A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Haifa vs. Merzouga for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Haifa or Merzouga?

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

Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Haifa and Merzouga. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.

Where Should I go: Haifa or Merzouga?

Haifa

Located on the northern Mediterranean coast of Israel, Haifa is Israel's third largest city. It is also a beautiful and strategically located city near the border with Lebanon. The population of Haifa, which is approximately 300,000, is surprisingly diverse. There are Jews, Muslim, and Christian Arabs throughout the city. While Haifa is an industrial city with a strong work ethic and a good job base, it is also a beautiful city with many gardens and a stunning coastline. Today the job base has increasingly become technology based with some large companies such as Google and Microsoft offering employment in the area. Haifa University is also the country's top technology university.

Merzouga

Let's say you want to truly get away. I don't mean putting your ear buds in on some beach with a stronger on the next chair over. I mean really get away, and find yourself deserted. Merzouga, Morocco lets you do just that. This land of sand dune after sand dune is ideal for anyone yearning to ride a camel to the ends of civilization. And you'll find plenty of options to get here with a tour, or even on your own.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Sightseeing Tours in Israel, The Best Cultural Tours in Israel, The Best Budget Tours to Morocco, and The Best Luxury Tours to Morocco.


Which place is cheaper, Merzouga or Haifa?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Haifa is $123, while the average daily cost in Merzouga is $17. 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 Haifa and Merzouga in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Haifa $74
    Merzouga $10
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Haifa $148
    Merzouga $20
Compare Hotels in Haifa and Merzouga

Looking for a hotel in Haifa or Merzouga? 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 Haifa


Hotels in Merzouga


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: Haifa Hotel Prices and Merzouga Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Haifa $4.93
    Merzouga -

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Haifa

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

  • Private Transfer from Haifa Cruise Port to Tel Aviv Airport (TLV): $173
  • Private Transfer from Haifa Cruise Port to Tel Aviv City: $173
  • Transfers all over the Holyland: Haifa, TLV, Airport, JLM, Jordan: $195

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Merzouga

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Merzouga:

  • 1 way transfer: $62

Is it cheaper to fly into Haifa or Merzouga?

Prices for flights to both Merzouga and Haifa 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
    Haifa $44
    Merzouga $5.92
Typical Food Prices in Haifa

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


  • Dinner
    $27

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Merzouga

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

  • One Night in Private Camp in the Sahara Desert in Merzouga with Dinner: $65
  • Sunset With Dinner And Berber Music in Merzouga Desert With 4WD : $65
  • 1-Night in the luxury camp: camel ride & Dinner: $74
  • Day Trip By Camels In Erg Chebbi Dunes, Lunch With Berber Pizza: $77
  • 5 Hour Sunset Tour with Camel Ride and Dinner In Desert: $82
  • Merzouga Orange Dunes ATV Sandsurf Camels with 5 Stars Dinner: $86
  • Camel trek with 1 Night in Luxury camp with Dinner+ Sundbording: $87
  • Visit The Nomads, Gnawa Music, Rally In Dunes, Berber Pizza : $98
  • Magical Dinner and Camel Trek with 1 Night In Merzouga Luxury Desert Camp: $105
  • Overnight in Luxury Camp With camel Trek & Dinner: $108
  • From Fes: 2-Day Merzouga Desert Trip w/Luxury Tent & Dinner: $121
  • From Fes: 2-Day Merzouga Desert Trip(Luxury Tent & Dinner): $124

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Haifa $5.68
    Merzouga -

Tours and Activities in Haifa

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

  • Haifa Port Shore Excursion: Nazareth and Sea of Galilee Day Tour from Haifa Port: $120
  • Haifa Private Tour: $161
  • Haifa, Acre & Rosh Anikra Grottos Haifa Port FullDay Shared Tour: $231
  • Jerusalem & Bethlehem Tour from Haifa Port 2024 - Small Group: $255
  • Jerusalem & Bethlehem Tour from Haifa Port. Private Tour: $256
  • Romantic Walking Tour In Haifa for Couples: $290
  • Full Day Tour to Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee: $290
  • Christianity Day Tour: Haifa Port to Nazareth and Sea of Galilee : $295
  • Haifa Port: Full-Day Christianity Cruise to Galilee: $400
  • Haifa, Acre and Rosh Anikra for Cruises with Licensed Guide: $417
  • Caesarea, Haifa, Acre, Rosh Hanikra Private Day Tour: $705
  • Wine private tour of Central Israel: $949

Tours and Activities in Merzouga

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Merzouga are as follows:

  • Overnight in Desert Camp Berber Experience in Merzouga Desert & Camel Ride: $82
  • Private Adventure to Merzouga Risani from Erfoud : $141
  • Private Desert Tour and Visit to Nomadic Families: $98
  • 1 Hour Merzouga Desert Buggy Experience: $139
  • 1 Hour Merzouga Desert Quad Biking Tour & Sandboarding: $64
  • 1 Night Camel Trekking Tour in Merzouga Desert Camp : $60
  • 1/2 day 4x4 tour of Erg Chebbi: $82
  • 2 Hours Merzouga Desert Quad Bike Adventure: $114
  • 2 hours Merzouga Dunes ATV Rental - Desert Quad Biking Tour: $112
  • 2-Day Desert Tour with Return to Marrakech: $183
  • 3 Days Tour From Marrakech To Sahara Desert Of Merzouga: $87
  • 3 Days Tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga with Luxury Camp: $218

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Haifa $13
    Merzouga -


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

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