Which place is cheaper, Athens or Masai Mara?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Masai Mara or Athens?
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 Masai Mara and Athens. 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: Masai Mara or Athens?
Masai Mara
Masai Mara National Reserve is a beautiful, scenic, nature reserve in southwest Kenya, just west of the capital city, Nairobi. The reserve belongs to the Masai people and was created in order to protect the land and the people and animals living on it. Masai Mara is considered to be one of the best reserves in all of Africa, offering the quintessential African safari experience.
Athens
Athens is the capital city of Greece and is home to a population of over 3.7 million people. It's most famous as the birthplace of Classical Greece and the history in the city is incomparable to that found anywhere. It became the national capital of the modern Greek State in the 1830s, before which it was just a small village with a very impressive history. The city was redesigned by architects and city planners and incorporated large public squares, lots of green space, and wide avenues. The city has had its ups and downs both economically and politically, but it remains a beautiful and impressive place to explore.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Budget Safaris in Kenya, The Best Luxury Tours to Kenya, The Best 10-Day Tours in Greece, and The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Greece.
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Masai Mara Prices
Kenya PricesAthens Prices
Greece Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMasai Mara $133Athens $176
The average daily cost (per person) in Masai Mara is $133, while the average daily cost in Athens is $176. 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 Masai Mara and Athens in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMasai Mara $37Athens $72
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMasai Mara $74Athens $144
Compare Hotels in Masai Mara and Athens
Looking for a hotel in Masai Mara or Athens? 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: Athens Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Masai Mara $48Athens $31
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Masai Mara
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Masai Mara:
- Nairobi Airport (NBO) Private Transfer to Nairobi City/Hotels: $17
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Athens
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Athens:
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Airport Bus for Two$7.32
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Metro$1.71
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Metro$2.29
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Metro from Airport to City Center$9.14
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Taxi from Airport$40
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Athens
Also for Athens, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Private Transfer:Athens City to Piraeus Cruise Port: $26
- Private Transfer from Athens City Center to Piraeus Port: $27
- Private Transfer from Piraeus Port to Athens City Center: $27
- Private Transfer from Piraeus Port to Athens City: $27
- Piraeus Port to Athens City Private Transfer with Meet & Greet: $28
- Athens Hotels to Piraeus Port Private Transfer: $28
- Piraeus Port to Athens Hotels Private Transfer with Meet & Greet: $29
- Athens Airport to and from Rafina or Lavrio Port Private Transfer: $29
- Aegean Wonders Santorini Transfers: $32
- Santorini Airport Private Transfer: $32
- Mykonos Private Transfer Service–Airport, Port & Hotel Transfers: $32
- Athens hotels to Athens International Airport (ATH) - Departure Private Transfer: $34
Is it cheaper to fly into Masai Mara or Athens?
Prices for flights to both Athens and Masai Mara 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 dayMasai Mara $57Athens $74
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Masai Mara
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Masai Mara.
- Nairobi Private Carnivore Dinner Experience: $125
- Chiyo Japanese and Korean Restaurant Dinner with Cat Dance Show: $155
Typical Food Prices in Athens
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Athens:
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Ice cream$3.43
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Souvlaki$2.51
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Athens
For Athens, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Foodies’ Favorite Food tour: $49
- Street Food Tour - Sample the Food the Locals Love: $68
- Athens's original vegan food tour: $75
- Traditional Greek Cooking Class and Organic Lunch on Poros: $76
- Athens Street Food Tour: Taste the best street food: $79
- Sunset Tour to Temple of Poseidon with Dinner Stop from Athens: $80
- Athens, Greek food tour including market visit: $80
- Small Group Greek Traditional Food Tour in Athens 20+ Tastings: $81
- Taste of Athens Small-Group Food Tour: $81
- Athens Food Tour: Flavors of Asia Minor (private group): $81
- Greek Cooking Class near Poseidon’s Temple in Sounio with Antonia: $90
- Eat like an Athenian food tour of Athens: $92
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Masai Mara $60Athens $41
Tours and Activities in Masai Mara
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Masai Mara are as follows:
- Amboseli N Park Day tour with optional Maasai village visit: $200
- Amboseli national park full day tour: $160
- Bomas of Kenya cultural Dance and Acrobatic Show Tour: $64
- Carnivore Restaurant Nairobi Eating Experience with Transport: $145
- Cultural Day Tour to Bomas of Kenya Nairobi: $51
- David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage Half-Day Tour in Nairobi: $75
- Day Tour to Maasai Mara Reserve From Nairobi: $225
- Day tour to Giraffe Center and Karen Blixen Museum: $95
- Day tour to Giraffe center and Karen Blixen Nairobi: $95
- Giraffe Center and David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage Tour: $72
- Guided "Matatu" Experience Half Day Tour Within Nairobi.: $60
- Half Day Giraffe Center,Baby Elephant&Karen Blixxen Guided Tour: $38
Tours and Activities in Athens
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Athens.
- Ancient Athens Scavenger Hunt & Self-Guided Walking Tour: $3.47
- Athens Walking Tour: Self-Guided City Game: $4.92
- A Neoclassical Capital: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $5.50
- Ancient Agora of A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $6.99
- Athens Interactive City Tour: $8.12
- Athens Exploration Private Game and City Tour on your Phone: $9.27
- Self-Guided Greece Grand Tour with Audio Guide: $9.28
- Athens' Podoniftis Stream: A Self-Guided Walking Tour: $9.99
- Traditional Greek Food: A Self-Guided Audio Tour of Athens: $12
- Ancient Agora of Audio Tour on Your Phone (no ticket): $14
- Hop on Hop Off Classic tour of Athens, Piraeus & Beaches: $14
- Secret A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $15
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMasai Mara $26Athens $26
Sample the Local Flavors in Athens
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Athens:
- Greek Honey Tasting Experience at our Old Distillery: $13
- Polykala Distillery: 128 years of history & liqueur tasting.: $16
- Athens Rooftop Pub Crawl Acropolis Views and Nightclub Fun: $17
- Athens Party Pub Crawl w/ 1-hour Open Bar & VIP Nightclub Access: $21
- Athens Exclusive Hellenic Wine Tasting Experience at Brettos: $37
- Athens Small Group Wine Tasting with a Sommelier: $52
- Greek Wine Tasting with Acropolis view: $57
- Athens bar crawl: $58
- Acropolis Private Wine Tasting @ Finewine store: $65
- Athens Olive oil Honey and Wine Tasting with Snacks Experience: $88
- Wine tasting tour of Athens Greece: $122
- Athens Highlights: Private Half-Day Tour With Wine Tasting: $123
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Masai Mara and Athens, we can see that Athens is more expensive. And not only is Masai Mara much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Masai Mara is in Africa and Athens is in Europe, 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 Masai Mara would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Masai Mara 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 Athens would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Athens than you might in Masai Mara.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Masai Mara Expensive? and Is Athens Expensive?.
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.