Which place is cheaper, Ho Chi Minh City 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 Ho Chi Minh City?
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 Ho Chi Minh City. 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 Ho Chi Minh City?
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.
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, is the largest city in Vietnam. It previously served as the capital of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). The metropolitan area, including Ho Chi Minh City, Thu Dau Mot, Di An, Bien Hoa, and other surrounding towns, has a population of more than 9 million people and continues to grow.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Budget Safaris in Kenya, The Best Luxury Tours to Kenya, The Best Historical Tours in Vietnam, and The Best 10-Day Tours in Vietnam.
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Masai Mara Prices
Kenya PricesHo Chi Minh City Prices
Vietnam Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMasai Mara $133Ho Chi Minh City $87
The average daily cost (per person) in Masai Mara is $133, while the average daily cost in Ho Chi Minh City is $87. 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 Ho Chi Minh City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMasai Mara $37Ho Chi Minh City $48
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMasai Mara $74Ho Chi Minh City $96
Compare Hotels in Masai Mara and Ho Chi Minh City
Looking for a hotel in Masai Mara or Ho Chi Minh 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: Ho Chi Minh City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Masai Mara $48Ho Chi Minh City $15
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 Ho Chi Minh City
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Ho Chi Minh City:
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Short Taxi Ride$1.33
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Taxi From Airport$7.60
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Cyclo Ride (One Hour)$1.52
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Ho Chi Minh City
Also for Ho Chi Minh City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Mui Ne Beach: Bus transfer from/to Saigon City: $8.00
- Ho Chi Minh SGN Airport Private Transfer to Ho Chi Minh Downtown: $9.00
- Private transfer Tan Son Nhat airport - Hotels in Ho Chi Minh: $12
- Ho Chi Minh City airport transfer: $13
- Private Car Transfer: Cam Ranh Airport to Nha Trang City: $14
- Ho Chi Minh Airport: Private Transfer: $14
- Transfer from Ho Chi Minh to Phan Thiet or Mui Ne, Japan Quality: $14
- Comfort Van Transfer From Phong Nha or Dong Hoi to Hue: $15
- Ho Chi Minh Airport Arrival Or Departure Private Car Transfers: $15
- Private Arrival Transfer: Tan Son Nhat Airport to Ho Chi Minh City Hotels: $15
- Private Departure Transfer: Ho Chi Minh City Hotels to Tan Son Nhat Airport: $15
- Private Transfer From Saigon Center To Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN): $16
Is it cheaper to fly into Masai Mara or Ho Chi Minh City?
Prices for flights to both Ho Chi Minh City 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 $57Ho Chi Minh City $23
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 Ho Chi Minh City
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Ho Chi Minh City:
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Street Food Dinner (for Two)$4.07
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Pizza$4.94
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Sweet Rice$1.14
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Pork Sandwich$0.57
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Casual Lunch (for Two)$6.45
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Western Lunch (for Two)$11
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Ho Chi Minh City
For Ho Chi Minh City, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Water Puppet Show And Dinner Cruise On Saigon River Private Tour: $1.87
- Ho Chi Minh City Street Food Tour with Local LGBT Student Guide: $1.87
- Mekong With Cai Be Less Tourist - Cooking Class: $14
- Saigon Food Tour & Culture Explore Ho Chi Minh City Walking Tour: $15
- 1 hour Egg Coffee Cooking Class with Snack and Local Instructor: $15
- HCM:Mekong Delta Boat,Khotcake cooking Coconut Village,SmallGroup: $16
- Cu Chi Tunnels & Countryside Cooking Class with Organic Farm: $20
- Ho Chi Minh city Walking Chinatown / HCM city walking food tour: $25
- Pu Luong Cooking Class at Traditional Stilt House: $25
- Saigon Walking Food Tour & Hidden Alleys with Locals: $26
- Watch The Sunset or Enjoy Dinner On Luxury Cruise in Saigon: $28
- Mouth-Watering Street Food Tour By Motorbike: $29
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Masai Mara $60Ho Chi Minh City $19
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 Nairobi: $95
- Full-Day Bird Watching Tour to Lake Nakuru National Park: $195
- Full-Day Kiambethu Tea Farm Tour From Nairobi with Lunch: $90
- Giraffe Center and David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage Tour: $72
- Guided "Matatu" Experience Half Day Tour Within Nairobi.: $60
Typical Entertainment Prices in Ho Chi Minh City
For Ho Chi Minh City, here are some examples of average entertainment and activity prices from previous travelers:
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Massage$5.32
Tours and Activities in Ho Chi Minh City
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Ho Chi Minh City.
- Hidden Bunker & Vietnam War - Ho Chi Minh City Free Walking Tour: $0.65
- Ghosts & Legends of Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City Night Walking Tour: $0.65
- Highlights & Hidden Gems - Free Walking Tour: $0.65
- Chinatown Hidden Treasures – Ho Chi Minh City Free Walking Tour: $0.65
- Ho Chi Minh City private walking tours with young local volunteers: $1.79
- Ho Chi Minh City Highlights Hidden Gems Tour By Heritage Vespa: $1.87
- Mekong Delta My Tho and Ben Tre with Boat Cruise Private Tour: $1.87
- Tan Lap Floating Village Authentic Mekong Delta Nature Tour: $1.87
- Ho Chi Minh City Sightseeing Private Tour By U.S Army Jeep: $1.87
- Cu Chi Tunnels History And Mekong Delta Culture River Cruise Tour: $1.87
- Ho Chi Minh City Private City Tour with Highlights Hidden Gems: $1.87
- Cat Tien National Park Adventure Biking Hiking Nature Day Tour: $1.87
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMasai Mara $26Ho Chi Minh City $7.60
Typical Alcohol Prices in Ho Chi Minh City
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Ho Chi Minh City:
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Beer$0.38
Sample the Local Flavors in Ho Chi Minh City
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Ho Chi Minh City:
- Make Your Own Gin Experience and Saigon Baigur Distillery Tour: $29
- Bike And Craft Beer Brewery Mekong Delta Cycling Tour: $152
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Masai Mara and Ho Chi Minh City, we can see that Masai Mara is more expensive. And not only is Ho Chi Minh City much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Masai Mara is in Africa and Ho Chi Minh City is in Asia, 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 Ho Chi Minh City would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Ho Chi Minh City 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 Masai Mara would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Masai Mara than you might in Ho Chi Minh City.
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 Ho Chi Minh City 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.