Which place is cheaper, Rio de Janeiro or Nairobi?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Nairobi or Rio de Janeiro?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Nairobi and Rio de Janeiro can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.
Where Should I go: Nairobi or Rio de Janeiro?
Nairobi
Nairobi is Kenya's capital as well as the country's largest city. With a population of about 3 million, it is also one of the largest cities in Africa. It is a prominent city both politically and financially within the region. There are many international companies that are located in Nairobi and the Nairobi Securities and Exchange is one of the largest in Africa.
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is the most popular travel destination in Brazil. It is the second largest city in Brazil and the sixth largest in the Americas. A portion of the city has been designated a World Heritage Site. It's also famous for Carnival, it's gorgeous beaches, and world-famous landmarks. Rio's appeal as a travel destination is apparent year round due to the great weather and plenty of fun activities. The city has a wonderful natural harbor that is surrounded by Sugar Loaf Mountain, Corcovado Peak, and the hills of Tijuca, creating an absolutely breathtaking and awe-inspiring setting.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Safaris in Kenya, The Best Budget Safaris in Kenya, The Best Contiki Tours to Brazil, and The Best G Adventures Tours to Brazil.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayNairobi $63Rio de Janeiro $105
The average daily cost (per person) in Nairobi is $63, while the average daily cost in Rio de Janeiro is $105. 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 Nairobi and Rio de Janeiro in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personNairobi $12Rio de Janeiro $66
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomNairobi $24Rio de Janeiro $132
Compare Hotels in Nairobi and Rio de Janeiro
Looking for a hotel in Nairobi or Rio de Janeiro? 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: Nairobi Hotel Prices and Rio de Janeiro Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Nairobi $11Rio de Janeiro $7.97
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Nairobi
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Nairobi:
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Taxi from Airport$9.43
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Nairobi
Also for Nairobi, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Airport Transfer in Nairobi- JKIA: $35
- Airport Transfers in Nairobi: $35
- Airport Transfers in Nairobi: $47
- Airport Transfers in Nairobi: $20
- Airport VIP Transfers - Nairobi Hotels : $55
- Airport and Hotels Transfers: $40
- Airport transfer: $45
- Airport transfer: $43
- Bush Safaris and Airport transfers: $85
- David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage Tour with Transfers: $90
- From Kibera Community Walking Tour with Transfer: $50
- Jomo Kenyatta International Airport: Airport transfers: $50
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Rio de Janeiro
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Rio de Janeiro:
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Taxi Ride$2.93
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Rio de Janeiro
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Rio de Janeiro:
- Visit to Madureira Park in Rio de Janeiro with Transfer: $66
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer in Rio de Janeiro APT-HTL (SDU): $25
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer in Rio de Janeiro APT-HTL (GIG): $52
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer Rio de Janeiro HTL-APT (SDU): $25
- Transfer to GIG or SDU International Airport in Rio de Janeiro: $40
- Transfer service from/to Rio de Janeiro-Embarkation for Ilha Grande: $88
- Transfer service from / to Rio de Janeiro / Paraty: $99
- Transfer service from / to Rio - Barra da Tijuca Airports: $26
- Transfer service from / to Porto Maravilha - Zona Sul: $19
- Transfer service from / to International Airport (GIG) - Zona Sul: $22
- Transfer service from / to Buzios / Arraial do Cabo / Cabo Frio: $79
- Transfer in Rio: $35
Is it cheaper to fly into Nairobi or Rio de Janeiro?
Prices for flights to both Rio de Janeiro and Nairobi 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 dayNairobi $7.63Rio de Janeiro $20
Typical Food Prices in Nairobi
For Nairobi, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Dinner for Two$5.11
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Nairobi
For Nairobi, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Carnivore experience Lunch Or Dinner (Optional Bomas of kenya ): $40
- Nairobi:Carnivore Restaurant Dinner and Pub Crawling.: $47
- Local Market Tour and Traditional Meal Cooking Class: $53
- Enjoy Traditional Kenyan Food Cooking Class With a Host.: $53
- Traditional Kenyan Cooking Class & Local Market Tour : $54
- Nairobi Private Traditional Kenyan Cooking Class with Lunch: $55
- Cooking Lesson of Local Food $ Lunch: $68
- Carnivore Resturant Dinner Experience : $68
- The Carnivore Restaurant Experience in Lunch or Dinner: $78
- Carnivore Restaurant Lunch or Dinner Experience: $80
- Carnivore Dinner Experience: $80
- The Carnivore Restaurant Experience: Lunch Or Dinner: $84
Typical Food Prices in Rio de Janeiro
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Rio de Janeiro:
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Popcorn$0.59
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Corn on the Cob$0.78
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Hamburger$0.98
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Rio de Janeiro
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Rio de Janeiro.
- Waterfront Dinner & Live Music Experience: $46
- Barra da Tijuca Food Tour with Drinks: $72
- THE BEST FOOD TOUR: $79
- Rio Bar Food Tour with a Local: $82
- Dinner & Rio Scenarium Nightclub Admission with Transfer: $85
- 9-Recipe Boozy Brazilian Cooking Class: $85
- Brazilian Meats and Snacks + South American Wines Guided Dinner: $89
- Copacabana Local Street Bars Food Tour: $90
- Food Tour Rio de Janeiro - The Best Typical Brazilian Dishes: $92
- Rio Scenarium Entrance, Dinner, and Open Bar: $105
- Rio Scenarium: Fast Track Entrance, Dinner & Open Bar: $115
- Brazilian Cooking Class: $129
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Nairobi $47Rio de Janeiro $22
Typical Entertainment Prices in Nairobi
Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for Nairobi's activities, tours, and tickets:
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Village Visit$16
Tours and Activities in Nairobi
For Nairobi, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Ebike adventure Hire Nairobi (Electric mountain bike hire): $15
- Nairobi cultural shopping experience: $18
- Nairobi City Walking and Historic Tours: $19
- Nairobi City;culture and historical guided tour: $19
- Nairobi City: Walking tour, story telling and travel adv: $20
- Nairobi;Downtown walking tour: $20
- Nairobi city walking tour : $25
- Private Guided Nairobi City and Cultural Walking Tour: $25
- Half-Day Tour Giraffe Center and Sheldrick Wildlife Trust: $25
- Nairobi City tour: $25
- Elephant orphanage, Giraffe center, kobe beads tour: $25
- From Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Center Tour: $25
Tours and Activities in Rio de Janeiro
Here are a few actual costs in Rio de Janeiro for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Favelas do Vidigal or Rocinha's experience: $50
- Ilha Grande Tour Full day - Rio de Janeiro by Rio Eco Trip: $105
- 03 - Guided Tour to the Grande Rio Academics Barracão: $120
- 1 day tour Rio de Janeiro to Christ and Cable car and much more: $101
- 14 - Guided Tour to Quadra Do Salgueiro with Samba Show: $75
- 15 - Guided Tour to Santa Marta Favela: $150
- 16 - Guided Tour to Favela da Rocinha: $75
- 19 - Guided Tour to the Museum of Tomorrow and Olympic Boulevard: $90
- 2 Days in Rio: Tijuca Forest & Two Brothers Hiking Tours: $281
- 2 Hours Paradisiac Sailboat Tour in Rio de Janeiro: $283
- 2 Hours Tour with Parasailing in Rio de Janeiro: $110
- 21 - Guided Tour to the Imperial City of Petrópolis with Lunch: $80
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayNairobi $16Rio de Janeiro $12
Sample the Local Flavors in Rio de Janeiro
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Rio de Janeiro:
- Pub Crawl in Lapa: $29
- Rio: Pub Crawl in Lapa with Cachaça Tasting and Live Samba: $33
- Petropolis City Tour with Imperial Museum and Optional Lunch & Bohemia Brewery: $40
- Petropolis Bohemia: Historic tour and visit to the Bohemian Brewery: $56
- Walking tour + Pub crawl + Samba in Lapa: $57
- Petropolis City Tour + Bohemia Brewery + Lunch: $77
- Brazilian Wine Tasting Evening: $110
- Rio: Sitio Burle Marx and Cachaça Distillery Private Tour: $131
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Nairobi and Rio de Janeiro, we can see that Rio de Janeiro is more expensive. And not only is Nairobi much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Nairobi is in Africa and Rio de Janeiro 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 Nairobi would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Nairobi 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 Rio de Janeiro would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Rio de Janeiro than you might in Nairobi.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Nairobi Expensive? and Is Rio de Janeiro Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Nairobi or Rio de Janeiro?
Rio de Janeiro has a larger population, and is about 2 times larger than the population of Nairobi. When comparing the sizes of Nairobi and Rio de Janeiro, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
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.