A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Masai Mara vs. Santorini for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Masai Mara or Santorini?

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 Santorini. 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 Santorini?

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.

Santorini

Santorini is a volcanic island that is part of the Cyclades group of the Greek Islands. It has some spectacular views, beautiful sunsets, and excellent beaches. As one of the most popular of the Greek Islands to visit, Santorini sees many tourists every year. However, it's for a good reason, as the famous white-washed buildings that spill down the hill, some with blue domes that match the gorgeous color of the water, are set against the beautiful mountainous backdrop of one of the most scenic areas of the Mediterranean. Home to several of these small and scenic towns such as Oia, Kamari, Perissa, and Fira, visitors can explore the large island, enjoy delicious food, swim at the beaches, hike the hills, and sail the blue waters.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Budget Safaris in Kenya, The Best Luxury Tours to Kenya, The Best Luxury Tours to Greece, and The Best Budget Tours to Greece.


Which place is cheaper, Santorini 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.

  • Masai Mara Prices
    Kenya Prices
    Santorini Prices
    Greece Prices
  • Average Daily Cost Per person, per day
    Masai Mara $132
    Santorini $285

The average daily cost (per person) in Masai Mara is $132, while the average daily cost in Santorini is $285. 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 Santorini in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Masai Mara $37
    Santorini $134
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Masai Mara $74
    Santorini $268
Compare Hotels in Masai Mara and Santorini

Looking for a hotel in Masai Mara or Santorini? 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.

Hotels in Masai Mara


Hotels in Santorini


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: Santorini Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Masai Mara $47
    Santorini $40

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

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Santorini

Also for Santorini, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Express Private Transfer Service in Santorini: $14
  • Economy Departure Transfers To Santorini Airport: $15
  • Arrival or Departure Shared Transfer in Santorini: $15
  • Santorini Private Transfer | Airport, Port & Hotels: $16
  • Private Santorini Airport Transfer Meet and Greet Service JTR: $17
  • Economy Roundtrip Transfer Santorini Airport ( Max 4 stop ): $17
  • Santorini Port Shuttle Services-Airport Transfers-Oia Transfers: $18
  • Private Transfer from Santorini Airport (JTR) to Santorini Port: $21
  • Private Transfers Across Santorini: $21
  • Private transfer Port/Airport or any destination in Santorini: $22
  • Santorini, Private Transfer with Luxury Airconditioned Vehicle: $22
  • Private Transfer Santorini: $23

Is it cheaper to fly into Masai Mara or Santorini?

Prices for flights to both Santorini 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
  • Food Meals for one day
    Masai Mara $57
    Santorini $109

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Masai Mara

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Masai Mara.

  • Nairobi Nightlife and Safari Park Hotel Dinner with Pick Up: $125
  • Kibera Slums Bomas of Kenya and Dinner at Carnivore Tour: $225
  • Nairobi National Museum and Carnivore Restaurant Food Tour: $275

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Santorini

For Santorini, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Santorini Sunset Sailing Cruise with Greek BBQ Dinner: $92
  • Santorini Caldera Sunset Sailing Cruise with Dinner and Wine: $92
  • Farm to Table Food Tour Experience in Santorini: $92
  • Santorini Family Farm Food & Wine Tour with Cooking Class: $97
  • Santorini Cooking Lesson with Chef and a Bottle of Wine: $103
  • The Aegean Cooking Class at Ftelos Brewery: $115
  • Cooking Class in Traditional cave house in Santorini!: $126
  • Luxury Santorini Sunset Cruise: Dinner, BBQ, Open Bar, Transfers: $126
  • Cooking Class with Private Chef - prepare & enjoy local menu: $126
  • Santorini Flavors a Cooking Class in a Dreamy Setting: $126
  • Santorini Food Tour: Fira Half-Day Small-Group Tour with Tastings: $143
  • Grandma Greek Cooking Class in Oia: $149

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Masai Mara $60
    Santorini $40

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
  • Crescent Island Walking Safari and Boat Riding Tour: $295
  • David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage & Giraffe Center Guided Day Tour: $95
  • David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage Half-Day Tour in Nairobi: $75
  • Day Tour Nairobi National Park Giraffe Center and Karen Blixen: $275
  • Day tour to Giraffe center and Karen Blixen Nairobi: $135
  • Fairview Coffee Farm Day Tour in Nairobi: $120
  • Giraffe Center and David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage Tour: $95
  • Giraffe Center, Elephant Orphanage and Cultural Dance Guided Tour: $175
  • Guided "Matatu" Experience Half Day Tour Within Nairobi.: $60

Tours and Activities in Santorini

Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Santorini.

  • Fira Audio Guided Walking Tour 1h00 and 16 audio reviews: $6.76
  • Private Self-Guided Audio Tour in Santorini: $9.16
  • Authentic A Self-Guided Audio Tour of Oia: $9.99
  • Skip the Line Lost Atlantis Experience Ticket: $16
  • Sunset Cruise Santorini Volcano: $27
  • Ticket for Akrotiri Archaeological Site: $32
  • Authentic Pyrgos Village Donkey Ride and Feeding Experience: $32
  • Santorini Volcano and Hot Springs Cruise Tour from Fira Old Port: $34
  • Santorini Volcano & Sunset Caldera Cruise: $34
  • Santorini Shore Excursion: Private Tour with Port Pickup Options: $36
  • Santorini Caldera Cruise Tour (Volcano, Hot Springs, Thirassia): $40
  • E-Ticket to Akrotiri with Audio Tour on your Phone: $40

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Masai Mara $26
    Santorini $28

Sample the Local Flavors in Santorini

Also in Santorini, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:

  • Beer Tasting and Pairing Experience at Ftelos Brewery: $29
  • Santorini Ftelos Brewery Guided Tour and Beer Tasting Experience: $40
  • Santorini Highlights Small-Group Tour with Wine Tasting option: $63
  • Santorini Wine Tasting Museum: $79
  • Visit to a Wine Museum and Wine Tasting in Santorini: $88
  • Santorini Wine & Village Experience–Megalochori &Wine Tasting(4h): $92
  • Premium Wine Tasting with Caldera Views: $102
  • Wine tasting and Carving lesson in Santorini: $109
  • Guided ATV Tour with Wine Tasting: $115
  • Santorini Wine Tasting and Wine Museum: $120
  • Santorini Wine Tour with sunset in Oia: $126
  • Santorini Wine Tasting & Premium Lunch at Award-Winning Winery: $126


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Masai Mara and Santorini, we can see that Santorini 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 Santorini 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 Santorini would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Santorini 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 Santorini Expensive?.