Which place is cheaper, Crete or Zanzibar?
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 Zanzibar or Crete?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Zanzibar and Crete 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: Zanzibar or Crete?
Zanzibar
Just off the coast of Tanzania lies an entrancing archipelago known as Zanzibar. This gorgeous string of islands is the land of sultans, palaces beaches and spice-filled markets. Once an important trading center, many restorations have been done in recent years to restore Zanzibar to its ancient grandeur - earning its capital city UNESCO World Heritage status in 2000.
Crete
The largest and most populous island of Greece, Crete has become a frequent vacation destination for many visitors. The terrain of the place is quite varied - very mountainous stretching east to west, with lush valleys, fertile plateaus, gorges, and famous caves like Idaion, the birthplace of the Greek god Zeus. The surrounding smaller islands and beaches are key attractions as well.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Eco Tours in Tanzania, The Best Cultural Tours in Tanzania, The Best Contiki Tours to Greece, and The Best G Adventures Tours to Greece.
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Zanzibar Prices
Tanzania PricesCrete Prices
Greece Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayZanzibar $62Crete $164
The average daily cost (per person) in Zanzibar is $62, while the average daily cost in Crete is $164. 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 Zanzibar and Crete in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personZanzibar $24Crete $62
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomZanzibar $48Crete $124
Compare Hotels in Zanzibar and Crete
Looking for a hotel in Zanzibar or Crete? 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: Zanzibar Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Zanzibar $11Crete $54
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Zanzibar
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Zanzibar:
- 4h Quad Adventures in Nungwi / Kendwa Transfer inclus: $68
- Airport Transfer in Zanzibar for Departures: $55
- Airport Transfer to any hotel in Zanzibar: $55
- Airport transfers in Zanzibar: $40
- Airport/port Transfer: $70
- Arrival Private Transfer from Airport to Nungwi Beach Zanzibar: $40
- Dolphin Snorkeling and Pungume Island with Lunch and Transfer: $80
- Half Day Zanzibar City Tour with Airport Transfer: $30
- Jet Ski to Zanzibar with photos and video and transfer included: $90
- Luxury Zanzibar Airport Transfer in Range Rover Sport: $300
- Paje and Jambiani Transfers from Stone Town: $35
- Private Airport Transfer from AAK Airport to Hotels: $40
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Crete
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Crete:
- Acqua Plus Water Park Admission with Optional Transfer: $33
- Airports/ports Transfers from /to Rethymno (one way): $165
- Balos & Gramvousa: Cruise with Meals, Drinks & Transfer: $168
- Balos Lagoon with Transfer from Rethymnon: $82
- Beginner's SSI Intro dive w/2 Dives & transfer: $165
- Chania & Reth: Balos with Guide and Transfer: $75
- Chania & Rethymno: Elafonisi Beach with Transfer and Guide: $59
- Chania & Rethymno:Limnoupolis Water Park with Lunch+Transfer: $46
- Chania Magic City Tour and Kournas Lake with Transfers and Snack: $80
- Crete : Samaria Easy way Gorge from Sfakia with Private Transfer: $245
- Crete Private Taxi and Transfer from Heraklion to Elounda: $133
- Crete Private Taxi and Transfer from Heraklion to Malia: $87
Is it cheaper to fly into Zanzibar or Crete?
Prices for flights to both Crete and Zanzibar 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 dayZanzibar $28Crete $66
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Zanzibar
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Zanzibar.
- Zanzibar Traditional Cooking Class: $49
- Zanzibar Walking Spice Farm with Local Cooking Class: $50
- Zanzibar Cooking Class [Swahili food test ] and Spice farm Private tour: $59
- Spice Tour & Cooking Class in Zanzibar: $60
- Local Cooking Class with Spice Tour in Zanzibar: $60
- Zanzibar Spice Tour & Cooking Class: $69
- Zanzibar Cultural Cuisines Cooking Class & Spice Farm Tour: $75
- Traditional Cooking Class in Zanzibar: $76
- 5 Hours Guided Spice Tour and Cooking Class in Zanzibar: $100
- A Half Day Private Cooking Class At the Spice Farm: $107
- Zanzibar Private Tour & Cooking Class: $110
- Spice Farm with Cooking Class + Lunch and Stone town (City tour): $130
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Crete
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Crete.
- Traditional Cretan Night: Live Show and Dinner: $32
- Traditional Dance Show and Buffet Dinner with Wine: $33
- Troy Dinner-Show: $41
- Plate smashing | Greek Night with Dancing & Buffet Dinner: $68
- Rethymno: Cretan Night with Dinner and Live Music, LOCAL GUIDE: $71
- Olive Oil Factory Tour, Dinner & Traditional Dancing: $71
- Quad Safari: Off-Road Day Tour with Dinner & Transfers: $73
- Olive Oil Festival in Cretan Farm with Traditional Dinner: $76
- Cretan Culture & Local Life Tour: VILLAGES, COOKING & FOOD: $80
- Rethymno Old Town Walking Food Tour Local Market Visit Tastings: $88
- Heraklion: Finikia Horse Riding Tour with Lunch or Dinner: $90
- Amazing Sunset Jeep Safari Route with Dinner: $92
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Zanzibar $13Crete $28
Tours and Activities in Zanzibar
Here are a few actual costs in Zanzibar for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Zanzibar Unveiled From Slaves to Sultans Audio Tour: $7.05
- Zanzibar old town historical walking tour: $14
- Zanzibar:Private Local guide Walking Tour: $16
- Guided Stone Town Tour In Zanzibar: $18
- Stone Town Walking Tour in Zanzibar: $18
- Stone Town Hidden Gems: Historical Walking Tour with Local Guide: $19
- Zanzibar Stone Town Historical Walking Tour: $20
- Zanzibar stone town city tour: $20
- Zanzibar Green Tour Spice Farm and Butterfly Centre: $20
- Daily Karibu Assalam Tour: $20
- Stone town walking tour with Akash: $20
- 3 Hours Private Stone Town Walking Tour: $20
Tours and Activities in Crete
Here are a few actual costs in Crete for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Chania Scavenger Hunt & Highlights Self-Guided Walking Tour: $8.22
- Private Traditional Olive Grove and Dragon Fruit Farm Tour: $11
- The Terra Creta Olive Oil Experience Tour: $11
- CRETAquarium Entrance Ticket in Crete: $18
- Chersonissos: Mini-Train City Highlights Tour: $20
- Gramvousa Island & Balos Bay Full-Day Tour from Rethymno English & German guide: $20
- Heraklion: Palace of Knossos 3D Virtual Audio Tour by Tablet: $22
- Heraklion Market and CretAquarium Guided Tour: $22
- Chania: Minoan's World 9D Experience: $23
- Chania: Sunset Boat Cruise with Guide: $23
- Heraklion: Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Bus Tour: $23
- Heraklion: Hop-on Hop-off Open Top Bus Sightseeing Tour: $23
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayZanzibar $6.72Crete $25
Sample the Local Flavors in Zanzibar
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Zanzibar:
- Thrilling Pub Crawl In Zanzibar. Visit 3 Unique Bars: $26
Sample the Local Flavors in Crete
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Crete:
- Vatolakkos: Boutique Winery Tour & 5-Wine Tasting: $28
- From Chania:Elafonissi Beach Day Trip, Elos, Honey & Wine Tasting: $33
- Cheese and Wine Tasting Tour From Chania: $42
- Authentic Crete Farm & Wine Tasting Experience from Heraklion: $52
- Platanias: Guided Road Trip with Olive Oil and Wine Tastings: $80
- Jeep Tour to Archanes with Wine tasting & Lunch: $112
- Private-Wine Tasting and Olive Oil Factory .: $141
- Heraklion: Ebike - All in one - Food tasting & Wine tasting: $175
- E-Bike Tour - Knossos Olive Oil Farm to Winery Wine Tasting: $185
- PRIVATE Walking Tour with Lunch and Wine Tasting by a Sommelier: $188
- The Gourmet Wine Tour of Heraklion area: $194
- Gastronomy tour and wine tasting in traditional villages: $212
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Zanzibar and Crete, we can see that Crete is more expensive. And not only is Zanzibar much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Zanzibar is in Africa and Crete 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 Zanzibar would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Zanzibar 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 Crete would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Crete than you might in Zanzibar.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Zanzibar Expensive? and Is Crete Expensive?.
Which has a larger population, Zanzibar or Crete?
Crete has a larger population, and is about 49% larger than the population of Zanzibar. When comparing the sizes of Zanzibar and Crete, 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.