s gateway to the northern circuit of stellar national parks and the starting point of many a memorable safari. It’s also a large, sprawling city which offers a nice break from the rigors of life on the African road – it has excellent places to stay and eat and, for the most part, it’s lush and green and enjoys a temperate climate throughout the year. Arusha is a great destination, and you're sure to enjoy your time here, no matter what your interests are.

Rome

Rome is the capital and largest city in Italy. It is also a common entry point for most visitors flying into the country. Rome has been a center of power, culture, and religion for the last millenium, making it one of the most famous and popular destinations in not only Europe, but the world. The influence of the Roman Empire can be seen across continents.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best G Adventures Tours to Tanzania, The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Tanzania, The Best Luxury Tours to Italy, and The Best Budget Tours to Italy.


Which place is cheaper, Rome or Arusha?

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 Arusha is $201, while the average daily cost in Rome is $243. 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 Arusha and Rome in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Arusha $134
    Rome $106
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Arusha $268
    Rome $212
Compare Hotels in Arusha and Rome

Looking for a hotel in Arusha or Rome? 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 Arusha


Hotels in Rome


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: Arusha Hotel Prices and Rome Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Arusha $14
    Rome $25

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Arusha

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

  • Arusha Airport & Hotel Transfers: $40
  • Kilimanjaro Airport Pick Up & Drop Off | Private Transfer Service: $77
  • Kilimanjaro Airport Transfer to Moshi: $65
  • Kilimanjaro Airport and Arusha Private Transfer: $59
  • Kilimanjaro Airport to Arusha City Private Transfer: $120
  • Kilimanjaro International Airport to Arusha City Center Transfer: $60
  • Private Transfer from Arusha to Kilimanjaro Airport (KIA): $161

Typical Local Transportation Prices in Rome

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


  • Metro Ride (for Two)
    $2.35
  • Train to the Airport
    $18
  • Taxi to Airport
    $53
  • Bicycle Rental (Full Day)
    $12

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Rome

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Rome:

  • private transfer from Rome to Fiumicino airport: $72
  • Welcome Private Transfer from Fiumicino Airport to Hotel in Rome: $119
  • VIP Transfer from Fiumicino Airport to Rome or Vice Versa: $72
  • Transfers from all Airports to ancient city of Rome: $72
  • Transfers from Fiumicino airport: $84
  • Transfers Ciampino airport To Rome: $50
  • Transfer to Rome from Fiumicino Airport: $58
  • Transfer to Fiumicino Airport from Rome: $119
  • Transfer services from airports to rome for up to 4 persons: $299
  • Transfer from Termini station to Rome center with minivan: $105
  • Transfer from Rome to the port of Civitavecchia: $147
  • Transfer from Rome to MagicLand: $127

Is it cheaper to fly into Arusha or Rome?

Prices for flights to both Rome and Arusha 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
    Arusha $43
    Rome $98
Typical Food Prices in Arusha

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


  • A Quick Lunch (for 2)
    $2.23

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Arusha

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

  • Traditional Tanzania Cooking Class & Food Market Tour: $43
  • NGO Lifted Strong - Traditional Tanzanian Cooking Class: $50

Typical Food Prices in Rome

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Rome:


  • Casual Lunch (for Two)
    $16
  • 4 Ice Cream Sandwiches
    $3.51
  • Cafe e doce
    $4.69
  • Pizza (Fast Food)
    $3.11
  • Sitdown Lunch (for Two)
    $37
  • Cheese and bread
    $12
  • Espresso
    $2.35
  • Dinner
    $68

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Rome

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Rome.

  • Pizzas and Piazzas: A Self-Guided Walk of Rome’s Culinary Culture: $20
  • Hard Rock Cafe Rome with Set Lunch or Dinner: $34
  • Food Tour of the Vatican with Farmers Market and Wine Tasting: $35
  • Rome City Center Largest Farmers Market and Street Food Tour : $35
  • Vatican Street Food Tour around the Biggest Fresh Market in Rome: $35
  • Street Food tour : Eat like a real local: $40
  • Tasty Trionfale Farmers Market Food Tour and Local Wines Tasting: $42
  • Vatican Street Food Tour and Wine Experience with Local Guide: $47
  • Fettuccine Pasta Cooking Class in Rome City Center: $52
  • Trastevere Ultimate Food Tour by Do Eat Better: $52
  • Trastevere & Campo de' Fiori Street Food Tour, Eat Like a Local: $53
  • Rome Street Food Tour Eat Like a Local: $53

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Arusha $47
    Rome $42

Tours and Activities in Arusha

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

  • Arusha Guided Walking City Tour: Culture, History & Local Markets: $20
  • Discover Arusha's Soul: A Guided Walking City Tour. Learn & Live.: $25
  • Street Food and Community Walking Tour: $30
  • Arusha Waterfalls,Coffee farm Tour & Swing(all inclusive): $30
  • Microfinance family farm tour - all proceeds to charity: $35
  • Hidden Arusha Village, Waterfall & Coffee Tour (All-Inclusive): $40
  • Mountain Bike Tour of the Foothills of Mount Meru: $40
  • Lake Duluti Luxury Canoe Tour: $50
  • Private Walking Tour with Giraffes: $55
  • Arusha city tour and Pickup: $55
  • Coffee tour and Buffet Lunch with Kingstone Asilia (Arusha): $55
  • Materuni Waterfall, Chemka Hot Spring and Traditional Coffee Tour: $60

Typical Entertainment Prices in Rome

Here are a few typical costs in Rome for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:


  • Rome Museum Vaticano (for 2)
    $81
  • Coliseum Tickets (for Two)
    $39
  • Roma Pass
    $35
  • Hop on Hop Off Bus (All Day)
    $23
  • Segway Tour
    $88

Tours and Activities in Rome

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

  • Appian Way and Aqueducts Electric Bike Tour: $90
  • Baths of Caracalla Guided Tour -Private or Shared: $130
  • Best of Rome by Night Private Sightseeing Chauffeured Tour: $227
  • Discover The Churches of Rome guided tour: $178
  • Evening Tour of the City’s Most Iconic Sights - Up To 6 People: $190
  • Golf Cart Small-Group Guided Tour: Rome City Highlights: $104
  • Golf Cart Tour of 3h with local guide and gelato: $215
  • Guided Group Walking Tour of Rome Top Sights: $47
  • Guided Tour of Rome's Churches and Art: $209
  • Guided tour in Chinese between Vatican Museums + St. Peter's Basilica: $154
  • Hidden Gems & Rome Catacomb Semi Private Tour by golf cart: $108
  • Last Hour Guided Tour To Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel: $102

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Arusha $11
    Rome $21

Typical Alcohol Prices in Rome

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Rome:


  • Bottle of Wine
    $7.63
  • Pint of Beer
    $7.44
  • Beer
    $12

Sample the Local Flavors in Rome

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

  • Unique Wine Tasting in Enoteca in Rome San Pietro Area: $33
  • Trionfale Farmers Market and Vatican Quarter Food and Wine Tour: $35
  • Rome’s Exclusive Wine Tasting: Sip Near the Colosseum!: $39
  • Tour of Rome with wine tasting: $54
  • Wine Tasting in Trastevere with Food and Gelato: $54
  • Guided Wine Tasting Experience in a Roman Vineyard: $59
  • Wine Tour in Historic Center of Rome: $60
  • Dolce Vita Burlesque show: $60
  • EAT AND DRINK LIKE A LOCAL - Wine Tasting in Trastevere w/ Gelato: $72
  • Wine Tour in Romes Historic center: $82
  • Devour Rome Food & Wine Tour of Trastevere: $84
  • The greatest wine tour of Rome: $84


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

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


Which is Bigger, Arusha or Rome?

Rome has a larger population, and is about 8 times larger than the population of Arusha. When comparing the sizes of Arusha and Rome, 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.