A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Bucharest vs. Pretoria for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Bucharest or Pretoria?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Bucharest and Pretoria. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.

Where Should I go: Bucharest or Pretoria?

Bucharest

Bucharest is the capital and largest city in the country of Romania. With about 2 million residents living in the city and about 2.4 million in the surrounding urban area, it is also one of the largest cities in Southeastern Europe. As such, it is the economic, industrial and commercial center for the country. As a visitor, you will likely enter Romania by arriving in Bucharest. The city continues to grow and change, and there are ongoing infrastructure projects that continue to modernize the city. It is not uncommon to find historic churches on the same block as modern office buildings and Communist style apartment buildings. There are also many sights around town and the city continues to grow as a trendy and fascinating city.

Pretoria

Located in Gauteng Province, Pretoria is the administrative capital city of South Africa, making it home to many government buildings and three universities. It is actually one of three capital cities, being home to the executive branch, with Cape Town as the legislative capital and Bloemfontein as the judicial capital. Within South Africa, Pretoria is also known as the "Jacaranda City" due to the thousands of jacaranda trees lining its streets, parks, and gardens.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 10-Day Tours in Romania, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Romania, The Best Eco Tours in South Africa, and The Best Sightseeing Tours in South Africa.


Which place is cheaper, Pretoria or Bucharest?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

The average daily cost (per person) in Bucharest is $181, while the average daily cost in Pretoria is $61. 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 Bucharest and Pretoria in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Bucharest $63
    Pretoria $25
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Bucharest $126
    Pretoria $50
Compare Hotels in Bucharest and Pretoria

Looking for a hotel in Bucharest or Pretoria? 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.

Hotels in Bucharest


Hotels in Pretoria


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: Bucharest Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Bucharest $26
    Pretoria $12

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Bucharest

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Bucharest:

  • Transfers to/from Danube Port: Bucharest - Turnu Măgurele : $164
  • Transfer from Otopeni Airport to Bucharest: $29
  • Transfer and Full Access All Day at Therme Spa Bucharest : $109
  • Transfer From Bucharest Airport To Sofia Bulgaria: $291
  • Transfer Bucharest Otopeni Airport (OTP) to/from Brasov: $127
  • Transfer Bucharest Airport to Brasov: $288
  • Transfer Airport Otopeni - Bucharest: $44
  • Transfer & Access for 4.5-Hour at Therme Bucuresti: $59
  • Therme-entrance ticket and transfer pick-up/drop-off Bucharest: $59
  • Therme Bucharest Express Shuttle Transfer: $15
  • Therme Bucharest : Private Transfer and Tickets: $118
  • Targoviste to Bucharest - Private Transfer - Car and Driver: $186

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Pretoria

Also for Pretoria, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • One Way Private Transfer from Airports and Hotels in Sandton: $93
  • Pretoria to Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport (JNB) - Departure Private Transfer: $56
  • Private Airport Transfers to Sandton & Joburg CBD: $29
  • Shuttle Transfer from Gauteng to Greater Kruger: $64

Is it cheaper to fly into Bucharest or Pretoria?

Prices for flights to both Pretoria and Bucharest 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
  • Food Meals for one day
    Bucharest $101
    Pretoria $26

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Bucharest

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Bucharest.

  • Dinner &tour at Museum of Communism after closing: $50
  • Bucharest Historical Food Tour in Old Center: $82
  • Bohemian Bucharest Markets and Mahallas Traditional Food Tour: $82
  • Street Food Tour with a Local Guide: $85
  • Bucharest Evening Tour and Traditional Dinner: $95
  • Private Bucharest Food Tour with a Local Foodie: $129
  • 4-Hour Walking Food Tour in the Old Town: $203
  • Bucharest City Tour & Traditional Home-made Cooking Experience: $228

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Pretoria

For Pretoria, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Lesedi Cultural Experience + Lunch or Dinner: $111
  • Pan African Cooking Class & Organic food experience: $210

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Bucharest $15
    Pretoria $14

Tours and Activities in Bucharest

Here are a few actual costs in Bucharest for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • Bears Sanctuary, Dracula's Castle, Brasov Day Trip Private Tour from Bucharest: $250
  • Bucharest Panoramic Sightseeing - Private City Tour: $104
  • Walking Tour - Delightful Bucharest (Old Town & Victory Avenue): $17
  • 1 Day 4x4 Tour in Carpathian Mountains: $174
  • 1 Day ATV Tour in Carpathian Mountains: $208
  • 1-Day Guided Tour: Bucharest-Peles, Dracula Castle & Brasov: $27
  • 10 h Ceausescu Communism Private Tour in Bucharest plus Dracula's Grave : $240
  • 10 hours Private Apiary Tour in Romania - From Bucharest: $273
  • 10h Bucharest City Tour & Snagov Monastery (Dracula's Grave): $259
  • 14 Days Private Tour in Romania, Moldova & Transnistria: $4,740
  • 2 Days Private Tour - The Romanian Caves from Bucharest: $560
  • 2 Hour Photoshoot Experience Near Bucharest Architectural Charms: $131

Tours and Activities in Pretoria

For Pretoria, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • Dino Trail: Dino Kingdom Admission Ticket: $14
  • Harties Cableway Experience Ticket: $18
  • Soweto Quad Bike and Tuk Tuk Tours : $45
  • Apartheid Museum Tour in Johannesburg from Pretoria, every FRIDAY afternoon: $54
  • Pretoria Capital City Tour from Pretoria, every TUESDAY: $57
  • Private local authentic soweto Moto taxi experience : $57
  • Apartheid Museum Guided Tour : $58
  • Soweto Township Tour from Johannesburg - Friday Special: $61
  • Pretoria Tour-Voortrekker Monument, Town, Union Buildings: $62
  • Taste of Africa Food tasting Experience & Optional Beer Tasting: $64
  • Pretoria Capital City Tour from Johannesburg / Sandton, every TUESDAY: $64
  • Soweto and Johannesburg Tour: $64

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Bucharest $9.23
    Pretoria $31

Sample the Local Flavors in Bucharest

Also in Bucharest, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:

  • Weekend Pub Crawl: $24
  • Romanian Wine Tasting Experience at Corks: $28
  • Bachelor Party Custom Bar Crawl: $38
  • Bucharest Guided Pub Crawl: $39
  • Bar Crawling: $44
  • Pub Crawl in the Old CIty and Rooftop Hopping in Bucharest: $47
  • Wine Tasting in Bucharest: $53
  • Private Wine Tasting Experience: $54
  • Guided Pub Crawl in Bucharest: $56
  • Wine Tasting in Bucharest long version: $65
  • Private Wine Tasting and Cheese Platter: $84
  • Bucharest City Tour and Wine Tasting: $85


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Bucharest and Pretoria, we can see that Bucharest is more expensive. And not only is Pretoria much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Bucharest is in Europe and Pretoria 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 Pretoria would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Pretoria 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 Bucharest would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Bucharest than you might in Pretoria.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Bucharest Expensive? and Is Pretoria Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Bucharest or Pretoria?

Bucharest has a larger population, and is about 16% larger than the population of Pretoria. When comparing the sizes of Bucharest and Pretoria, 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.