Which place is cheaper, Mexico City or Cairo?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Cairo or Mexico City?
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 Mexico City 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 Mexico City?
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.
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 Family-Friendly Tours to Egypt, The Best Historical Tours in Egypt, The Best 2-Week Tours in Mexico, and Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Mexico.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayCairo $17Mexico City $214
The average daily cost (per person) in Cairo is $17, while the average daily cost in Mexico City is $214. 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 Mexico City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personCairo $9.36Mexico City $41
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomCairo $19Mexico City $82
Compare Hotels in Cairo and Mexico City
Looking for a hotel in Cairo 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.
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 Mexico City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Cairo $2.99Mexico City $13
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
- private tour to Abusimble transfer to Luxor and visiting Edfu : $175
- VIP Meet and Assist at Cairo Airport with Private Hotel Transfer: $35
- Two-Day Private City Tour of Cairo, Giza Pyramids and Saqqara+Airport Transfer: $220
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Cairo HTL-APT (CAI): $33
- 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 Hurghada to Cairo by van : $235
- Transfer from Cairo to Ain El Sokhna : $70
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Mexico City
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Mexico City:
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Metro$1.20
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Uber Ride$4.21
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Mexico City
Also for Mexico City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Aguascalientes to Aguascalientes Airport (AGU) Departure Transfer: $24
- Airport Transfer: Mexico Airport MEX to Mexico by Business Car: $86
- Airport Transfer: Mexico Airport MEX to Mexico by Luxury SUV/Van: $91
- Airport Transfer: Mexico to Mexico Airport MEX by Business Car: $86
- Airport Transfer: Mexico to Mexico Airport MEX by Luxury SUV/Van: $91
- Arrival Transfer: Mexico Airport MEX to Mexico by Business Car: $86
- Arrival Transfer: Mexico Airport MEX to Mexico by Luxury SUV: $91
- Departure Transfer: Mexico to Mexico Airport MEX by Luxury SUV: $91
- International Airport Felipe Angeles(NLU) - Private Transfer To/from Mexico City: $104
- Mexico Airport (MEX) Cuernavaca Thermal Resorts Arrival Transfer: $38
- Mexico Airport (MEX) to Chignahuapan Resorts-Round-Trip Transfer: $98
- Mexico Airport (MEX) to Cuernavaca Thermal Round-Trip Transfer: $76
Is it cheaper to fly into Cairo or Mexico City?
Prices for flights to both Mexico City 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 $4.75Mexico City $27
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
- Cairo/Giza: Nile Sunset, Dinner Cruise, Show & Private Transfer : $9.63
- Dinner Cruise on the Nile River: $12
- Nile Sunset, Dinner Cruise, Show and Private Transfer: $15
- 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
- food tour private tour from cairo or giza hotel: $19
- All inclusive Tour to Giza Pyramids, Sphinx & ATV &Dinner cruise : $20
- Private Cairo Food Tour : $20
- Giza pyramids and Nile dinner cruise private tour from Cairo Giza hotels: $22
- Private Cairo food tour and Egyptian tea: $22
Typical Food Prices in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Lunch for Two$13
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Coffee and Snacks$4.69
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Dinner for 2$27
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:
- Veracruz and Boca del Rio Food Tour with Mangroves Boat Trip: $50
- Virtual Mexican Cooking Class (private and personalized): $50
- Local Markets & Food Tour in Mexico City: $50
- Uruapan Food Tour: $60
- Muchos moles: Multi-variety mole cooking class and feast: $70
- Mexico City Vegan & Veggie Market Explorer plus Cooking Lesson: $72
- Street Food Tour with Friends: $75
- La Roma Authentic Downtown Food Tour: Tacos and Local Flavors: $78
- Food Tour with Ride an Electric Bike in Mexico: $80
- Flamenco Tablao Live Show & dinner: $83
- Flamenco Live Show and Dinner in Mexico City: $83
- Mexico City Origins: Archeology, History, Art & Food Tour: $85
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Cairo $5.75Mexico City $15
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:
- ( Stopover Tour Of Cairo ) Private All Inc.Pyramids,Camel Ride,Museum& Lunch: $180
- 2 Days 1 Nights Tour package to Saint-Catherine from Cairo : $300
- 2-Day Ancient Egypt Tour with Pyramids and Museums: $219
- 2-Days Tour at Cairo & Giza: $86
- 3-Day Private Tour in Cairo : $196
- 3-Day Tour at Cairo & Giza : $200
- 3-Days Tour at Cairo (Customized Package): $229
- 4-Day Tours at Cairo & Giza & Alexandria: $209
- 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
- All Inclusive day tour to Giza pyramids, Egyptian museum and Felucca : $87
Tours and Activities in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- MUCHO Museum of Chocolate Entrance Ticket: $4.68
- Franz Mayer Museum Admission Ticket: $5.85
- Double Decker Bus Night Tour: $5.85
- Self-Guided Audio Tour-Moctezuma and the Zocalo:The Aztec Empire : $6.99
- Private Tour to the Capuchin Convent Chapel made by Luis Barragan : $8.00
- Memory and Tolerance Museum Entry Ticket: $8.19
- Mexico City (Coyoacan) City Sights Self-Guided Tour: $8.78
- Mexico City (Historic Centre) City Sights Self-Guided Tour: $8.78
- Mexico City (Historic Centre) Scavenger Hunt and Self-Guided Tour: $8.95
- Self-Guided Audio Tour: $11
- Night Tour in a Double Decker Bus: $12
- Templo Mayor of Mexico City Skip-the-Line Ticket: $12
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayCairo $1.17Mexico City $21
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 Mexico City
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Mexico City:
- Mexico City Pub Crawl: $27
- CDMX Pub Crawl: Mexico City Bar Crawl: $29
- Best Bar Crawl at Downtown: $49
- Nightly Historic Center From Above© Rooftop Bar Crawl +Taco Snack: $129
- 2 Hours Private Mexican Wine Tasting in Polanco: $155
- 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 Cairo and Mexico City, we can see that Mexico City 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 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 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 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 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 Mexico City Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Cairo or Mexico City?
Mexico City has a larger population, and is about 46% larger than the population of Cairo. When comparing the sizes of Cairo 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.
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.