Which place is cheaper, Cape Town or Frankfurt?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Frankfurt or Cape Town?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Frankfurt and Cape Town can help you decide which place is right for you.
Where Should I go: Frankfurt or Cape Town?
Frankfurt
Frankfurt is the financial and business hub of Germany. It houses the European Central Bank and the German Stock Exchange, and often plays host to trade shows and business fairs. It has the country's most modern skyline and the largest airport. It is also a transportation hub for Germany with many important train lines passing through. The city itself is situated on the River Main. Some of the most important sights are along the river near Romer Square and include museums and monuments. This area pulls in millions of tourists every year. Although many sights are clustered in this area, it's important to head into more off the beaten path areas that can be enjoyable to explore. These areas offer glimpses into daily life in Frankfurt.
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 Coach Bus Tours in Germany, The Best Adventure Tours to Germany, The Best Camping Tours in South Africa, and The Best Romantic Tours for Couples in South Africa.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayFrankfurt €122Cape Town €91
The average daily cost (per person) in Frankfurt is €122, while the average daily cost in Cape Town is €91. 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 Frankfurt and Cape Town in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personFrankfurt €58Cape Town €36
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomFrankfurt €116Cape Town €72
Compare Hotels in Frankfurt and Cape Town
Looking for a hotel in Frankfurt 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: Cape Town Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Frankfurt €25Cape Town €16
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Frankfurt
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Frankfurt:
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Car Rental€50
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Frankfurt
Also for Frankfurt, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Wiesbaden Thermal to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) - Departure Transfer: $27
- Transfer in Private Vehicle from Frankfurt City - Frankfurt Airport (FRA): $54
- Transfer in Private Vehicle from Frankfurt Airport (FRA)- Kaiserlautern: $267
- Transfer in Private Minivan from Frankfurt City - Frankfurt Airport (FRA): $61
- Transfer from Frankfurt Airport to Baden-Baden: $398
- Roundtrip Transfer Private Minivan Frankfurt Airport (FRA) - Frankfurt City: $123
- Private transfer from Frankfurt am Main to Prague: $1,066
- Private Transfer: Frankfurt to River Cruise Dock Nuremberg Port/Harbor transport: $284
- Private Transfer: Frankfurt to Frankfurt Airport FRA in Van: $76
- Private Transfer: Frankfurt to Frankfurt Airport FRA in Sedan Car: $72
- Private Transfer: Frankfurt Airport FRA to Frankfurt in Van: $76
- Private Transfer: Frankfurt Airport FRA to Frankfurt in Sedan Car: $70
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cape Town
Also for Cape Town, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Whale Watching In Hermanus with Private Transfer: $250
- Try find your better than us! Airport transfer service in Cape Town HTL-APT(CPT): $44
- Try find your better than us! Airport transfer service in Cape Town APT-HTL(CPT): $44
- Transport Shuttle Transfer from Constantia to Cape Town Airport: $18
- Transfer To Safari- Aquila From Cape Town Excluding Entry Fees Full Day: $159
- Shuttle Transport Transfer from Simonstown to Cape Town Airport: $26
- Shuttle Transport Transfer from Claremont to Cape Town Airport: $17
- Shuttle Transport Transfer from Cape Town City Center (CBD) to Cape Town Airport: $17
- Shopping Mall Transfers: $22
- Shark Cage Diving: Full Day Tour Transfer: $97
- Shared Transfers to and from Safari Game Reserve (excluding entrance fees): $85
- Shared Transfer to Cape Agulhas - Where The Two Oceans Meet From Cape Town F/Day: $183
Is it cheaper to fly into Frankfurt or Cape Town?
Prices for flights to both Cape Town and Frankfurt 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 dayFrankfurt €41Cape Town €39
Typical Food Prices in Frankfurt
For Frankfurt, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Soda€2.00
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Bagel Sandwich and Latte€7.00
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Ham & Cheese Sandwich and Coffee€6.00
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Sandwich and Cola€7.00
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Frankfurt
For Frankfurt, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Sharing Plate Food Tour In Frankfurt: $65
- FOOD TOUR WITH 3-4 LOCAL INSIDER FOODSPOTS: $81
- FOOD TOUR TO 3-4 LOCAL FOODSPOTS: $81
- Eltz Castle Small-Group Tour from Frankfurt with Dinner: $282
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:
- Dinner At Mandela's - Cultural Township Dinner Experience: $28
- Cape Malay Cooking Class in Bo-Kaap: $41
- 3-Hour Malay Cooking Class & Lunch in Bo-Kaap: $43
- Authentic African Cuisine Cooking Experience: $55
- Sunset Champagne Cruise and 3-Course Dinner: $56
- Bo-Kapp Walking Tour and Malay Cooking Class: $59
- African Dinner, Drumming Experience with Transfer: $61
- African Dinner Experience from Cape Town: $61
- Authentic African Cuisine Cooking Experience: $62
- Cruise and Dine Dinner / Sunset Champagne Cruise and 3-Course Dinner: $71
- Cape Town Food tour (Includes all food) 4hrs: $76
- Private Cooking Class and Meal in Local Wynberg Cape Town Home: $80
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Frankfurt €36Cape Town €21
Tours and Activities in Frankfurt
For Frankfurt, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- 2-Hour Best of Frankfurt Walking Tour (English): $26
- Atta Dripstone Cave and Braunfels Castle Tour from Frankfurt: $271
- Bike Tour of Frankfurt Top Attractions & Nature with a Guide : $207
- Brandenburg Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $11
- Breathtaking Pearls of Frankfurt – Walking Tour: $376
- Cologne & Limburg Full-Day Tour: $285
- Culinary Frankfurt Walking Tour: $612
- Discover Frankfurt's Heritage: Self-Guided Audio Tour: $11
- Explore Bird & Marine Wildlife private Boat Tour in English: $108
- Franfurt Horror Tour: Terror of the White Spider: $20
- Frankfurt - Old Town Historic Walking Tour: $377
- Frankfurt - Private Shopping tour: $398
Tours and Activities in Cape Town
For Cape Town, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- 3 Wineries Private Tour in Stellenbosch, Paarl Tasting Included: $137
- Cape Agulhas Full Day Private Tour: $192
- Cape Point Full Day Tour: $192
- Cape Point Private Tour withTable Mountain and Penguin Colony : $257
- Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope day tour Up to 10 persons: $66
- Cape Town - Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens and City Tour: $280
- Cape Town Woodstock Street Art Walking Tour: $30
- CapeWinelands Private Tour to Stellenbosch,Franschhoek and Paarl: $96
- Day Tour in Robben Island, Bo-Kaap and Table Mountain : $166
- Long Walk to Freedom in Robben Island including Ticket & Afrogem: $156
- Mandela's Robben Island Museum Bo-Kaap Cape Town City Tour + Ferry ticket f/d: $165
- Penguins Private Tour- Cape of Good Hope & Cape Point Tour from Cape Town: $114
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayFrankfurt €30Cape Town €19
Typical Alcohol Prices in Frankfurt
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Frankfurt:
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Becks Beer€2.00
Sample the Local Flavors in Frankfurt
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Frankfurt:
- Night Pub Crawl through Alt-Sachsenhausen: $22
- Weekend Night Pub Crawl through Alt-Sachsenhausen: $34
- Full Day Private Rhine Valley Wine Tour Experience from Frankfurt: $280
- Frankfurt Wine Tasting Tour with a Wine Expert: $282
- Frankfurt Wine Tasting Tour with a Wine Expert: $286
- Guided Walk Tour With Apple Wine Tasting: $336
- Bachelor(ette) Party with Pub Crawl: $404
- Private Premium Pub Crawl Tour: $517
- Private Rhine Valley tour with river cruise & wine tasting: $752
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:
- Distillery Tour, rum and gin tasting: $7.13
- Experience South African Craft Rum tasting and distillery tour in Cape Town: $9.60
- African drum show & wine tasting at Silvermist: $24
- Drumstruck at Silvermist. Live African Drum Show & Wine tasting: $25
- Sip 15 Wines on a 3-Region Wine Tour with Cheese: $38
- Wine Tour: Paarl, Franschhoek & Stellenbosch incl 3 wineries: $38
- Three Region Wine Tour: $44
- Cape Winelands and Wine Tasting Full Day Tour: $47
- half day wine tour & Safaris[Morning /Afternoon]: $49
- Stellenbosch: Half-Day Wine Tour: $51
- Fullday Wine Tour: $51
- Stellenbosch Wine Tour half day from Cape Town: $54
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Frankfurt and Cape Town, we can see that Frankfurt is more expensive. And not only is Cape Town much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Frankfurt is in Europe and Cape Town 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 Cape Town would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Cape Town 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 Frankfurt would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Frankfurt than you might in Cape Town.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Frankfurt Expensive? and Is Cape Town Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Frankfurt or Cape Town?
Cape Town has a larger population, and is about 5 times larger than the population of Frankfurt. When comparing the sizes of Frankfurt 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.
When is the best time to visit Frankfurt or Cape Town?
Even though both destinations experience a temperate climate with four distinct seasons, they experience these seasons at different times of the year. Cape Town is in the southern hemisphere and summer is in January and winter is in July, but Frankfurt has summer in [NORTHERNSUMMERMONTH] and winter in [NORTHERNWINTERMONTH].
Should I visit Frankfurt or Cape Town in the Summer?
Both Cape Town and Frankfurt are popular destinations to visit in the summer with plenty of activities. Most visitors come to Frankfurt for the city activities and the family-friendly experiences during these months.
In July, Frankfurt is generally around the same temperature as Cape Townin January. Daily temperatures in Frankfurt average around 19°C (67°F), and Cape Town fluctuates around 21°C (70°F).
It's quite sunny in Cape Town. The sun comes out a lot this time of the year in Frankfurt. Frankfurt usually receives less sunshine than Cape Town during summer. Frankfurt gets 225 hours of sunny skies, while Cape Town receives 338 hours of full sun in the summer.
In July, Frankfurt usually receives more rain than Cape Townin January. Frankfurt gets 63 mm (2.5 in) of rain, while Cape Town receives 14 mm (0.6 in) of rain each month for the summer.
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Summer Average Temperatures July and JanuaryFrankfurt 19°C (67°F)Cape Town 21°C (70°F)
Should I visit Frankfurt or Cape Town in the Autumn?
Both Cape Town and Frankfurt during the autumn are popular places to visit. The autumn months attract visitors to Frankfurt because of the city's sights and attractions and the shopping scene.
Frankfurt is much colder than Cape Town in the autumn. The daily temperature in Frankfurt averages around 11°C (51°F) in October, and Cape Town fluctuates around 18°C (64°F)in April.
In Cape Town, it's very sunny this time of the year. In the autumn, Frankfurt often gets less sunshine than Cape Townin April. Frankfurt gets 103 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Cape Town receives 233 hours of full sun.
Frankfurt usually gets more rain in October than Cape Townin April. Frankfurt gets 51 mm (2 in) of rain, while Cape Town receives 41 mm (1.6 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Autumn Average Temperatures October and AprilFrankfurt 11°C (51°F)Cape Town 18°C (64°F)
Should I visit Frankfurt or Cape Town in the Winter?
The winter attracts plenty of travelers to both Frankfurt and Cape Town. The museums, the shopping scene, and the cuisine are the main draw to Frankfurt this time of year.
It's quite cold in Frankfurt in the winter. In the winter, Frankfurt is much colder than Cape Town. Typically, the winter temperatures in Frankfurt in January average around 1°C (34°F), and Cape Town averages at about 13°C (55°F)in July.
Frankfurt usually receives less sunshine than Cape Town during winter. Frankfurt gets 41 hours of sunny skies, while Cape Town receives 193 hours of full sun in the winter.
In January, Frankfurt usually receives less rain than Cape Townin July. Frankfurt gets 44 mm (1.7 in) of rain, while Cape Town receives 83 mm (3.3 in) of rain each month for the winter.
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Winter Average Temperatures January and JulyFrankfurt 1°C (34°F)Cape Town 13°C (55°F)
Should I visit Frankfurt or Cape Town in the Spring?
The spring brings many poeple to Frankfurt as well as Cape Town. Many travelers come to Frankfurt for the activities around the city.
In April, Frankfurt is generally much colder than Cape Townin October. Daily temperatures in Frankfurt average around 10°C (50°F), and Cape Town fluctuates around 16°C (61°F).
The sun comes out a lot this time of the year in Cape Town. In the spring, Frankfurt often gets less sunshine than Cape Townin October. Frankfurt gets 163 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Cape Town receives 278 hours of full sun.
Frankfurt usually gets more rain in April than Cape Townin October. Frankfurt gets 52 mm (2 in) of rain, while Cape Town receives 33 mm (1.3 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Spring Average Temperatures April and OctoberFrankfurt 10°C (50°F)Cape Town 16°C (61°F)
Typical Weather for Cape Town and Frankfurt
| Frankfurt | Cape Town | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | |
| Jan | 1°C (34°F) | 44 mm (1.7 in) | 21°C (70°F) | 14 mm (0.6 in) |
| Feb | 3°C (37°F) | 40 mm (1.6 in) | 21°C (70°F) | 16 mm (0.6 in) |
| Mar | 6°C (43°F) | 51 mm (2 in) | 20°C (68°F) | 21 mm (0.8 in) |
| Apr | 10°C (50°F) | 52 mm (2 in) | 18°C (64°F) | 41 mm (1.6 in) |
| May | 14°C (58°F) | 61 mm (2.4 in) | 15°C (59°F) | 68 mm (2.7 in) |
| Jun | 17°C (63°F) | 70 mm (2.8 in) | 13°C (56°F) | 93 mm (3.7 in) |
| Jul | 19°C (67°F) | 63 mm (2.5 in) | 13°C (55°F) | 83 mm (3.3 in) |
| Aug | 19°C (66°F) | 65 mm (2.6 in) | 13°C (55°F) | 77 mm (3 in) |
| Sep | 16°C (60°F) | 48 mm (1.9 in) | 14°C (58°F) | 41 mm (1.6 in) |
| Oct | 11°C (51°F) | 51 mm (2 in) | 16°C (61°F) | 33 mm (1.3 in) |
| Nov | 5°C (42°F) | 59 mm (2.3 in) | 19°C (65°F) | 16 mm (0.6 in) |
| Dec | 2°C (36°F) | 54 mm (2.1 in) | 20°C (68°F) | 17 mm (0.7 in) |
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.