Which place is cheaper, Santiago 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 Santiago?
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 Santiago. 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 Santiago?
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.
Santiago
Santiago is the capital city of Chile. It is centrally located in the long and narrow country, making it a good jumping off point to explore everywhere else. It's convenient location means that you can go skiing in the Andes one day, and hang out at the beach the next.
Santiago has a cool semi-arid climate that is similar to Mediterranean climates. The summers, which are between November and March, are warm and dry. The temperatures climb to around 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The winters, between June and August, are humid with cold mornings. The daily highs are around 55 degrees Fahrenheit and the lows stay a few degrees above freezing. Rain is more common in the winter months and the dry season is between December and March.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Budget Safaris in Kenya, The Best Luxury Tours to Kenya, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Chile, and The Best 2-Week Tours in Chile.
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Masai Mara Prices
Kenya PricesSantiago Prices
Chile Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMasai Mara $133Santiago $159
The average daily cost (per person) in Masai Mara is $133, while the average daily cost in Santiago is $159. 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 Santiago in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMasai Mara $37Santiago $116
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMasai Mara $74Santiago $232
Compare Hotels in Masai Mara and Santiago
Looking for a hotel in Masai Mara or Santiago? 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: Masai Mara Hotel Prices and Santiago Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Masai Mara $47Santiago $5.72
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 Santiago
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Santiago:
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Metro Ride$1.20
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Santiago
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Santiago:
- Official Transfer to Concha y Toro Winery: $27
- Private Transfer to Santiago Airport (SCL): $27
- Private Santiago Airport to Santiago Transfer: $32
- Private Transfer from Santiago Airport to Santiago: $34
- Private Arrival Transfer from Airport to Hotel in Santiago: $37
- Farellones Full Day Roundtrip Transfer: $40
- Transfer Santiago de Chile airport: $40
- Airport Private Transfer to/from Santiago de Chile: $40
- Valle Nevado Ski Day Trip with Hotel Transfers: $45
- Private transfer to or from Santiago SCL Airport: $45
- Santiago to Santiago Airport (SCL) - Departure Private Transfer: $47
- Transfer to Snowy Valley fullday for skiers: $49
Is it cheaper to fly into Masai Mara or Santiago?
Prices for flights to both Santiago 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 $57Santiago $24
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
- Nairobi National Museum and Carnivore Restaurant Food Tour: $275
Typical Food Prices in Santiago
Some typical examples of dining costs in Santiago are as follows:
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Empanada$1.99
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Hamburger$2.65
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Dinner$27
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Santiago
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Santiago.
- Legacy Family Tour Lunch or Dinner Pairing 4 Strokes: $40
- Street Food Tour in Santiago with a Local Guide: $57
- Best Street Food Tour With A Local Guide: $82
- 4-Hour Boozy Chilean Cooking Class in Santiago: $85
- 4h Cooking Class in Santiago : 8 Recipes & Bottomless Drinks: $85
- Food Tour STGO, Eat like Locals!: $99
- Traditional Dinner Show in Santiago: $107
- Santiago Food Tour: Bohemian Flavors and Local Gems: $109
- Lastarria Food Tour: Wine, Bites & Social Culinary Experience: $109
- Dinner Show in Bali Hai with Wine refill and transportation: $114
- Small-Group Tour: Night City Tour with Santa Lucia Hill and Dinner Show: $116
- Private Dinner & Chilean Folk Show with Transfers: $116
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Masai Mara $60Santiago $50
Tours and Activities in Masai Mara
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Masai Mara are as follows:
- Cultural Day Tour to Bomas of Kenya Nairobi: $51
- David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage Half-Day Tour in Nairobi: $55
- Guided "Matatu" Experience Half Day Tour Within Nairobi.: $60
- Bomas of Kenya cultural Dance and Acrobatic Show Tour: $64
- Nairobi full day shopping tour: $65
- Giraffe Center Guided Tour from Nairobi: $65
- Giraffe Center and David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage Tour: $72
- Half Day Private Tour to Lake Nakuru National Park: $80
- Nairobi City Tour and Afternoon Visit to Bomas of Kenya: $80
- Nairobi National Park Guided Day Tour From Nairobi: $95
- Day tour to Giraffe center and Karen Blixen Nairobi: $95
- Private Day Tour to Nairobi Arboretum and Nairobi National Museum: $109
Tours and Activities in Santiago
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Santiago are as follows:
- Santiago Cathedral's Bell Tower Official Tour: $9.00
- A historical tour of Santiago, Chile: $18
- Cable Car Admission Ticket: $18
- Santiago City Tour: Living History and Local Food Tasting: $20
- Guided City Tour through the historic center of Santiago: $23
- Private Guided Walking Tour of the City Center: $24
- Yungay, Memory, Art, and Neighborhood Walking Tour: $25
- A Fabulous Walking tour by the Old Santiago of Chile -: $25
- Guided Walking Tour of the Historical Old Town: $25
- Santiago : Highlights Walking Tour With A Guide: $26
- A City Tour Walking through the Unforgettable Santiago: $26
- Roots and Tales of the Capital with City Tour of Santiago: $27
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMasai Mara $26Santiago $8.89
Sample the Local Flavors in Santiago
Also in Santiago, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Ludwig's Original Pub Crawl with VIP Club Entry: $34
- Premium Wine Tour in Viña Cousiño Macul Spanish official: $45
- Viña del Mar, Valparaiso, with Casablanca Wine Tasting: $59
- Viña del Mar, Valparaiso, with Wine Tasting: $60
- Wine Tasting + Cheeseboard + Gypsum Reservoir: $60
- Valparaiso, Viña del Mar & Casablanca Wine Tour: $62
- Undurraga Winery Tour with Entry and Wine Tasting: $63
- Undurraga Wine tour: $70
- Valparaiso Port and Viña del Mar with Casablanca Wine Tasting: $75
- Undurraga Wine Tasting Tour from Santiago: $75
- Half Day Trip to Undurraga Vineyard from Santiago - Wine Tasting Included: $75
- Inca Lagoon and Vineyard Visit with Wine Tasting: $80
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Masai Mara and Santiago, we can see that Santiago 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 Santiago is in South 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 Santiago would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Santiago 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 Santiago 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.