Which place is cheaper, Cairo or Heraklion?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Heraklion or Cairo?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Heraklion and Cairo 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: Heraklion or Cairo?
Heraklion
The largest city on the island of Crete, Heraklion on first glance is almost completely modern - a frenzy of traffic, concrete, and dust. Do not expect pristine beaches and glittering waves (those can be found on other parts of Crete). Heraklion is first and foremost a city. Once you get past its grittiness, you will find that there are some attractive features beneath first impressions. The antiquity of the place lies embedded in the modern and is presented in one of the best museums in Greece, the food is excellent, and the people are friendly and welcoming. And though the sea is not great for swimming, its presence along the Venetian port will take you to another time if you need a break from Heraklion's bustling center.
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.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 10-Day Tours in Greece, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Greece, The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Egypt, and The Best Historical Tours in Egypt.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayHeraklion €158Cairo €16
The average daily cost (per person) in Heraklion is €158, while the average daily cost in Cairo is €16. 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 Heraklion and Cairo in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personHeraklion €81Cairo €8.77
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomHeraklion €162Cairo €18
Compare Hotels in Heraklion and Cairo
Looking for a hotel in Heraklion or Cairo? 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: Heraklion Hotel Prices and Cairo Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Heraklion €31Cairo €2.80
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Heraklion
Also for Heraklion, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Acqua Plus Water Park Admission with Optional Transfer: $32
- Crete Private Taxi Transfer from Heraklion Airport to Bali: $95
- Crete Private Taxi and Transfer from Heraklion Airport to Malia: $81
- Crete Private Taxi and Transfer from Heraklion Airport to Panormo: $103
- Crete Private Taxi and Transfer from Heraklion to Agios Nikolaos: $122
- Crete Private Transfer from Heraklion to Hersonissos: $51
- Day Cruise from Heraklion with Catamaran & Transfer service: $123
- From Airport to Elounda Private Transfer: $107
- From Private Helicopter Transfer to Greek Islands: $4,021
- Heraklion Airport (HER): Private Transfer to Heraklion Port: $105
- Heraklion Cruise Port: Private Transfer to Heraklion city: $137
- Heraklion Int Airport (HER): Transfer to Heraklion hotels: $137
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€0.30
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 from Hurghada to Luxor (sharing ): $109
- Transfer from Hurghada to Cairo by van : $235
- Transfer from Cairo to Ain El Sokhna : $70
- Transfer from Cairo or Giza Hotels to Cairo Airport: $11
Is it cheaper to fly into Heraklion or Cairo?
Prices for flights to both Cairo and Heraklion 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 dayHeraklion €52Cairo €4.45
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Heraklion
For Heraklion, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Troy Dinner-Show: $33
- Spectacular Dinner-Show: $44
- From Village Cretan Night, Live Dancers & dinner: $48
- Cretan Night with Dinner & Live Show: $49
- Crete: Olive Oil Festival, Farm Dinner, Live Show & Pickup: $59
- Cretan Farm with scenic view: Olive Mill Festival & dinner: $64
- Amazing Sunset Safari Route with Dinner: $84
- Cook with Locals | Cretan cooking Class at Archanes (transfer - lunch included): $86
- Crete: Land Rover Safari with Sunset Viewing, Dinner, & Wine: $90
- Full-Day Jeep Safari Tour with Cooking Lesson: $97
- Food tour tasting walking tour: $123
- E-bike Food Tour Tasting in Heraklion : $125
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/Giza: Nile Sunset, Dinner Cruise, Show & Private Transfer : $9.63
- Cairo Dinner Cruise, Belly Dancer Show With Pickup Service: $11
- Dinner Cruise on the Nile River: $12
- Nile Sunset, Dinner Cruise, Show and Private Transfer: $16
- VIP tour Giza pyramids ,Sphinx, Quad bike ,Camel, Dinner cruise : $19
- Private Expert tour Giza Pyramids ,Sphinx ,Nile Dinner Cruise & Belly Dancer: $19
- food tour private tour from cairo or giza hotel: $19
- Giza Pyramids, Camel Ride, Quad Bike, Night and Dinner Cruise on Nile: $19
- Private Cairo Food Tour : $20
- All inclusive Tour to Giza Pyramids, Sphinx & ATV &Dinner cruise : $20
- Giza pyramids and Nile dinner cruise private tour from Cairo Giza hotels: $22
- Private Cairo food tour and Egyptian tea: $22
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Heraklion €38Cairo €5.39
Tours and Activities in Heraklion
For Heraklion, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Heraklion Area: CRETAquarium Admission Ticket: $8.56
- CRETAquarium Entrance Ticket in Crete: $8.73
- Mobile Self-Guided Audio Sightseeing Tour: $11
- Self-Guided Audio Tour: $11
- Crete: Palace of Knossos E-Ticket and Optional Audio Guide: $11
- Herakleion: City Self-Guided Game & Tour: $12
- Heraklion Market & CretAquarium *Skip the line: $16
- Heraklion City Tour - Aquarium: $17
- Knossos Palace: E-ticket with Audio and Heraklion City Tour: $18
- Party Bike 1 hour Experience in Malia : $19
- Knossos Self-Guided Treasure Hunt & Tour KIDS: $21
- Minoan Day Experience: $22
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€0.79
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Egyptian Museum Entry for Two€6.08
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 : $88
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayHeraklion €26Cairo €1.10
Sample the Local Flavors in Heraklion
Also in Heraklion, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Wine Tasting E-Bike Tour: $95
- Ecobike Wine Tasting Tour in Heraklion: $115
- Ecobike Tour with Wine Tasting: $118
- Luxury Private Wine Tasting Experience in Haralabakis Winery: $119
- Half Day Small Group Wine Tour with wine Tastings: $125
- Half Day Semi Private Wine Tour with Tastings: $134
- Semi Private Heraklion Valley Wine Tour with Lunch: $159
- The Gourmet Wine Tour of Heraklion area: $180
- Private SUV Wine Tour with Lunch: $183
- Full Day Private Crete Wine Tour Experience from Heraklion : $190
- Full day Knossos Palace, Local Distillery, Lunch @ Archanes: $192
- Knossos, Olive Mill, Winery - Distillery with Tastings & Lunch : $196
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Heraklion and Cairo, we can see that Heraklion is more expensive. And not only is Cairo much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Heraklion is in Europe and Cairo 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 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 Heraklion would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Heraklion 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 Heraklion Expensive? and Is Cairo Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Heraklion or Cairo?
Cairo has a larger population, and is about 60 times larger than the population of Heraklion. When comparing the sizes of Heraklion and Cairo, 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.
When is the best time to visit Heraklion or Cairo?
Heraklion has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons, but Cairo experiences a warm climate with fairly sunny weather most of the year.
Should I visit Heraklion or Cairo in the Summer?
Both Cairo and Heraklion during the summer are popular places to visit. The summer months attract visitors to Heraklion because of the beaches, the city activities, and the family-friendly experiences. Warm weather and sunshine bring visitors to Cairo year-round.
In July, Heraklion is generally around the same temperature as Cairo. Daily temperatures in Heraklion average around 25°C (78°F), and Cairo fluctuates around 28°C (82°F).
In Cairo, it's very sunny this time of the year. It's quite sunny in Heraklion. In the summer, Heraklion often gets around the same amount of sunshine as Cairo. Heraklion gets 366 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Cairo receives 350 hours of full sun.
Heraklion usually gets around the same amount of rain in July as Cairo. Heraklion gets 1 mm (0 in) of rain, while Cairo receives 1 mm (0 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Summer Average Temperatures JulyHeraklion 25°C (78°F)Cairo 28°C (82°F)
Should I visit Heraklion or Cairo in the Autumn?
The autumn attracts plenty of travelers to both Heraklion and Cairo. The city's sights and attractions and the shopping scene are the main draw to Heraklion this time of year. Cairo attracts visitors year-round for its warm weather and sunny climate.
Heraklion is cooler than Cairo in the autumn. The daily temperature in Heraklion averages around 20°C (68°F) in October, and Cairo fluctuates around 23°C (73°F).
People are often attracted to the plentiful sunshine in Cairo this time of the year. Heraklion usually receives less sunshine than Cairo during autumn. Heraklion gets 199 hours of sunny skies, while Cairo receives 290 hours of full sun in the autumn.
In October, Heraklion usually receives more rain than Cairo. Heraklion gets 69 mm (2.7 in) of rain, while Cairo receives 5 mm (0.2 in) of rain each month for the autumn.
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Autumn Average Temperatures OctoberHeraklion 20°C (68°F)Cairo 23°C (73°F)
Should I visit Heraklion or Cairo in the Winter?
The winter brings many poeple to Heraklion as well as Cairo. Many travelers come to Heraklion for the museums, the shopping scene, and the cuisine. The warm climate attracts visitors to Cairo throughout the year.
In the winter, Heraklion is cooler than Cairo. Typically, the winter temperatures in Heraklion in January average around 12°C (54°F), and Cairo averages at about 14°C (57°F).
The sun comes out a lot this time of the year in Cairo. In the winter, Heraklion often gets less sunshine than Cairo. Heraklion gets 121 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Cairo receives 221 hours of full sun.
Heraklion usually gets more rain in January than Cairo. Heraklion gets 92 mm (3.6 in) of rain, while Cairo receives 15 mm (0.6 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Winter Average Temperatures JanuaryHeraklion 12°C (54°F)Cairo 14°C (57°F)
Should I visit Heraklion or Cairo in the Spring?
Both Cairo and Heraklion are popular destinations to visit in the spring with plenty of activities. Many visitors come to Heraklion in the spring for the beaches and the activities around the city. Plenty of visitors come to Cairo because of the warm climate and sunshine that lasts throughout the year.
In April, Heraklion is generally cooler than Cairo. Daily temperatures in Heraklion average around 16°C (61°F), and Cairo fluctuates around 21°C (70°F).
It's quite sunny in Cairo. The sun comes out a lot this time of the year in Heraklion. Heraklion usually receives less sunshine than Cairo during spring. Heraklion gets 224 hours of sunny skies, while Cairo receives 276 hours of full sun in the spring.
In April, Heraklion usually receives more rain than Cairo. Heraklion gets 30 mm (1.2 in) of rain, while Cairo receives 7 mm (0.3 in) of rain each month for the spring.
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Spring Average Temperatures AprilHeraklion 16°C (61°F)Cairo 21°C (70°F)
Typical Weather for Cairo and Heraklion
| Heraklion | Cairo | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | |
| Jan | 12°C (54°F) | 92 mm (3.6 in) | 14°C (57°F) | 15 mm (0.6 in) |
| Feb | 12°C (54°F) | 77 mm (3 in) | 14°C (57°F) | 4 mm (0.2 in) |
| Mar | 14°C (56°F) | 57 mm (2.2 in) | 17°C (63°F) | 8 mm (0.3 in) |
| Apr | 16°C (61°F) | 30 mm (1.2 in) | 21°C (70°F) | 7 mm (0.3 in) |
| May | 19°C (67°F) | 15 mm (0.6 in) | 25°C (77°F) | 0 mm (0 in) |
| Jun | 23°C (74°F) | 3 mm (0.1 in) | 27°C (81°F) | 0 mm (0 in) |
| Jul | 25°C (78°F) | 1 mm (0 in) | 28°C (82°F) | 1 mm (0 in) |
| Aug | 25°C (77°F) | 1 mm (0 in) | 28°C (82°F) | 0 mm (0 in) |
| Sep | 23°C (73°F) | 20 mm (0.8 in) | 26°C (79°F) | 5 mm (0.2 in) |
| Oct | 20°C (68°F) | 69 mm (2.7 in) | 23°C (73°F) | 5 mm (0.2 in) |
| Nov | 17°C (63°F) | 59 mm (2.3 in) | 19°C (66°F) | 1 mm (0 in) |
| Dec | 14°C (58°F) | 77 mm (3 in) | 15°C (59°F) | 3 mm (0.1 in) |
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.