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

Should you visit Cairo or Pretoria?

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

Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Cairo and Pretoria 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: Cairo or Pretoria?

Cairo

Cairo is the chaotic capital city of Egypt. With a population of more than 16 million, it is one of the largest cities in both Africa and the Middle East. As a traveler, you're likely to arrive and leave from here and you'll get your first orientation to the area during the chaotic and congestion filled taxi ride from the airport.

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 Family-Friendly Tours to Egypt, The Best Historical Tours in Egypt, The Best Eco Tours in South Africa, and The Best Sightseeing Tours in South Africa.


Which place is cheaper, Pretoria or Cairo?

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 Cairo is $32, while the average daily cost in Pretoria 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 Cairo and Pretoria in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Cairo $11
    Pretoria $28
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Cairo $22
    Pretoria $56
Compare Hotels in Cairo and Pretoria

Looking for a hotel in Cairo 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 Cairo


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: Cairo Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Cairo $3.62
    Pretoria $13
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Cairo

Some typical examples of transportation costs in Cairo are as follows:


  • Metro Ride
    $0.08
  • Taxi Ride
    $0.30

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cairo

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Cairo:

  • private Airport Transfer from any destination in Cairo or Giza: $35
  • one transfer from airport to Cairo Giza hotels or hotels to Cairo airport: $20
  • Visit Mall of Egypt with Hotel Transfer: $47
  • VIP Meet and assist with transfer from Cairo and SPX Airport: $12
  • VIP Meet and Greet Private Hotel Transfer from Cairo Airport: $39
  • VIP Meet and Greet Private Hotel Transfer From Cairo Airport: $20
  • VIP Meet and Assist in Cairo Airport with Private Transfer to Cairo Hotels: $49
  • VIP Meet and Assist at Cairo Airport with Private Hotel Transfer: $35
  • VIP Ain Sokhna Red Sea Day Trip from Cairo with Private Transfer: $90
  • Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Cairo APT-HTL (CAI): $33
  • Transfer your private departure from your hotel to Cairo Airport: $20
  • Transfer from Hurghada to Luxor city by private Cars: $170

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Pretoria

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

  • Airport transfers,door to door shuttle: $53
  • Private Oneway Transfer from Johannesburg to Johannesburg Airport: $35
  • Private Transfer from JHB Airport to Hotels and Around Sandton: $40
  • Sun City Private Transfer: $246

Is it cheaper to fly into Cairo or Pretoria?

Prices for flights to both Pretoria and Cairo 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
    Cairo $17
    Pretoria $29
Typical Food Prices in Cairo

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Cairo:


  • Juice
    $0.04

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cairo

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

  • Dinner Nile cruise with belly dancer show on Nile river: $4.00
  • Dinner Cruise in Nile River with Belly Dancer show From Cairo: $4.00
  • Cairo Food Tour with Nile Felucca Ride: $6.30
  • Cairo dinner Nile cruise with belly dancer show on Nile river: $7.00
  • Quad Bike ATV ,Camel Ride ,Nile Dinner Cruise Belly dancer show: $7.00
  • Giza Pyramids,Sphinx,Camel Ride,ATV Bike,Shopping, Dinner cruise: $7.00
  • Cairo Food Tour – Discover Hidden Downtown Gems: $7.20
  • Private Nile Cruise with Dinner and Folk Show from Cairo: $7.50
  • Private Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Quad Bike, Camel Ride, Nile Dinner Cruise: $8.00
  • Cairo Dinner Cruise in Nile River With Belly Dancer & Tanora show: $8.00
  • 5 Star Dinner Nile Cruise in Cairo Night Tour: $8.00
  • night-tour Nile dinner cruise with open buffet and belly dancer: $8.00

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: $113
  • Lesedi Cultural Experience + Lunch or Dinner: $134

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Cairo $8.65
    Pretoria $16
Typical Entertainment Prices in Cairo

Here are a few typical costs in Cairo for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:


  • Entry to Camel Market for Two
    $0.80
  • Egyptian Museum Entry for Two
    $6.16

Tours and Activities in Cairo

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

  • “Cairo Private Tour: Giza Pyramids, Sphinx & GEM Museum”: $160
  • "Private Half-Day Tour to the Giza Pyramids Saqqara and Memphis: $25
  • "The Great Pyramids & Grand Museum: Luxury Private Day Tour": $60
  • (Egypt jewel) Day Tour To Giza Pyramids, Museum, Mosque &Felucca: $55
  • 01 Day Tour to Alexandria from Cairo: $246
  • 01 Day Tour to Pyramids , Museum and Khan Elkhalili: $217
  • 01 Day Tour to Pyramids Of Giza Memphis And Sakkara: $86
  • 1 Day Private Tour to Alexandria from Cairo: $100
  • 1 Day tour to Alexandria from Cairo: $30
  • 1 Day tour to Giza pyramids Memphis city Dahshur and Saqqara pyramids: $15
  • 1 Hour ATV Quad Bike Private Tour Around Giza Pyramids: $30
  • 1 Hour Adventure In The Nile River By Nile Taxi In Cairo: $60

Tours and Activities in Pretoria

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

  • Harties Cableway Experience Ticket: $19
  • History Bicycle Tour of Soweto: $45
  • Soweto Food and Beer Bike Tour: $47
  • Soweto Quad Bike and Tuk Tuk Tours: $48
  • Johannesburg & Soweto Full day Tour - With Pickup & Drop Off: $59
  • Pretoria Tour-Voortrekker Monument, Town, Union Buildings: $64
  • Rietvlei Nature Reserve half-day tour from Pretoria, every TUESDAY: $64
  • Soweto tuk tuk Tour Or Bike Tour Including Pick up & Drop Off: $72
  • Soweto Half Day Tour: $75
  • Soweto Half Day Guided Tour: $75
  • Soweto guided tour(Half day): $75
  • 1Day Pilanesburg Big 5 safari experience: $75

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Cairo $1.41
    Pretoria $35

Sample the Local Flavors in Cairo

Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Cairo:

  • Pub Crawl and Speakeasy Bar Tour with 2 Free Drinks: $70


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

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


Which is Bigger, Cairo or Pretoria?

Cairo has a larger population, and is about 5 times larger than the population of Pretoria. When comparing the sizes of Cairo 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.