A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Cape Town vs. Port-au-Prince for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Cape Town or Port-au-Prince?

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

Should I visit Cape Town or Port-au-Prince? 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: Cape Town or Port-au-Prince?

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.

Port-au-Prince

Port-au-Prince is the capital city and most-populous city of Haiti. The metropolitan area is divided into several districts with access to a number of landmarks and museums, as well as a lively cultural scene.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Camping Tours in South Africa, and The Best Romantic Tours for Couples in South Africa.


Which place is cheaper, Port-au-Prince or Cape Town?

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 Cape Town is $191, while the average daily cost in Port-au-Prince is $31. 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 Cape Town and Port-au-Prince in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Cape Town $89
    Port-au-Prince $22
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Cape Town $178
    Port-au-Prince $44
Compare Hotels in Cape Town and Port-au-Prince

Looking for a hotel in Cape Town or Port-au-Prince? 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 Cape Town


Hotels in Port-au-Prince


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: Cape Town Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Cape Town $19
    Port-au-Prince $4.77

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cape Town

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

  • 1-4 Passenger Arrival & Departure Cape Town - Airport Transfers: $62
  • 1-4 Passenger Cape Town - Airport Transfer: $31
  • AIRPORT Transfer to and from Cape Town City: $17
  • Afternoon Tea and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens with Transfer: $157
  • Airport Transfer: $63
  • Airport Transfer ( Cape Town): $44
  • Airport Transfer (Cape Town ) Bus: $20
  • Airport Transfer (Cape Town ) Bus: $49
  • Airport Transfer (Cape Town): $62
  • Airport Transfer from Cape Town International: $38
  • Airport Transfer: Airport CPT to Cape Town by Luxury Car: $117
  • Airport Transfer: Cape Town to Cape Town Airport CPT in Luxury Car: $106

Is it cheaper to fly into Cape Town or Port-au-Prince?

Prices for flights to both Port-au-Prince and Cape Town 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
    Cape Town $82
    Port-au-Prince $6.45

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:

  • Cape Malay Cooking with a Chef Founder: $32
  • From African Dinner and Drumming Experience: $63
  • Authentic African Cuisine Cooking Experience: $63
  • Private Indonesian & Cape Malay Cultural Cooking Class: $75
  • South African Cooking Class in Cape Town with a Local Family: $82
  • African Dinner Experience from Cape Town: $87
  • Sunset At Signal and Dinner Privat: $88
  • Cape Town African Taste-Safari & Live Entertainment Dinner Experience: $95
  • Cape Town Historic Centre Food Tour with 15 Local Dishes and Wine: $97
  • Cruise and Dine Dinner / Sunset Champagne Cruise and 3-Course Dinner: $98
  • Private Cape Malay Cooking Class in Lorette’s Cape Town Home: $100
  • Half Day Cape Town African Dinner Restaurant with Live Music Show: $101

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Cape Town $26
    Port-au-Prince $0.76

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 Point Flying Dutchman Funicular Ticket (One way Up): $5.01
  • Cape Point Flying Dutchman Funicular Ticket (One way Down): $5.01
  • Half Hour Seal and Harbour Cruise from Cape Town: $5.05
  • The Village in the City: A Self-Guided Audio Tour of Bo-Kaap: $5.34
  • Cape Town live guided Urban Safari: Inner City Tour: $5.37
  • Cape Town's original shoreline: a self-guided audio tour: $5.40
  • Cape Town Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $5.88
  • Cape Town 30-minute V&A Harbour Cruise: $6.00
  • 30 Minute Harbour Cruise in Cape town: $8.21
  • Skip the Line: World of Birds Admission Ticket: $9.16
  • 30min Harbour Boat Cruise Cape Town: $10
  • The Art of Chocolate Making Bean-To-Bar Experience in Cape Town: $12

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Cape Town $23
    Port-au-Prince $0.20

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:

  • Experience South African Craft Rum tasting and distillery tour in Cape Town: $15
  • Craft Gin Tasting Experience and Distillery Tour: $15
  • Urban Wine Tasting: $32
  • Cape Town Hop- On Hop -Off Tour and Groot Constantia Wine Tasting: $34
  • Indigenous Food and Wine Tasting: $38
  • Cape Point, Penguins & Wine Tasting In Constantia Full Day Tour: $47
  • Cape Town Hostel Pub Crawl & LinkUps: $53
  • Wine Tour: Paarl, Franschhoek & Stellenbosch incl 3 wineries: $57
  • Uncork the Cape : Stellenboch Half Day Wine Tour: $57
  • From CapeTown: Stellenbosch Half Day Wine Tour: $59
  • Full-Day Stellenbosch Wine Tasting Tour: $60
  • Half-Day Wine Tasting Tour in Stellenbosch: $60


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Cape Town and Port-au-Prince, we can see that Cape Town is more expensive. And not only is Port-au-Prince much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Cape Town is in Africa and Port-au-Prince is in Caribbean Islands, 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 Port-au-Prince would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Port-au-Prince 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 Port-au-Prince.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Cape Town Expensive? and Is Port-au-Prince Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Cape Town or Port-au-Prince?

Cape Town has a larger population, and is about 3 times larger than the population of Port-au-Prince. When comparing the sizes of Cape Town and Port-au-Prince, 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.