Which place is cheaper, Mexico City or Johannesburg?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Johannesburg or Mexico City?
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 Mexico City 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 Mexico City?
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.
Mexico City
Mexico City is one of the largest and most populated cities in the world. There are an estimated 26 million people living in the greater Mexico City metropolitan area. The area is about 60 kilometers by 40 kilometers and is surrounded by tall mountains and volcanoes on three sides. Mexico City proper has about 8.8 million people and is the capital of the country. More than a third of the country's economy is based here, making it the wealthiest city in all of Latin America.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Adventure Tours to South Africa, The Best Eco Tours in South Africa, The Best 2-Week Tours in Mexico, and Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Mexico.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayJohannesburg $95Mexico City $210
The average daily cost (per person) in Johannesburg is $95, while the average daily cost in Mexico City is $210. 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 Mexico City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personJohannesburg $55Mexico City $41
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomJohannesburg $110Mexico City $82
Compare Hotels in Johannesburg and Mexico City
Looking for a hotel in Johannesburg or Mexico City? 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 Mexico City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Johannesburg $16Mexico City $13
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 Mexico City
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Mexico City:
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Metro$1.18
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Uber Ride$4.12
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Mexico City
Also for Mexico City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Transfer Mexico city Airport - Mexico city Downtown hotels: $18
- Private One way Transfer from Mexico Airport to Mexico City: $21
- Transfer to and from Mexico City Airport: $30
- Private Departure Transfer: Hotel to Mexico City Airport: $34
- Private Transfer: Benito Juarez Airport (MEX) to Mexico City: $35
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Mexico APT-HTL (MEX) : $36
- Mexico City Private Airport Transfer : $36
- Private Transfer From Mexico City Airport to Downtown: $37
- Aguascalientes to Silao Del Bajio Airport BJX: Departure Transfer: $38
- Mexico Airport (MEX) Cuernavaca Thermal Resorts Arrival Transfer: $38
- Transfer in private vehicle from Mexico City - Mexico Airport (MEX): $43
- Ixtapan de La Sal to Mexico Airport (MEX)-Departure Transfer: $44
Is it cheaper to fly into Johannesburg or Mexico City?
Prices for flights to both Mexico City 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 $17Mexico City $27
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 Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Lunch for Two$13
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Coffee and Snacks$4.60
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Dinner for 2$27
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Traveling Spoon Mexican Tacos and Tortillas Private Online Cooking Class: $40
- Virtual Mexican Cooking Class (private and personalized): $50
- Veracruz and Boca del Rio Food Tour with Mangroves Boat Trip: $50
- Local Markets & Food Tour in Mexico City: $50
- Tortilla Crawl: Food Tour in Mexico City: $55
- Uruapan Food Tour: $60
- 3 Hours Food Tour Best Vegan Tacos in Mexico City: $67
- Muchos moles: Multi-variety mole cooking class and feast: $71
- Mexico City Vegan & Veggie Market Explorer plus Cooking Lesson: $73
- Street Food Tour with Friends: $75
- La Roma Authentic Downtown Food Tour: Tacos and Local Flavors: $78
- Food Tour with Ride an Electric Bike in Mexico: $80
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Johannesburg $21Mexico City $15
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
Tours and Activities in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- MUCHO Museum of Chocolate Entrance Ticket: $4.71
- Franz Mayer Museum Admission Ticket: $5.89
- Double Decker Bus Night Tour: $5.89
- Self-Guided Audio Tour-Moctezuma and the Zocalo:The Aztec Empire : $6.99
- Night Bus Tour Knowing Mexico City: $7.26
- Memory and Tolerance Museum Entry Ticket: $8.25
- Mexico City (Historic Centre) City Sights Self-Guided Tour: $8.84
- Mexico City (Coyoacan) City Sights Self-Guided Tour: $8.84
- Mexico City (Historic Centre) Scavenger Hunt and Self-Guided Tour: $8.96
- Self-Guided Audio Tour: $11
- Night Tour in a Double Decker Bus: $12
- Teotihuacan Archaeological Site Skip-the-Line Ticket: $12
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayJohannesburg $4.73Mexico City $20
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
Sample the Local Flavors in Mexico City
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Mexico City:
- Mexico City Pub Crawl: $24
- CDMX Pub Crawl: Mexico City Bar Crawl: $25
- Nightly Historic Center From Above© Rooftop Bar Crawl +Taco Snack: $129
- 2 Hours Private Mexican Wine Tasting in Polanco: $155
- Third Largest Monolith in the World:Bernal with wine tasting: $235
- Cavas Freixenet Wine Tour from Mexico City: $255
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Johannesburg and Mexico City, we can see that Mexico City 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 Mexico City is in North America, 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 Mexico City would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Mexico City 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 Mexico City Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Johannesburg or Mexico City?
Mexico City has a larger population, and is about 6 times larger than the population of Johannesburg. When comparing the sizes of Johannesburg and Mexico City, 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.