Which place is cheaper, San Jose or Marrakech?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Marrakech or San Jose?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Marrakech or San Jose? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Marrakech or San Jose?
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.
San Jose
San Jose is the capital city of Costa Rica and is likely to be your first and last stop in a visit to the country. The city is situated in the Central Valley and is surrounded by beautiful mountains and valleys, making for a beautiful flight in. The city has an elevation of 1200 meters and sits on a plateau with a beautiful backdrop of lush green forest. Half of the people in Costa Rica reside in the country's capital city. You are likely to stay only a day or two, but there are a handful of things to do and see including museums and markets. You will also find many embassies, as well as the University of Costa Rica in San Jose.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 10-Day Tours in Morocco, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Morocco, The Best Budget Tours to Costa Rica, and The Best Tours for Seniors to Costa Rica.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMarrakech $68San Jose $89
The average daily cost (per person) in Marrakech is $68, while the average daily cost in San Jose is $89. 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 Marrakech and San Jose in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMarrakech $46San Jose $48
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMarrakech $92San Jose $96
Compare Hotels in Marrakech and San Jose
Looking for a hotel in Marrakech or San Jose? 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: Marrakech Hotel Prices and San Jose Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Marrakech $6.28San Jose $19
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Marrakech
Also for Marrakech, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- transfers from Marrakech to Fez (Airport or city/Door to Door): $231
- Transfert privé vers ou depuis RAK aéroport: $8.17
- Transfert Departure Marrakech City to Casablanca Airport: $265
- Transfers Marrakech to Essaouira or Essaouira to Marrakech: $66
- Transfers Marrakech Airport : $126
- Transfer from el Jadida to Marrakech riad or hotel or Airport : $186
- Transfer from and to Marrakech Menara airoport: $20
- Transfer from Marrakech to Imlil: Airport Transfer to Imlil - Taxi to Imlil: $66
- Transfer from Marrakech to Casa-Airport or Casa-Airport to Marrakech: $152
- Transfer from Marrakech to Agadir or from agadir to marrakech: $164
- Transfer from Marrakech city or Marrakech Airport to Essaouira: $93
- Transfer from Marrakech airport to the whole city: $11
Typical Local Transportation Prices in San Jose
Some typical examples of transportation costs in San Jose are as follows:
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Taxi from SJO$25
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Local Bus$2.71
Hired Cars and Shuttles in San Jose
Also for San Jose, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Transfers to Occidental Papagayo - Secrets Resort, Round-Trip: $130
- Transfer to Los Sueños Marriot Playa Herradura from San Jose or Airport: $215
- Transfer in Private Vehicle from SanJose Juan Santamaría Airport to SanJose City: $39
- Transfer from San Jose Airport CR (SJO) to Arenal La Fortuna Hotels: $279
- Transfer from Juan Santamaria Airport (SJO) to Quepos Cruise Port: $72
- Transfer TO & FROM SJO Airport to Esterillos - Bejuco Not Shared.: $180
- Transfer SJO Airport TO & FROM Dominical OR Uvita (One Way): $290
- Transfer Costa Rica SJO Airport To OR From Hotels nearby Private : $45
- Transfer Airport area to Manuel Antonio Hotels Private One Way: $185
- Transfer Airport Area to Jaco Hotels Private One Way Transport: $150
- Shuttle & transfer rides to Jaco beach: $137
- Shared transfer to Manuel Antonio: $70
Is it cheaper to fly into Marrakech or San Jose?
Prices for flights to both San Jose and Marrakech 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 dayMarrakech $13San Jose $18
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$1.19
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Dates$0.60
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Olives$0.89
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Sandwich$1.29
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Souvenir Spices$6.16
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Marrakech
For Marrakech, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Agafay Desert Sunset, Camel Ride and Dinner from Marrakech: $15
- Cooking Lesson at the Ouirgane Ecolodge with Lunch: $19
- Dinner in Agafay desert from Marrakech & camel riding: $19
- Restaurant Dinner Experience with Hotel Pickup: $21
- Dinner and show in Desert Agafay with Quad bike & Camel ride: $22
- Sunset in Agafay: Dinner, Camel, Quad-Book Adventure with Viator: $22
- Agafay desert Sunset Camel ride with Dinner Show: $23
- Magical Dinner & Agafay Desert ,Under The Stars: $24
- Marrakech Amazing Dinner Show in Agafay Desert, Sunset Camel Ride: $24
- Dinner Experience in a Moroccan Restaurant with transfer: $24
- Moroccan Cooking Class with a Local Chef: $24
- From Agafay Desert Sunset Dinner with Live Show: $25
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in San Jose
For San Jose, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Bites and Sights: Walking Food Tour in San Jose, Costa Rica: $34
- San Jose By Night Tour: Farm to Table Dinner & Cocktail Class: $57
- San Jose Bites and Sights Walking Food Tour and visit Gold Museum : $60
- Half-Day San Jose Evening Bus Tour with Dinner and Pickup: $76
- Explore San Jose By Night: Food and Culture Tour with Local Dinner: $80
- Dinner + Typical Show in the best viewpoint of the City: $99
- Arenal Volcano Full-Day Combo Tour with Lunch and Dinner: $179
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Marrakech $6.99San Jose $21
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:
- 10 Hours tour from marrakech to ouarzazate: $44
- 3 Day Private Desert Tour From Marrakech To Merzouga Dunes With Camel Trek: $274
- 3 Days Tour - Marrakech To Fez via Sahara Desert Erg chebbi: $207
- Agafay Desert: Three Valley Guided Tour From Marrakech : $21
- Atlas Mountains &Berber family & berber village experience : $90
- Atlas Mountains Horseback Ride Day Tour From Marrakech : $50
- Atlas Mountains, Berber Villages & Waterfall Tour: $25
- Best Marrakech Private walking tour: $44
- Desert Agafay & Berber Villages Day Tour From Marrakech including Camel Ride: $49
- Desert Thrills: Quad Biking Adventures in Palmeraie Marrakech: $44
- Desert tour small group with luxury tent: $98
- Experience Moroccan Hammam and Massage: $71
Tours and Activities in San Jose
For San Jose, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Explore San Jose on Foot: Food Delights and Sights Tour: $47
- Street Food Walking Tour in Downtown San Jose: $60
- 3 in 1 Eco Tour Rain Forest Aerial Tram, River Cruise & Nature Walk Private Tour: $299
- 6 in 1 RainForest Adventure From San Jose: $189
- A taste of Aquiares - 2 hours Coffee Tour: $42
- AERIAL TRAM TOUR - HALF DAY PASS Rainforest Adventures Braulio Ca: $78
- AWA Water Museum - Waterfall Adventure (Organic Food Experience): $98
- Arenal Volcano Eco Tour & Baldi Hot Springs Private Tour from San Jose: $285
- Arenal Volcano Experience Full-Day Tour from San Jose: $159
- Arenal Volcano Hanging Bridges & Baldi Hot Springs. Private Tour from San Jose: $285
- Arenal Volcano Hike and Hot Springs Tour from San Jose: $142
- Arenal Volcano Horseback Riding & Baldi Hot Springs. Private Tour: $295
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMarrakech $15San Jose $16
Sample the Local Flavors in San Jose
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in San Jose:
- Bar Crawl in Downtown San Jose: $38
- Wine Tour and Tasting: $85
- Bar Crawl in San Jose in a Deluxe Party Bus: $100
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Marrakech and San Jose, we can see that San Jose is more expensive. And not only is Marrakech much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Marrakech is in Africa and San Jose is in Central 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 Marrakech would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Marrakech 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 San Jose would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in San Jose than you might in Marrakech.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Marrakech Expensive? and Is San Jose Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Marrakech or San Jose?
Marrakech has a larger population, and is about 3 times larger than the population of San Jose. When comparing the sizes of Marrakech and San Jose, 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.