Which place is cheaper, Cape Town or Aswan?
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 Aswan or Cape Town?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Aswan or Cape Town? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Aswan or Cape Town?
Aswan
Lounging along the Nile like Egyptian royalty is a fantasy for most world travelers. If you want to do it without the hustle and bustle of Cairo, there's always Aswan. This city in the south of Egypt is the smallest of the three major cities on the Nile. Located just below the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser, Aswan's 275,00 people include a large portion of Nubians – mostly resettled from their flooded homeland.
Cape Town
Picture your travel bucket list. Is Cape Town on it? Yes, most people dream of visiting the "Mother City" of South Africa. As one of the most iconic places in the world, Cape Town is a world-class cosmopolitan city full of bustling nightlife, historical backdrops and a large gay community.
Cape Town is the most southern city in Africa with seasons turned upside down. In the southern hemisphere they experience the summer from December to February. During these months days can be hot and dry so be sure to gather in the shade and wear plenty of sunscreen. The winter from June to August is full of rainy days and cold nights.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 10-Day Tours in Egypt, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Egypt, The Best Camping Tours in South Africa, and The Best Romantic Tours for Couples in South Africa.
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Aswan Prices
Egypt PricesCape Town Prices
South Africa Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayAswan $30Cape Town $191
The average daily cost (per person) in Aswan is $30, while the average daily cost in Cape Town is $191. 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 Aswan and Cape Town in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personAswan $9.95Cape Town $89
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomAswan $20Cape Town $178
Compare Hotels in Aswan and Cape Town
Looking for a hotel in Aswan or Cape Town? 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: Aswan Hotel Prices and Cape Town Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Aswan $5.46Cape Town $19
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Aswan
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Aswan:
- luxor Airport Private Transfer: $14
- VIP Transfer – Private Pickup & Drop-off from Aswan Airport: $25
- VIP Private Transfer Aswan to Hurghada: $180
- Transfer to Luxor from Aswan and visit Kom Ombo and Edfu Temples: $99
- Transfer from Aswan to Luxor: $79
- Transfer from Aswan Airport to Hotels or Nile Cruise in Aswan: $8.00
- Shared Transfer: Aswan Airport to Hotels: $5.00
- Private transfer from aswan to luxor with visits: $93
- Private transfer from Hotel To Aswan Airport: $25
- Private transfer from Aswan to Luxor: $35
- Private transfer from Aswan to Luxor: $55
- Private transfer from Aswan to Aswan Airport: $10
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cape Town
Also for Cape Town, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- AIRPORT Transfer to and from Cape Town City: $16
- Private Transfer from Cape Town Airport (CPT) to Cape Town Port: $19
- Private Transfer from Cape Town Port to Cape Town Airport (CPT): $19
- Airport Transfer (Cape Town ) Bus: $20
- Cape Town Cruise Terminal to and from Hotels Transfer: $20
- Private Transfer from Cape Town Hotels to Cape Town Cruise Port: $21
- Cape Town Airport and Hotel Private Transfers: $21
- Private Airport Transfers:Cape Town Airport | 4-13 Seater Minibus: $21
- Cruise Terminal Transfer to Airport: $22
- City Center Shuttle Transfer to Airport: $22
- Cape Town Airport Transfers to hotels and Return Transfers, Wi-Fi: $24
- Cape Town Airport–City Hotels Transfer One Way.: $25
Is it cheaper to fly into Aswan or Cape Town?
Prices for flights to both Cape Town and Aswan 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 dayAswan $15Cape Town $82
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Aswan
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Aswan.
- Dinner on board a cruise on the Nile: $59
- Cairo Nile Dinner Cruise with Entertainment: $65
- Private Evening Dinner Cruise in Cairo: $75
- Your Grandmothers Cooking Class In Aswan: $90
- Experience the Magic of Aswan in One Day Food Tour with Guide: $177
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cape Town
For Cape Town, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- From African Dinner and Drumming Experience: $60
- Authentic African Cuisine Cooking Experience: $61
- Cape Town Dinner Experience with local family: $66
- Cape Town Cooking Class & Wine Pairing with Award-Winning Chef: $69
- Private Indonesian & Cape Malay Cultural Cooking Class: $73
- South African Cooking Class in Cape Town with a Local Family: $82
- African Dinner Experience from Cape Town: $83
- Cruise and Dine Dinner / Sunset Champagne Cruise and 3-Course Dinner: $85
- Sunset At Signal and Dinner Privat: $87
- Cape Town African Taste-Safari & Live Entertainment Dinner Experience: $91
- Cape Town Historic Centre Food Tour with 15 Local Dishes and Wine: $97
- Cape Plates Food Tour with 15+ Tastings: $99
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Aswan $9.36Cape Town $26
Typical Entertainment Prices in Aswan
Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Aswan are as follows:
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Temple Kom Ombo for Two$1.21
Tours and Activities in Aswan
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Aswan are as follows:
- 2 Days Private Tour in Aswan and Abu Simbel: $85
- 2 Hours Tour in Philae Temple: $19
- 2 Night Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor: $270
- 2-Day Luxor Small-Group Tour from Aswan with Felucca Ride: $120
- 2-Night Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor – Including Abu Simbel: $250
- 3 Hour Private Tour, Ancient Wonders in Philae Temple Tour: $55
- 3 Hours Private Tour in Nubian Village from Aswan: $33
- 3 or 2 or 1 Nights Mighty Nile Felucca Adventure: $25
- 3-Day Aswan , Nubian Village ,Abu Simbel , Luxor & Train ticket: $177
- 3-Day Guided tour to Aswan, Abu Simbel and Luxor from Cairo: $285
- 3-Day Tour Aswan, Abu Simbel , Luxor & Train ticket, Opt. Balloon: $280
- 3-Day, 2-Night Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor with Guided Tours: $219
Tours and Activities in Cape Town
For Cape Town, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Cape Town Self-Guided City Walking Tour & Scavenger Hunt: $3.48
- Skip the Line: District Six Museum Admission Ticket: $3.96
- Cape Point Flying Dutchman Funicular Ticket (One way Up): $4.83
- Cape Point Flying Dutchman Funicular Ticket (One way Down): $4.83
- Kirstenbosch Gardens: An Audio Tour by Botany Expert: $5.00
- Sea Point Promenade: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $5.13
- Muizenberg to Kalk Bay: Amble along the amazing False Bay Coast on an audio tour: $5.20
- The Village in the City: A Self-Guided Audio Tour of Bo-Kaap: $5.34
- Cape Town live guided Urban Safari: Inner City Tour: $5.57
- Hop-On Hop-Off Cape Town Canal Cruise: $5.79
- Cape Town 30-minute V&A Harbour Cruise: $5.79
- Cape Point Flying Dutchman Funicular Return Ticket: $5.87
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayAswan $1.07Cape Town $23
Sample the Local Flavors in Cape Town
Also in Cape Town, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Craft Gin Tasting Experience and Distillery Tour: $15
- Urban Wine Tasting: $30
- Cape Town Hop- On Hop -Off Tour and Groot Constantia Wine Tasting: $34
- Indigenous Food and Wine Tasting: $37
- Cape Point, Penguins & Wine Tasting In Constantia Full Day Tour: $46
- Cape Town Wine Tour: 3 Wineries — Babylonstoren, Fairview & Spier: $47
- Wine Tour at Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, and Paarl: $48
- Wine Tour: Paarl, Franschhoek & Stellenbosch incl 3 wineries: $55
- Uncork the Cape : Stellenboch Half Day Wine Tour: $55
- From CapeTown: Stellenbosch Half Day Wine Tour: $57
- Stellenbosch Wine Tour half day from Cape Town: $70
- Full Day shared Stellenbosch and Franschhoek Tram Wine Tasting: $72
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Aswan and Cape Town, we can see that Cape Town is more expensive. And not only is Aswan much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Aswan would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Aswan 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 Cape Town would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Cape Town than you might in Aswan.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Aswan Expensive? and Is Cape Town Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Aswan or Cape Town?
Cape Town has a larger population, and is about 10 times larger than the population of Aswan. When comparing the sizes of Aswan and Cape Town, 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.