Which place is cheaper, Marrakech or Cairo?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Cairo or Marrakech?
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 Marrakech 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 Marrakech?
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.
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 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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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayCairo $17Marrakech $69
The average daily cost (per person) in Cairo is $17, 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 Cairo and Marrakech in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personCairo $9.36Marrakech $46
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomCairo $19Marrakech $92
Compare Hotels in Cairo and Marrakech
Looking for a hotel in Cairo 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: Cairo Hotel Prices and Marrakech Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Cairo $2.99Marrakech $6.30
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:
- transfer from Cairo airport to the hotel in Cairo or Giza: $20
- private transfer from or to cairo international Airport: $15
- one transfer from airport to Cairo Giza hotels or hotels to Cairo airport: $22
- VIP Meet and Assist at Cairo Airport with Private Hotel Transfer: $35
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Cairo APT-HTL (CAI): $33
- Transfer your private departure from your hotel to Cairo Airport: $20
- Transfer to Cairo & Giza Hotels From Cairo Airport: $35
- Transfer from Hurghada to Luxor (sharing ): $109
- Transfer from Cairo to Alexandria ( Private ): $55
- Transfer from Cairo to Ain El Sokhna : $70
- Transfer from Cairo or Giza Hotels to Cairo Airport: $11
- Transfer from Cairo Airport to the Hotels in Cairo or Giza : $18
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Marrakech
Also for Marrakech, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Airport Marrakech Transfer one way: $22
- Hammam and Massage Experience with Transfers: $67
- Marrakech Airport Private Transfer: $13
- Private Transfer Agadir airport - Marrakech: $163
- Private Transfer From Marrakech To Fez: $206
- private transfer to or from Marrakech and Taroudant one trip: $98
- transfer from Marrakech city to Agadir city (AGA) one-way: $81
- "Marrakech to Chefchaouen: Your Exclusive Private Transfer": $250
- 2h Buggy Adventure in the Marrakech Desert with Transfer and Tea Break: $49
- Agadir private transfer from Imouzzer Ida Ou Tanane to Agadir airport (AGA): $104
- Airport Transfer Ride : $20
- Airport Transfert: $22
Is it cheaper to fly into Cairo or Marrakech?
Prices for flights to both Marrakech 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 $4.75Marrakech $13
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 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:
- Online Moroccan Cooking Class: $17
- Cooking Lesson at the Ouirgane Ecolodge with Lunch: $18
- Magical dinner in agafay desert with camel ride: $19
- Marrakech desert: Agafay Desert Sunset Dinner Show: $20
- Restaurant Dinner Experience with Hotel Pickup: $21
- 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
- Dinner Magic in Agafay desert with transport from Marrakech: $26
- Desert Agafay Dinner at Nomad Camp and Camel Ride: $26
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Cairo $5.75Marrakech $7.01
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:
- 2 Days 1 Nights Tour package to Saint-Catherine from Cairo : $300
- 2 Days in Cairo & Giza Private Tour : $80
- 2-Day Tour Ancient Egypt and Old Cairo Highlights Tour: $290
- 2-Days Tour at Cairo & Giza: $86
- 2-Days Tours at Cairo & Giza : $143
- 3-Day Cairo Top Attractions Exploration Tour: $180
- 3-Day Tour at Cairo & Giza : $200
- 3-Days Tour at Cairo (Customized Package): $229
- 3-Days Tour in Siwa Oasis from Cairo : $217
- 8-Hour Private Tour Giza Pyramids, Egyptian Museum and local Bazaars: $26
- All Inclusive 2-Day Private Tour to All Pyramids and Cairo and 2 evenings: $299
- All Inclusive Full-Day Tour to Pyramids, Museum, mosque and Felucca: $79
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:
- 3-Hour Colorful Souks Tour: $5.00
- 3-Hour Colorful Souks Tour experience: $5.00
- 3-Hour Colorful Souks Tour with Tour guide: $5.00
- Marrakesh: Cactus Thiemann Entry Ticket: $8.20
- Ourika Valley, Atlas Mountain and Waterfalls Tour from Marrakech: $10
- Camel ride experience at the palm grove of Marrakech: $12
- 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
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayCairo $1.17Marrakech $15
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
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: $28
- Moroccan wine tasting workshop in Marrakech: $70
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Cairo and Marrakech, we can see that Marrakech 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 Marrakech would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Marrakech 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 Marrakech Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Cairo or Marrakech?
Cairo has a larger population, and is about 9 times larger than the population of Marrakech. When comparing the sizes of Cairo 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.