Which place is cheaper, Merzouga or Santorini?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Santorini or Merzouga?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between Santorini or Merzouga, this travel comparison, which includes costs, can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison down below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.
Where Should I go: Santorini or Merzouga?
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.
Merzouga
Let's say you want to truly get away. I don't mean putting your ear buds in on some beach with a stronger on the next chair over. I mean really get away, and find yourself deserted. Merzouga, Morocco lets you do just that. This land of sand dune after sand dune is ideal for anyone yearning to ride a camel to the ends of civilization. And you'll find plenty of options to get here with a tour, or even on your own.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Luxury Tours to Greece, The Best Budget Tours to Greece, The Best Budget Tours to Morocco, and The Best Luxury Tours to Morocco.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per daySantorini €175Merzouga €16
The average daily cost (per person) in Santorini is €175, while the average daily cost in Merzouga is €16. 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 Santorini and Merzouga in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personSantorini €93Merzouga €9.57
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomSantorini €186Merzouga €19
Compare Hotels in Santorini and Merzouga
Looking for a hotel in Santorini or Merzouga? 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: Santorini Hotel Prices and Merzouga Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Santorini €28Merzouga -
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Santorini
Also for Santorini, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- One-Way Transfer to/from the Port or Airport: $15
- Economy Roundtrip Transfer Santorini Airport ( Max 4 stop ): $15
- Santorini Private Transfer From or To Airport: $16
- Shared Transfer From Airport and Port to Santorini: $17
- Santorini Private Transfer Services: $20
- Shuttle Transfers From or To Santorini Port: $21
- Private Transfer Santorini: $22
- Private Arrival Transfer From Santorini Airport To All Destinations: $22
- Departure Shared Transfer in Santorini Island: $22
- Santorini shared transfer: $22
- Private Transfers To/From Airport, Port & Hotels: $22
- Departure Private Transfer Santorini to Santorini Airport JTR by Sedan Car: $23
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Merzouga
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Merzouga:
- 1 way transfer: $62
Is it cheaper to fly into Santorini or Merzouga?
Prices for flights to both Merzouga and Santorini 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 daySantorini €48Merzouga €5.55
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Santorini
For Santorini, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Romantic Sunset Caldera Cruise with Dinner: $70
- Santorini Caldera: Sunset Cruise with Dinner: $70
- Volcanic Sunset Cruise with Dinner: $80
- Catamaran Tour with BBQ Dinner, Drinks, and Music: $91
- Volcano and Hot Springs Sunset Dinner Cruise: $96
- Cooking Class in Traditional cave house in Santorini!: $120
- Sunset Cruise with Swim Stops, Dinner, and Drinks: $120
- Fira: 4-Hour Walking Food Tour With Tastings: $123
- Half-Day Sunset Wine Tasting Tour in Santorini with dinner: $123
- Luxury Sunset Cruise with Dinner & Open Bar: $128
- Sunset Sea Kayak with Light Dinner: $128
- Hands on Cooking Class with a Chef: $134
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Merzouga
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Merzouga.
- One Night in Private Camp in the Sahara Desert in Merzouga with Dinner: $65
- Sunset With Dinner And Berber Music in Merzouga Desert With 4WD : $65
- Merzouga Orange Dunes ATV Sandsurf Camels with 5 Stars Dinner: $85
- Camel trek with 1 Night in Luxury camp with Dinner+ Sundbording: $87
- Visit The Nomads, Gnawa Music, Rally In Dunes, Berber Pizza : $98
- Magical Dinner and Camel Trek with 1 Night In Merzouga Luxury Desert Camp: $105
- Overnight in Luxury Camp With camel Trek & Dinner: $107
- From Fes: 2-Day Merzouga Desert Trip(Luxury Tent & Dinner): $124
- From Fes: 2-Day Merzouga Desert Trip w/Luxury Tent & Dinner: $127
- 2 Nights Private Camp in Merzouga with Dinner and Camel Ride: $200
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Santorini €36Merzouga -
Tours and Activities in Santorini
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Santorini.
- Authentic A Self-Guided Audio Tour of Oia: $6.99
- Megalochori: Lost Atlantis 9D Experience Museum Entry Ticket: $15
- Skip the Line Lost Atlantis Experience Ticket: $15
- E-Ticket to Akrotiri with Audio Tour on your Phone: $15
- Akrotiri Archaeological Site Entry Ticket: $16
- Refundable Ticket for Akrotiri Archaeological Site : $20
- Santorini Volcano and Hot Springs Cruise Tour from Fira Old Port: $27
- Volcanic Islands Cruise with Hot Springs Visit: $28
- Santorini Caldera Cruise Tour (Volcano, Hot Springs, Thirassia): $33
- Santorini Volcano Tour: $37
- Santorini Volcano & Hot Springs Tour : $40
- Santorini Volcano Half Day Tour: $44
Tours and Activities in Merzouga
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Merzouga are as follows:
- Overnight in Desert Camp Berber Experience in Merzouga Desert & Camel Ride: $82
- Private Adventure to Merzouga Risani from Erfoud : $142
- Private Desert Tour and Visit to Nomadic Families: $98
- 1 Hour Merzouga Desert Buggy Experience: $140
- 1 Hour Merzouga Desert Quad Biking Tour & Sandboarding: $64
- 1 Night Camel Trekking Tour in Merzouga Desert Camp : $60
- 1/2 day 4x4 tour of Erg Chebbi: $82
- 2 Hours Merzouga Desert Quad Bike Adventure: $113
- 2 hours Merzouga Dunes ATV Rental - Desert Quad Biking Tour: $112
- 2-Day Desert Tour with Return to Marrakech: $182
- 3 Days Tour From Marrakech To Sahara Desert Of Merzouga: $86
- 3 Days Tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga with Luxury Camp: $218
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one daySantorini €26Merzouga -
Sample the Local Flavors in Santorini
Also in Santorini, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Half Day Simply Santorini Tour with Wine Tasting: $60
- Top Sights Day Trip, Wine Tasting, & Oia Sunset: $63
- Fira Town Walking Tour with Wine Tasting: $75
- Top Sights of Santorini with Wine Tasting and Sunset in Oia: $75
- Notos Day Tour through History & Wine Tasting: $98
- Santorini 4 Hour Private Oia Tour & Wine Tasting : $105
- Wine Tour with Sunset in Oia: $106
- Santorini Highlights Small-Group Tour with Wine Tasting from Fira: $109
- 5 towns in 5 hours: Santorini Most Popular Tour with Wine tasting: $117
- Wine Tour Santorini: $118
- Wine tasting and Carving lesson in Santorini: $131
- Santorini 4-Hour Private Tour including Wine Tasting, Shore Excursion: $136
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Santorini and Merzouga, we can see that Santorini is more expensive. And not only is Merzouga much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Santorini is in Europe and Merzouga is in Africa, 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 Merzouga would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Merzouga 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 Merzouga.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Santorini Expensive? and Is Merzouga 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.