Which place is cheaper, Kathmandu or Cairo?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Cairo or Kathmandu?
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 Kathmandu 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 Kathmandu?
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.
Kathmandu
Kathmandu is the capital and largest city in the country of Nepal. Its metropolitan area forms one large urban area that includes the area of Patan to the south. As of 2011 there were 2.5 million residents in the Kathmandu metropolis and over 3 million in the entire metropolitan area. Kathmandu is likely to be your entry point into Nepal and is a great place to pick up supplies and arrange the details for any treks you hope to do. Many travelers rush through Kathmandu, turned off by the pollution and crowds, but to skip Kathmandu is to miss a major cultural, financial, and influential part of what defines the country of Nepal. The city itself is quite fun to explore if you allow it enough time and an open mind.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Egypt, The Best Historical Tours in Egypt, The Best Hiking & Trekking Tours in Nepal, and The Best 10-Day Tours in Nepal.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayCairo $17Kathmandu $57
The average daily cost (per person) in Cairo is $17, while the average daily cost in Kathmandu is $57. 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 Kathmandu in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personCairo $9.36Kathmandu $40
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomCairo $19Kathmandu $80
Compare Hotels in Cairo and Kathmandu
Looking for a hotel in Cairo or Kathmandu? 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 Kathmandu Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Cairo $2.99Kathmandu $6.95
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$0.32
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cairo
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Cairo:
- Private Departure Transfer from Cairo or Giza Hotels to Cairo Airport: $5.00
- Private transfer from Cairo Airport to the hotel in Cairo or Giza: $9.00
- Private transfer from Cairo Airport to Novotel Cairo El Borg: $9.60
- Private Pickup transfer from Osiris Hotel to Cairo airport: $9.60
- Private transfer from Cairo Airport to Radisson Blu Hotel, Cairo Heliopolis: $9.60
- Private transfer from Cairo Airport to Cairo Pyramids Hotel: $9.60
- Private Pickup transfer from Marriott Mena House, Cairo to Cairo airport: $9.60
- Private Pickup transfer from Royal Maxim Palace Kempinski to Cairo airport: $9.60
- Private Pickup transfer from Novotel Cairo El Borg to Cairo airport: $9.60
- Pickup transfer from Radisson Blu Hotel, Cairo Heliopolis to Cairo airport: $9.60
- Private Pickup transfer from Cairo Pyramids Hotel to Cairo airport: $9.60
- Private Pickup transfer from Windsor Hotel Cairo to Cairo airport: $9.60
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Kathmandu
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Kathmandu:
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Taxi Ride$1.50
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Kathmandu
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Kathmandu:
- Deluxe Toyota Coaster Mini Bus Transfer From Kathmandu to Pokhara or V. V. : $22
- From Kathmandu To Ramechhap Airport - Private Transfer: $171
- From Bungee Jump over Bhotekosi River & Transfer: $160
- From One-Way Private Transfer to Pokhara: $148
- From Private car transfer to Pokhara: $117
- Kathmandu Airport Arrival transfer: $20
- Kathmandu Airport Private Transfers: $14
- Kathmandu Airport Transfer: $30
- Kathmandu Airport Transfer: $16
- Kathmandu Ramechhap Airport Transfer: $31
- Kathmandu airport transfer service: $19
- Kathmandu to Dharapani Transfer - Way to Annapurna Circuit: $55
Is it cheaper to fly into Cairo or Kathmandu?
Prices for flights to both Kathmandu 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 $4.75Kathmandu $8.31
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.
- Cairo Dinner Cruise, Belly Dancer Show With Pickup Service: $8.78
- Dinner Cruise on the Nile River: $12
- Cairo Night Dinner With Belly Dancer Show With Pickup & Drop Off: $13
- Nile Sunset, Dinner Cruise, Show and Private Transfer: $15
- Super Safari Quad Bike Jeep Safari Buggy and Dinner in Hurghada: $18
- Cairo Food Tour with Nile Felucca Ride : $18
- VIP tour Giza pyramids ,Sphinx, Quad bike ,Camel, Dinner cruise : $19
- Private Expert tour Giza Pyramids ,Sphinx ,Nile Dinner Cruise & Belly Dancer: $19
- Giza Pyramids, Camel Ride, Quad Bike, Night and Dinner Cruise on Nile: $19
- All inclusive Tour to Giza Pyramids, Sphinx & ATV &Dinner cruise : $20
- Private Cairo Food Tour : $20
- Food Tour in Local Cairo Life with Egyptian tea: $23
Typical Food Prices in Kathmandu
Some typical examples of dining costs in Kathmandu are as follows:
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Dessert$1.35
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Dinner for Two$3.01
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Kathmandu
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Kathmandu.
- Momo Making & Cooking class in Thamel with Pickup: $8.56
- Half Day cooking class in Kathmandu by Local Chefs & Pickup: $9.34
- Best Half-Day Nepali Cooking Class & Hotel Pickup: $9.50
- Best Half day cooking class in Thamel Kathmandu with Pickup: $10
- Dinner with Cultural Show Kathmandu : $12
- Cultural Dinner Show with Traditional Dance: $17
- Nepali Cooking Class in Thamel, Kathmandu with Pickup: $19
- Nepali and Newari Cooking Class with Optional …: $22
- Food Tour In Kathmandu With Walking Local Market: $23
- Half Day Cooking Class in Thamel with Local Market Visit: $23
- Cooking Class in Thamel Kathmandu by Local Chef with pickup: $25
- Cooking Class with Special Day Celebration in Thamel: $27
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Cairo $5.75Kathmandu $8.04
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$0.84
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Egyptian Museum Entry for Two$6.49
Tours and Activities in Cairo
Here are a few actual costs in Cairo for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Cheapest Tour to Wonders Pyramids of Giza and Great Sphinx : $4.00
- Dahshur Pyramids Entry Tickets: $4.27
- The Baron Empain Palace Entry Ticket: $4.60
- Baron Palace Entry Tickets : $4.60
- Cairo Shopping tour Private Papyrus Perfume, Bazar Cotton Shop : $4.70
- New Grand Egyptian Museum Tour with optional the pyramids tour..: $5.00
- All Inclusive Tour to Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Memphis, and Saqqara: $5.00
- Baron Empain Palace Entry Tickets: $5.16
- Entry Ticket to the Prince Mohamed Ali Palace : $5.39
- Skip The Line with Memphis Museum Entry Ticket: $6.53
- Cairo Shopping Tour.: $7.00
- Baron Palace Skip the line Access Entry Tickets: $7.02
Typical Entertainment Prices in Kathmandu
Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Kathmandu are as follows:
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Monkey Temple for Two$1.50
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Patan Durbar Square Entrance for Two$3.76
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Swayambhunath Stupa$1.50
Tours and Activities in Kathmandu
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Kathmandu are as follows:
- Discover Kathmandu on a day cycling tour! (Minimum 4 people): $0.19
- Kathmandu Heritage Sightseeing Tour: $1.01
- Old A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $5.40
- Nepal: Kathmandu City Flavors Guided Walking Tour: $7.79
- City Highlights Bus Tour: $9.54
- Privet Day Tours in Kathmandu Nepal : $10
- Sarngkot Sunrise Himalayas Tour in Pokhara: $10
- Skywalk Adventure in Nepal: $11
- Discovering Full-Day City Highlights Bus Tour: $12
- Nepali Nightlife Experience in Kathmandu's Vibrant Thamel: $12
- Kathmandu to Pokhara Tourist Bus- MNS: $12
- Bandipur Tourist Bus Ticket: $12
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayCairo $1.17Kathmandu $5.77
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: $59
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Cairo and Kathmandu, we can see that Kathmandu is more expensive. And not only is Cairo much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Cairo is in Africa and Kathmandu is in Asia, 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 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 Kathmandu would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Kathmandu 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 Kathmandu Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Cairo or Kathmandu?
Cairo has a larger population, and is about 5 times larger than the population of Kathmandu. When comparing the sizes of Cairo and Kathmandu, 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.