Which place is cheaper, Marrakech or Xi'an?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Xi'an or Marrakech?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Xi'an and Marrakech 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: Xi'an or Marrakech?
Xi'an
Xi'an is an ancient city in the Shaanxi Province in China. Today it is most notable as the location of the Terracotta Warriors, but for visitors who choose to linger, there is so much more to see and do in the area. The city itself is more than 3,000 years old and for about one thousand years, through 13 dynasties and 73 emperors, it was the capital. Because of its rich history there are many historical ruins and a strong culture in the city. Today the city is a pleasant place to visit, although much of it's influence and power has dwindled. The city has both cosmopolitan and modern areas as well as historic and culturally rich areas. The neighborhoods are diverse and by exploring the city in depth you can learn a little more about what China really has to offer.
Marrakech
Marrakech is on of the most popular travel destinations in Morocco. It is the third largest city in Morocco after Casablanca and Rabat and is located near the foothills of the Atlas Mountains only a few hours from the Sahara Desert. It's a beautiful city that is often referred to as the "Pink City" because of the pale pink color of many of the city's buildings. These striking colors make the city particularly beautiful during the evening hours when the low sun creates a very dramatic lighting.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 10-Day Tours in China, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in China, The Best 10-Day Tours in Morocco, and The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Morocco.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayXi'an $94Marrakech $68
The average daily cost (per person) in Xi'an is $94, while the average daily cost in Marrakech is $68. 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 Xi'an and Marrakech in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personXi'an $60Marrakech $46
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomXi'an $120Marrakech $92
Compare Hotels in Xi'an and Marrakech
Looking for a hotel in Xi'an or Marrakech? 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: Marrakech Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Xi'an $12Marrakech $6.28
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Xi'an
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Xi'an:
- Xian to Xian Xianyang Airport (XIY) - Departure Private Transfer: $32
- Xian Xianyang International Airport (XIY) Private Departure Transfer: $40
- Xian Xianyang International Airport (XIY) Private Arrival Transfer: $40
- Xian Xianyang Airport (XIY) to Xian City - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $57
- Xian Xianyang Airport (XIY) to Xian - Arrival Private Transfer: $32
- Xian Terracotta Warriors and City Wall Tour with Airport Transfer: $224
- Xian Terracotta Warriors Tour with Airport Transfer: $176
- Xian Private Day Tour with Airport Transfer: Terracotta Warriors and City Wall: $186
- Xian City to Xian Xianyang Airport (XIY) - Departure Private Transfer: $28
- Xian Best Day Tour with Airport / Railway Station Transfer: $132
- Xi’an Xianyang International Airport Private Departure Transfer from City Area : $29
- Xi’an Terracotta Warriors Private Round-Trip Transfer from City Area : $69
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Marrakech
Also for Marrakech, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Hammam and Massage Experience with Transfers: $77
- Private Transfer From or To Marrakesh Menara Airport RAK: $9.85
- Transfer Marrakech to Agadir & Marrakech to Agadir One way: $115
- transfer from Marrakech city to Agadir city (AGA) one-way: $82
- "Marrakech to Chefchaouen: Your Exclusive Private Transfer": $250
- "Marrakech to El Jadida: Private Transfer for Your Comfort": $109
- "Marrakech to Fes: Your Private Transfer for a Smooth Journey": $225
- 2h Buggy Adventure in the Marrakech Desert with Transfer and Tea Break: $49
- Agadir or Taghazout: Marrakech Day Trip with Hotel Transfers: $34
- Agadir private transfer from Marrakech to Agadir airport (AGA): $164
- Agadir private transfer from Ouirgane to Agadir airport (AGA): $290
- Agafay Desert Pool Day with Shuttle Transfer: $82
Is it cheaper to fly into Xi'an or Marrakech?
Prices for flights to both Marrakech and Xi'an 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 dayXi'an $12Marrakech $13
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Xi'an
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Xi'an.
- Skip the Line: Xi'an Tang Dynasty Show Ticket & Dumpling Dinner or Royal Banquet: $32
- Dinner and Show of Tang Dynasty Palace in Xian: $40
- Private Home Cooking Class:Dumpling Cooking Class Tour in Xi'an: $50
- Xi'an Twilight Sightseeing and Food Tour: $51
- Tang Dynasty Dinner Show: $55
- Xi'an Vegetarian Food Tour: $60
- Xi'an Food Tour by Tuk Tuk: $62
- Private Xi'an Food Tour: $65
- Private Xi’an Night & Food Tour by Tuk Tuk and Public Transportation: $67
- Xi'an Evening Food Tour by TukTuk: $69
- 4 Hours Food Tours in Xi'an: $72
- 3-Hour Biang Biang Noodles Cooking Class in Xi'an: $75
Typical Food Prices in Marrakech
For Marrakech, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Orange Juice on the Square$0.30
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Breakfast$1.19
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Dates$0.60
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Olives$0.89
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Sandwich$1.29
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Souvenir Spices$6.16
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Marrakech
For Marrakech, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Agafay Desert Sunset, Camel Ride and Dinner from Marrakech: $15
- Cooking Lesson at the Ouirgane Ecolodge with Lunch: $19
- Dinner in Agafay desert from Marrakech & camel riding: $19
- Restaurant Dinner Experience with Hotel Pickup: $21
- Dinner and show in Desert Agafay with Quad bike & Camel ride: $22
- Sunset in Agafay: Dinner, Camel, Quad-Book Adventure with Viator: $22
- Agafay desert Sunset Camel ride with Dinner Show: $23
- Magical Dinner & Agafay Desert ,Under The Stars: $24
- Marrakech Amazing Dinner Show in Agafay Desert, Sunset Camel Ride: $24
- Dinner Experience in a Moroccan Restaurant with transfer: $24
- Moroccan Cooking Class with a Local Chef: $24
- From Agafay Desert Sunset Dinner with Live Show: $25
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Xi'an $35Marrakech $6.99
Tours and Activities in Xi'an
Here are a few actual costs in Xi'an for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Group Tour to the Terra-cotta Warriors Museum & Lunch : $65
- Private Half Day Tour to See The Big Wild Goose Pagoda&City Wall:: $185
- Xi'an Morning Food & Market Tour by TukTuk: $55
- #1 Bestselling Private Terracotta Army Tours + Customized Xian Tours: $109
- 1 Day Xian City Highlights Private Tour: $148
- 1 Day Xian Group Tour: Terracotta Warriors & City Wall: $138
- 1 day The Terracotta Army+Xi'an City Wall+Yongxing Square Mini Group Tour: $106
- 1 day Xi'an Culture and History Discovery Mini Group tour: $112
- 1 day private tour to Xi'an Terra Cotta Warriors by Metro/Subway: $110
- 1-Day Xi'an City Highlights and Hanyangling Museum Private Tour: $100
- 1-Day Xi'an Terracotta Warriors Museum and Banpo Neolithic Village Museum Tour: $100
- 1-Day Xi'an Terracotta Warriors,Wild Goose Pagoda and Banpo Village Museum Tour: $100
Typical Entertainment Prices in Marrakech
Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for Marrakech's activities, tours, and tickets:
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Palace Tickets$1.99
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Golf at Atlas Golf$56
Tours and Activities in Marrakech
For Marrakech, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Marrakech Medina Walking Tour With Local Guide: $5.00
- Marrakesh: Cactus Thiemann Entry Ticket: $8.28
- Ourika Valley, Atlas Mountain and Waterfalls Tour from Marrakech: $10
- Palmerai adventure on quad atv: $10
- 1/2 day Guided Medina Walking Tour & Souks : $13
- Marrakech:Quad Tour in Palmeraie: $14
- Historical Marrakech Walking Tour: $15
- Marrakech activities: Camel ride tour Marrakech: $15
- From Ourika Valley and Atlas Mountains Day Tour: $16
- quad Adventure at the Dunes of the palmery desert: $16
- Essaouira 1 Day Tour From Marrakech: $16
- From Marrakesh: Ourika Valley & Atlas Mountains Day Tour: $16
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayXi'an $7.23Marrakech $15
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Xi'an and Marrakech, we can see that Xi'an is more expensive. And not only is Marrakech much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Xi'an is in Asia and Marrakech 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 Marrakech would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Marrakech 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 Xi'an would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Xi'an than you might in Marrakech.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Xi'an Expensive? and Is Marrakech Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Xi'an or Marrakech?
Xi'an has a larger population, and is about 4 times larger than the population of Marrakech. When comparing the sizes of Xi'an and Marrakech, 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.