Which place is cheaper, Mexico 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 Mexico 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 Mexico 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 Mexico 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.
Mexico City
Mexico City is one of the largest and most populated cities in the world. There are an estimated 26 million people living in the greater Mexico City metropolitan area. The area is about 60 kilometers by 40 kilometers and is surrounded by tall mountains and volcanoes on three sides. Mexico City proper has about 8.8 million people and is the capital of the country. More than a third of the country's economy is based here, making it the wealthiest city in all of Latin America.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Budget Safaris in Kenya, The Best Luxury Tours to Kenya, The Best 2-Week Tours in Mexico, and Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Mexico.
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Masai Mara Prices
Kenya PricesMexico City Prices
Mexico Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMasai Mara $133Mexico City $225
The average daily cost (per person) in Masai Mara is $133, while the average daily cost in Mexico City is $225. 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 Mexico City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMasai Mara $37Mexico City $41
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMasai Mara $74Mexico City $82
Compare Hotels in Masai Mara and Mexico City
Looking for a hotel in Masai Mara or Mexico 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: Mexico City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Masai Mara $47Mexico City $13
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 Mexico City
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Mexico City:
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Metro$1.15
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Uber Ride$4.04
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Mexico City
Also for Mexico City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- MEX Airport Private Transfer to/from City Center: $15
- Private Transfer from Mexico City Airport (MEX): $17
- Private Transfer to Mexico City Airport (MEX): $17
- Private Airport Transfer Service in Mexico City: $18
- Transfer Mexico city Airport - Mexico city Downtown hotels: $18
- Mexico to Mexico City Airport (MEX) Departure Arrival Transfer: $31
- Roundtrip Private Transfer from Mexico City Airport (MEX): $34
- Mexico City Private Airport Transfer: $36
- Transfer Premium Mexico International Airport AICM: $37
- Mexico City Airport Transfer to Estadio Azteca and City: $41
- Private One way Transfer from Mexico Airport to Mexico City: $41
- Private One Way Transfer from Mexico City to Mexico Airport: $41
Is it cheaper to fly into Masai Mara or Mexico City?
Prices for flights to both Mexico 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 $57Mexico City $46
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Masai Mara
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Masai Mara.
- Nairobi National Museum and Carnivore Restaurant Food Tour: $275
Typical Food Prices in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Lunch for Two$13
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Coffee and Snacks$4.50
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Dinner for 2$26
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Mexico City Coyoacan Food Tour & Optional Frida Kahlo Museum: $20
- Private Street Food Tour Mexico City - Best rated: $35
- Cable Car, Cultural Spaces, and Traditional Food Tour: $40
- 4h Cooking Class in 8 Recipes & Bottomless Drinks: $49
- Virtual Mexican Cooking Class (private and personalized): $50
- Veracruz and Boca del Rio Food Tour with Mangroves Boat Trip: $50
- Tortilla Crawl: Food Tour in Mexico City: $55
- San Juan Market Food Tour Exotic Bites & Flavors: $55
- Coyoacan Market Food Tour Urban Eats & Local Legends: $55
- Mexico : Best Street Food Tour With A Local Guide: $58
- 3 Hours Food Tour Best Vegan Tacos in Mexico City: $65
- 3h Cooking Class in 8 Recipes & Drinks: $68
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Masai Mara $60Mexico City $15
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 Amboseli National Park: $300
- Day Tour to Maasai Mara Reserve From Nairobi: $225
- Day tour to Giraffe center and Karen Blixen Nairobi: $95
- Fairview Coffee Farm Day Tour in Nairobi: $120
- Full-Day Bird Watching Tour to Lake Nakuru National Park: $195
- Full-Day Kiambethu Tea Farm Tour From Nairobi with Lunch: $90
Tours and Activities in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Mexico City Self-Guided Tour: Historic Center & Beyond: $3.51
- Mexico City Historic Self-Guided Walking Tour: $4.50
- MUCHO Museum of Chocolate Entrance Ticket: $4.65
- A Tour through the Guadalupe Basilica Grounds: $5.95
- Mexico City Coyoacán, Frida Kahlo Exploration Game and Tour: $5.95
- Mexico City Self-Guided Audio Experience: $6.00
- Puebla Audio Guided Walking Tour 3h and 26 Audio Comments: $6.93
- Mexico City Walking Tour 2h40 and 24 audio reviews: $7.20
- Hidden Gems of Exploration Game and Tour: $7.34
- Mexico City Walking Tour with Audioguide on Your Smartphone: $7.62
- Mexico City Self-Guided Walking Tour Aztec Legacy Audio and Quiz: $8.22
- Night City Tour in a Double Decker Bus: $10
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMasai Mara $26Mexico City $20
Sample the Local Flavors in Mexico City
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Mexico City:
- CDMX Pub Crawl: Guided Pub Crawl with Party Games: $24
- Mexico City Pub Crawl: $26
- The Mexico City Pub Crawl: A real chilango night: $33
- THE MEXICO CITY PUB CRAWL: A real chilango night: $35
- Make Your Own Tequila or Mezcal with Distillery and Cocktails: $95
- Zona Rosa Pub Crawl Experience: $100
- Visit a mead distillery in Tlaxcala: $119
- Mexican Wine Tasting with Food Pairing: $126
- Distillery Tour and Lucha Libre Spirits and Showdown: $128
- Private Cheese and Wine Tour to Queretaro: $511
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Masai Mara and Mexico City, we can see that Mexico City 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 Mexico City is in North 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 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 Mexico City would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Mexico City 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 Mexico 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.