Which place is cheaper, New York 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 New York 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 New York 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 New York 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.
New York City
The most populated city in the United States, New York City, sits at the mouth of the Hudson River and encompasses both the island of Manhattan as well as the surrounding land on Long Island, most of which is known as Brooklyn. It's a cultural, culinary, theatrical, and art center that has much to offer domestic and international travelers alike. The city covers an area of 305 square miles and has a population of about 8.2 million people in the city proper with 18.7 million in the metropolitan area.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Budget Safaris in Kenya, The Best Luxury Tours to Kenya, The Best 2-Week Tours from New York City, and The Best 2-Week Tours from Anchorage.
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Masai Mara Prices
Kenya PricesNew York City Prices
USA Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMasai Mara $133New York City $363
The average daily cost (per person) in Masai Mara is $133, while the average daily cost in New York City is $363. 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 New York City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMasai Mara $37New York City $175
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMasai Mara $74New York City $350
Compare Hotels in Masai Mara and New York City
Looking for a hotel in Masai Mara or New York 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: New York City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Masai Mara $47New York City $49
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Masai Mara
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Masai Mara:
- Nairobi National Park Game Drive Tour With Transfer: $95
Typical Local Transportation Prices in New York City
Some typical examples of transportation costs in New York City are as follows:
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Subway$4.50
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Taxi Ride$8.00
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Subway$2.50
Hired Cars and Shuttles in New York City
Also for New York City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Manhattan to LGA One Way Shared Departure Transfer: $25
- JFK to Manhattan: One Way Shared Arrival Transfer: $28
- Manhattan to Newark Airport: Shared Departure Transfer: $30
- Shared transfer Newark Airport to Manhattan: $30
- Private Transfer from Manhattan to NYC Airports (JFK/EWR/LGA): $37
- Private Departure Transfer Brooklyn to NYC Airports (JFK) (LGA) (EWR): $41
- NYC Airport Transfer From Newark (EWR) Airport to Manhattan: $44
- Private Arrival Transfer: NYC Airports (JFK) (LGA) (EWR) to Brooklyn: $44
- Private Transfer from Cape Liberty Cruise Port to New York City: $44
- Private Transfer from New York Airport (LGA) to Manhattan Port: $44
- Private Transfer from Newark Airport (EWR) to Cape Liberty Port: $44
- LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Cape Cruise Port - Arrival Transfer: $44
Is it cheaper to fly into Masai Mara or New York City?
Prices for flights to both New York 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 $57New York City $87
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
- Nairobi City Walking Tour with Lunch/Dinner Carnivore Restaurant: $165
- Nairobi National Museum and Carnivore Restaurant Food Tour: $275
Typical Food Prices in New York City
For New York City, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Gelato$7.50
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Snacks for Two at Yankees Game$34
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Coffee$6.53
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Smoothie$6.95
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in New York City
For New York City, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- New York Union Square Sweetest Food Tour: Choose Your Own Donuts: $35
- The Greenwich Village Food Tour: $39
- The Chinatown, Little Italy, Food Tour: $39
- Private Pizza Experience (5 tastings) in Manhattan: $45
- Brooklyn's must-try Pizza Crawl experience (5 top rated slices!): $46
- Central Park Cafe: Scenic Lunch & Dinner Experience in NYC: $50
- Chelsea Food Tour NYC Pizza Tacos and Chelsea Market Walk: $55
- Homemade Pizza Party in NYC: $63
- New York City's Best Pizza tour - You be the judge!: $68
- Brooklyn Bridge & DUMBO Food Tour: Local Eats & Iconic Views: $70
- East Village Food Tour: $70
- Astoria Queens Global Bites Food Tour (NYC): $71
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Masai Mara $60New York City $180
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
- Crescent Island Walking Safari and Boat Riding Tour: $295
- 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 Museum: $95
- Day tour to Giraffe center and Karen Blixen Nairobi: $95
- Full-Day Kiambethu Tea Farm Tour From Nairobi with Lunch: $90
Typical Entertainment Prices in New York City
Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for New York City's activities, tours, and tickets:
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Comedy Show Tickets$56
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City Map$8.00
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Broadway Musical$111
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Broadway Show Program$10
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Magazine$6.99
Tours and Activities in New York City
For New York City, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Broadway: A Self-Guided Audio Tour of the World's Iconic Theatre District: $5.00
- New York: Central Park Walking Personalized Self-Guided App Tour: $5.00
- The Battery: A Self-Guided Audio Tour from Bowling Green Park to Stone St: $5.00
- A New York Date Night Personalized Self-Guided App Tour: $5.00
- New York Walking Tour: Self-Guided City Game: $5.03
- Central Park Stolen Archives: NY Exploration Game and Tour: $5.03
- New York Ghost Tour: Self-Guided Haunted Walk: $5.92
- New York Kids Quest: Family Walking Adventure: $5.99
- New York Celebrity Chef Self Guided Tour and Exploration Game: $6.40
- New York West Village Audio Tour: $6.65
- Self Guided "Central Park Movie Tour" Solo Walking Tour in New York City: $6.75
- New York City Greenwich Village Haunted Self Guided Walking Tour: $6.95
For more ideas for your next trip, check out The Best Things to do in New York City with Kids, Things to Do in Central Park in NYC, and The Best Museums in New York City.
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMasai Mara $26New York City $29
Sample the Local Flavors in New York City
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in New York City:
- Brooklyn Distillery Tour: $22
- NYC Bar Crawl: Games, Live Music & Underground Nightlife: $28
- New York Ghosts Boos and Booze Haunted Pub Crawl: $29
- NYC Pub Crawl Tour: $30
- Top Shelf Distillery Tour: $33
- NYC Pub Crawl & Rooftop Clubbing Experience: $34
- Cheers to Chinatown Tour and Bar Crawl: $40
- Brooklyn Literary Pub Crawl: $49
- Best of NYC Drag - Drag Bar Crawl with Drink: $49
- Greenwich Village Literary Pub Crawl: $49
- Greenwich Village Piano Bar Crawl: $50
- Broadway Prohibition Pub Crawl: $64
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Masai Mara and New York City, we can see that New York 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 New York 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 New York City would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in New York 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 New York 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.