Which place is cheaper, Edinburgh or Johannesburg?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Johannesburg or Edinburgh?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Johannesburg and Edinburgh 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: Johannesburg or Edinburgh?
Johannesburg
Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa with a population of over 3 million people. Most of the population is made up of South Africa's black residents, who predominately reside in the Soweto area. There are approximately half a million white residents and 300,000 residents of other descent. Half of the population live in the Soweto area as well as the nearby suburbs.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the moderately sized capital of Scotland. It is a medieval city that has managed to perfect the combination of Georgian architecture and medieval relics with a cosmopolitan population and avant-garde atmosphere. The city's population is quite young, in large part because of the University of Edinburgh. This youthful vibe gives this city a lot of vitality. There's a thriving nightlife, many restaurants, theatres, galleries and museums.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Adventure Tours to South Africa, The Best Eco Tours in South Africa, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Edinburgh, and The Best 10-Day Tours from London.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayJohannesburg $95Edinburgh $178
The average daily cost (per person) in Johannesburg is $95, while the average daily cost in Edinburgh is $178. 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 Johannesburg and Edinburgh in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personJohannesburg $55Edinburgh $93
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomJohannesburg $110Edinburgh $186
Compare Hotels in Johannesburg and Edinburgh
Looking for a hotel in Johannesburg or Edinburgh? 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: Johannesburg Hotel Prices and Edinburgh Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Johannesburg $16Edinburgh $21
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Johannesburg
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Johannesburg:
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Taxi Ride$3.24
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Johannesburg
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Johannesburg:
- Suncity Transfer: $194
- Shuttle Transfer from Johannesburg Airport to Hazyview: $66
- Private executive transfer to sun city or airport/hotels : $118
- Private Van Airport Transfers : Johannesburg, Sandton, Pretoria: $71
- Private Transfer: Tambo Airport JNB to Johannesburg in Luxury Van: $72
- Private Transfer: Tambo Airport JNB to Johannesburg in Luxury Car: $103
- Private Transfer: Johannesburg to Tambo Airport JNB in Sedan Car: $61
- Private Transfer: Johannesburg to Tambo Airport JNB in Luxury Van: $72
- Private Transfer: Johannesburg to Tambo Airport JNB in Luxury Car: $103
- Private Transfer, Airports to Cradle of Humankind & Muldersdrift : $147
- Private Transfer from Johannesburg To Pilanesberg: $221
- Private Transfer from Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport (JNB) to Pretoria hotels: $164
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Edinburgh
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Edinburgh:
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Local Bus$4.52
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Edinburgh
Also for Edinburgh, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Edinburgh Airport: Bus Transfer: $5.65
- Private Transfer from Edinburgh Airport to South Queensferry Port: $28
- Private Transfer from Edinburgh Hotels to Newhaven Cruise Port: $28
- Private Transfer from South Queensferry Port to Edinburgh hotels: $28
- Private Transfer from South Queensferry Port to Edinburgh Airport: $28
- Edinburgh Airport: Private Arrival or Departure Transfers: $38
- Private One-Way Transfer from Edinburgh to Edinburgh Airport: $41
- Private Transfer - South Queensferry Port to Glasgow Airport(GLA): $46
- Private Transfer from South Queensferry Port to Glasgow Hotels: $50
- Royal Highland Braemar Gathering, transfer from Edinburgh: $56
- Edinburgh Airport EDI to Edinburgh Accommodation Arrival Transfer: $59
- Edinburgh Airport (EDI) to Glasgow - Arrival Private Transfer: $60
Is it cheaper to fly into Johannesburg or Edinburgh?
Prices for flights to both Edinburgh and Johannesburg 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 dayJohannesburg $17Edinburgh $49
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Johannesburg
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Johannesburg.
- Maboneng Street Art and Street Food Tour: $41
- A Private Traditional Cape Malay Cooking Class, with a MKR Finalist: $95
- JOBURG DINNERS : MABONENG CITY DINNER: $97
- Johannesburg Culture and food tour: $99
- Pan-African Cooking & Dinning Experience: $216
Typical Food Prices in Edinburgh
For Edinburgh, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Breakfast$11
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Dinner at Filling Station$13
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Lunch for Two$19
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Sandwich$2.32
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Cheese & bread$9.07
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Thai Restaurant Dinner (for 2)$31
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2 Coffees and Scones$7.28
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Turkish Delight$1.76
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Soup at the Pub$7.40
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Edinburgh
For Edinburgh, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Hard Rock Cafe with Set Menu for Lunch or Dinner: $31
- Hard Rock Cafe Edinburgh with Set Menu for Lunch or Dinner: $33
- Scottish Dinner and Folk Music Experience: $88
- Edinburgh Delicious Donut Adventure & Walking Food Tour: $90
- Edinburgh Holiday Donut Adventure & Walking Food Tour: $90
- Edinburgh Food Tour: $100
- 'Scotland meets Sardinia' - 8-course Dinner in Leith, Edinburgh: $110
- 3-Hour Guided Secret Food Tour: $116
- Edinburgh Walking Food Tour With Secret Food Tours: $121
- The 10 Tastings of Edinburgh With Locals: Private Food Tour: $162
- Edinburgh Food Tour with a Local Foodie Custom & Private: $188
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Johannesburg $21Edinburgh $25
Tours and Activities in Johannesburg
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Johannesburg are as follows:
- Golf Tour, Sun City , Gary Player Course - Rated the Best: $227
- Half-Day Safari Tour of the Magaliesberg Mountains by Zipline: $122
- Private Full Day Johannesburg Historical Tour : $194
- Rhino and Lion Park Safari Tour : $96
- Soweto half day tour including Mandela House.Private transport: $72
- (Meet the Artist)Art Gallery & Street Art tour with lunch: $30
- 10 Days Overland Tour-Johannesburg and Cape Town: $2,701
- 15 Days Johannesburg, Kruger National Park – Cape Town Tour: $4,052
- 3 Day Kruger National Park Tour from Johannesburg: $807
- 3 Days 2 Nights Panorama Tour & Kruger National park Safari: $832
- 4-Day Private Tour Johannesburg and Pretoria - See everything in 4 days : $214
- 4-Days Overnight Experience in The Panorama Route & Safari: $1,735
Typical Entertainment Prices in Edinburgh
Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for Edinburgh's activities, tours, and tickets:
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Show Tickets$40
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Movie Tickets for Two$15
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Donation for Storytellers$7.53
Tours and Activities in Edinburgh
For Edinburgh, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- First Discovery Walk and Reading Walking Tour: $3.23
- Escape Game and Tour: $3.77
- Edinburgh Stand Up Comedy Ticket Show in Scotland: $5.08
- Audio Tour Royal Mile: del Castillo hasta "The Tron Kirk": $5.37
- Edinbourgh, Royal mile: walking tour with audio guide: $5.38
- Edinburgh Highlights Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt & City Tour: $5.60
- City Exploration Game and Tour on your Phone: $6.45
- Audio Tour through History of Crime: $7.00
- Edinburgh Royal mile: Self-guided walking tour: $7.20
- Must-See In App Audio Tour: $7.61
- Harry Potter’s A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $7.99
- Edinburgh Royal Mile (New Self Guided Tour) : $8.02
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayJohannesburg $4.73Edinburgh $19
Sample the Local Flavors in Johannesburg
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Johannesburg:
- Wine Tasting Experience in Johannesburg: $8.23
- Wine Tasting and Cableway Half Day Tour: $115
- Experience Johannesburg Wine Tour Views and Luxury: $226
Typical Alcohol Prices in Edinburgh
Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Edinburgh from other travelers:
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Beer & Wine$18
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Half Pint at Tollbooth Tavern$2.07
Sample the Local Flavors in Edinburgh
Also in Edinburgh, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Pub Crawl with Free Shots & Discounts: $11
- Edinburgh Bar Crawl: 5+ Venues, Free Shots, Free Club Entry: $19
- Pub Crawl in Edinburgh: $19
- Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour with "Real-Actors": $25
- East Lothian: Glenkinchie Whisky Distillery Tour & Tasting: $26
- Guided Gin Tasting at 56 North Distillery: $28
- Pub Crawl 7 Bars with 6 Shots: $31
- Whisky Tasting and Tales at Summerhall Distillery: $31
- Lind & Lime Gin Distillery Tour & Tasting: $31
- Pickering's Gin Jolly Distillery Tasting Tour: $31
- Visit a Working South Loch Gin Distillery: $32
- The Original Edinburgh Pub Crawl: $32
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Johannesburg and Edinburgh, we can see that Edinburgh is more expensive. And not only is Johannesburg much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Johannesburg is in Africa and Edinburgh is in Europe, 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 Johannesburg would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Johannesburg 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 Edinburgh would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Edinburgh than you might in Johannesburg.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Johannesburg Expensive? and Is Edinburgh Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Johannesburg or Edinburgh?
Johannesburg has a larger population, and is about 5 times larger than the population of Edinburgh. When comparing the sizes of Johannesburg and Edinburgh, 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.