Which place is cheaper, Essaouira or Cairo?
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 Cairo or Essaouira?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Cairo and Essaouira 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: Cairo or Essaouira?
Cairo
Cairo is the chaotic capital city of Egypt. With a population of more than 16 million, it is one of the largest cities in both Africa and the Middle East. As a traveler, you're likely to arrive and leave from here and you'll get your first orientation to the area during the chaotic and congestion filled taxi ride from the airport.
Essaouira
Essaouira is a beautiful beach town on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. The city has a pleasant medina that has been named a UNESCO World Heritage site and is interesting to explore. It's an 18th century fortified town with a lot of character and charm. The city is rich and culture and you'll find a handful of art galleries throughout the town. The city is also a gathering place for artists and musicians, particularly during the Gnaoua Festival of World Music, which takes place the last week of June. This event attracts about 450,000 visitors yearly.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Egypt, The Best Historical Tours in Egypt, The Best 10-Day Tours in Morocco, and The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Morocco.
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Cairo Prices
Egypt PricesEssaouira Prices
Morocco Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayCairo $30Essaouira $56
The average daily cost (per person) in Cairo is $30, while the average daily cost in Essaouira is $56. 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 Cairo and Essaouira in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personCairo $10Essaouira $26
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomCairo $20Essaouira $52
Compare Hotels in Cairo and Essaouira
Looking for a hotel in Cairo or Essaouira? 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: Cairo Hotel Prices and Essaouira Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Cairo $3.46Essaouira $2.02
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Cairo
Some typical examples of transportation costs in Cairo are as follows:
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Metro Ride$0.08
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Taxi Ride$0.29
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cairo
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Cairo:
- Cairo To Marsa Alam Private Transfer: $511
- From One-Way Private A/C Transfer To Luxor City.: $489
- Private One-Way Transfer to/from Hurghada: $292
- Private Transfer From Giza To Soma Bay: $291
- Private Transfer from Cairo to Sharm El Sheikh: $290
- Full-Day Private Trip to Fayoum from Cairo, with Transfer: $286
- Private Transfer from El Cairo (CAI) Airport to Hurghada: $277
- Cairo To Marsa Alam Private Transfer: $267
- Private Transfer Cairo City To Makadi: $259
- 2-Day Camping Tour in The Bahariya Oasis with Private Transfer: $250
- Private Tour Giza Pyramids and Great Sphinx With Transfers: $250
- Private Transfer Cairo City To Hurghada City: $250
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Essaouira
Also for Essaouira, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Essaouira Airport Private Transfer: $33
- Essaouira P13: 2h quad + 2h camel free transfer: $91
- Essaouira P17: Quad ride dunes beaches free transfer.: $33
- Essaouira P2: dunes wipe & beaches in quad with transfer: $33
- Essaouira P3: Quad and Buggy tour beach dunes free transfer: $33
- Essaouira to Agafay Desert Marrakech Exclusive Private Transfer: $91
- Essaouira to Marrakech:Private Transfer for a Hassle-Free Journey: $86
- Private Transfer from or to Essaouira Aéroport: $31
- Private Transfer from or to Essaouira Airport: $39
- From Agadir : Day in Essaouira with Transfer: $33
- Marrakech : Private Transfer from or to Marrakech Airoport: $23
- Private Transfer Essaouira-Agadir: $126
Is it cheaper to fly into Cairo or Essaouira?
Prices for flights to both Essaouira and Cairo 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 dayCairo $16Essaouira $24
Typical Food Prices in Cairo
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Cairo:
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Juice$0.04
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cairo
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Cairo.
- Giza Pyramids Sphinx , ATV, camel ride Plus Nile Dinner Cruise: $3.00
- Explore Giza Pyramids with Camel, ATV, Dinner Cruise, & Shopping: $5.00
- 2 Hour Cairo Dinner Cruise on Nile river with live band: $7.00
- Night Dinner Nile cruise with belly dancer and folklore show: $7.00
- Cairo Dinner Nile Cruise with Belly Dancer Show on Nile River: $7.00
- Quad Bike ATV ,Camel Ride ,Nile Dinner Cruise Belly dancer show: $7.00
- Private Nile Cruise with Dinner and Folk Show from Cairo: $7.50
- Giza pyramids, sphinx &ATV +Nile Dinner cruise: $8.00
- 2-hours night dinner cruise show : Eat , Dance and Sing: $8.00
- Cairo Nile Dinner Cruise Belly Dancer Tanora Show Dinner Buffet: $8.00
- Cairo (Dance, Sing and Eat ) Nile Dinner Cruise Show &Open Buffet: $8.00
- Private Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Quad Bike, Camel Ride, Nile Dinner Cruise: $8.00
Typical Food Prices in Essaouira
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Essaouira:
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Baklava$1.41
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Breakfast Crepes$0.50
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Fish for Lunch$15
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Essaouira
For Essaouira, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Agadir Cooking Class Experience with Local Market Visit: $30
- Cooking class: How To Be a Real Moroccan Chef: $40
- Essaouira Sunset Tour: Sidi M’barek Waterfall,Coastal Walk&Dinner: $47
- Essaouira Moroccan Cooking Class Experience: $52
- Essaouira Berber Cooking Class & Organic Farm Tour Al Aaila Farm: $52
- Essaouira Cooking Class At Home: $52
- Cooking Class in Essaouira Countryside: $57
- Souk Stories Essaouira Food Tour with 15+ Tastings: $59
- Essaouira Street Food Tour: $68
- l'Atelier - Moroccan Cooking Workshop in Essaouira: $69
- 3 Hours Horse Riding with Dinner and Overnight Berber Camp: $212
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Cairo $8.29Essaouira $12
Typical Entertainment Prices in Cairo
Here are a few typical costs in Cairo for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
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Entry to Camel Market for Two$0.77
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Egyptian Museum Entry for Two$5.90
Tours and Activities in Cairo
Here are a few actual costs in Cairo for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- “Cairo Private Tour: Giza Pyramids, Sphinx & GEM Museum”: $69
- (Egypt jewel) Day Tour To Giza Pyramids, Museum, Mosque &Felucca: $55
- 01 Day Cairo tour Islamic and Coptic Cairo: $143
- 01 Day Tour to Alexandria from Cairo: $246
- 1 Day Private Tour from Hurghada to Cairo: $216
- 1 Day tour to Alexandria from Cairo: $30
- 1 Day tour to Giza pyramids Memphis city Dahshur and Saqqara pyramids: $15
- 1 Hour Adventure In The Nile River By Nile Taxi In Cairo: $60
- 1 Hour Adventure In The Nile River By Nile Taxi In Cairo: $60
- 1 Hour adventure in the Nile River By Nile Taxi In Cairo: $60
- 1-Hour Private Felucca Boat Tour on the Nile: $7.00
- 1-Hour Private Felucca Boat Tour on the Nile: $9.00
Tours and Activities in Essaouira
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Essaouira.
- Self Guided Essaouira Medina Architecture Audio Tour: $5.49
- Essaouira to Marrakech Supratours bus tickets: $18
- Full-Day Essaouira Tour from Marrakech: $29
- Small Group Surf Lesson in Essaouira 3 Hour Experience: $29
- Scenic Horseback Adventure Along Essaouira’s Beaches: $31
- 1 Hour Quad Bike Adventure in Essaouira desert: $32
- 2-Hour Beach & Dunes Quad Tour with Tea: $33
- Essaouira P6: Cape Sim quad bike tour: $33
- Beginners surf experience in Essaouira: $33
- Sunset Horse Ride Experience in Essaouira: $33
- Ocean Dunes Sandboarding, Waterfall and Sea Cave Tea Experience: $33
- Essaouira Experience Bike Quad: $40
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayCairo $1.35Essaouira $9.27
Sample the Local Flavors in Cairo
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Cairo:
- Pub Crawl and Speakeasy Bar Tour with 2 Free Drinks: $69
- Cairo Autumn Downtown Food & Bar Crawl with Drinks: $109
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Cairo and Essaouira, we can see that Essaouira is more expensive. And not only is Cairo much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Cairo would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Cairo 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 Essaouira would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Essaouira than you might in Cairo.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Cairo Expensive? and Is Essaouira Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Cairo or Essaouira?
Cairo has a larger population, and is about 110 times larger than the population of Essaouira. When comparing the sizes of Cairo and Essaouira, 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.