Which place is cheaper, Seoul or Johannesburg?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Johannesburg or Seoul?
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 Seoul 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 Seoul?
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.
Seoul
With a population of more than 11 million, Seoul is easily the largest city in South Korea. It is also the financial, political, and cultural capital of the country and has much to offer open minded travelers. It is often overlooked by travelers who instead head to Tokyo or Shanghai, but Seoul has a wide range of cultural experiences, food options, and historical sights. Seoul is a city of contrasts with ancient traditions, flashy technology, religious temples and a modern youth culture. It is also more affordable than many of the other Asian metropolis' to which it is often compared. If you're looking for an interesting and different experience that is a little off the tourist trail, Seoul can definitely offer that opportunity.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Adventure Tours to South Africa, The Best Eco Tours in South Africa, The Best Family-Friendly Tours to South Korea, and The Best Adventure Tours to South Korea.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayJohannesburg $95Seoul $109
The average daily cost (per person) in Johannesburg is $95, while the average daily cost in Seoul is $109. 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 Seoul in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personJohannesburg $55Seoul $55
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomJohannesburg $110Seoul $110
Compare Hotels in Johannesburg and Seoul
Looking for a hotel in Johannesburg or Seoul? 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 Seoul Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Johannesburg $16Seoul $16
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:
- Tour operator. airport and hotels transfers chauffeur and safari tours services.: $30
- 1-3 Passenger Private Johannesburg - Airport Transfer: $35
- Johannesburg Airport JNB to Johannesburg Hotels Arrival Transfer: $35
- Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport (JNB) to Johannesburg - Arrival Private Transfer: $35
- OR Tambo Private Airport to Hotel and Hotel to Airport Transfers : $43
- Private Airport Transfer & Grounds to Sandton, Johannesburg & Pretoria 599: $44
- Apartheid Museum Private Transfers: $44
- Johannesburg Airport Private Transfers: Departures (Hotel Pickup): $45
- OR Tambo Airport Transfers Around Johannesburg: $46
- Luxury Car Johannesburg Airport Private Transfer: $52
- Johannesburg Airport Transfers: $55
- Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport (JNB) to Pretoria - Arrival Private Transfer: $56
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Seoul
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Seoul:
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Subway Card$3.69
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Short Taxi Ride$5.16
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Metro Ride$0.99
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Seoul City Pass Plus$7.37
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Seoul
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Seoul:
- From Half-Day MBC Dae Jang Geum Park Transfer: $55
- Transfer Service from Gimpo Airport to Hotel City: $57
- From Everland Admission Ticket with Transfer: $75
- Private Airport Transfer: Gimpo Airport to Seoul City (1-5 pax): $80
- Private Airport Transfer: Seoul City - Gimpo Airport (1-5 pax): $80
- Seoul Incheon International Airport to from Incheon Private Transfer: $85
- Seoul Airport: Private Departure Transfer from Seoul City Center: $87
- Private Airport Transfer : Gimpo airport to/from Seoul (1~7pax): $95
- Private Gimpo Airport Transfer to Seoul and Vice Versa: $95
- Private Airport Transfer: Seoul City to Incheon Airport (1-5 pax): $98
- Incheon Airport Private Transfer between Seoul City: $98
- Private Airport Transfer : Incheon airport to/from Seoul(~7 pax): $99
Is it cheaper to fly into Johannesburg or Seoul?
Prices for flights to both Seoul 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 $17Seoul $30
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
- JOBURG DINNERS : MABONENG CITY DINNER: $97
- Johannesburg Culture and food tour: $99
- Pan-African Cooking & Dinning Experience: $216
Typical Food Prices in Seoul
Some typical examples of dining costs in Seoul are as follows:
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Rice with Kimchi & Bacon$4.42
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Waffle$0.74
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Dippin' Dots$1.47
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Chicken Fried Rice$4.05
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Chicken Stick$1.47
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Drinking Yoghurt & Mi Chew$1.40
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Lunch Buffet$4.42
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Donut$0.74
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Mushroom Burger$3.83
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Green Tea Ice Cream$2.43
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Udon & Sushi$5.16
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Fresh Burger$3.54
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Soba Noodles Lunch$3.32
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Bibimbap Lunch$3.69
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Fried Rice$4.05
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Vietnamese Dinner$7.00
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Breakfast and Coffee for 2$7.00
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Donut$1.84
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Seoul
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Seoul.
- Korean Cooking @ Seoul Cooking Club!: $0.11
- Gyeongbokgung Palace : Tour, dinner and coffee: $37
- Seoul Mangwon Market Social Night Food Tour: $44
- Namdaemun Market: the Largest Traditional Market Food Tour: $47
- Namdaemun Market Street Food Tour: $48
- Gwangjang Market Netflix Food Tour: $54
- Mangwon Market Food tour By Locals;Cheap Eats to Fancy Feast: $54
- Guided City Wall Sunset Hike with Korean Dinner: $58
- Sunset Walking Tour in Naksan Park with Dinner: $58
- Half Day Seoul Afternoon Food Tour and visit 3 landMarks of Seoul: $67
- Night Market Food Tour: $70
- Energizing Korean Cooking Class in a Local Home in Seoul: $71
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Johannesburg $21Seoul $27
Tours and Activities in Johannesburg
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Johannesburg are as follows:
- Johannesburg Self-Guided Audio Tour: $9.00
- Hop-On Hop-Off Bus with Optional Soweto Tour: $16
- Jo'burg Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour with Apartheid Museum & Soweto: $16
- Architectural Walking Tour: $19
- Soweto: Hector Pieterson Memorial, to Orlando Towers Tour: $24
- Maboneng Street Art & Culture Tour: $27
- Braamfontein Street Art Tour: $27
- Soweto: Bike Tour with a Local Tour Guide: $30
- Colours of A Graffiti & Street Art Tour: $30
- Johannesburg Street Art & Museum Walking or E-scooter Tour : $30
- (Meet the Artist)Art Gallery & Street Art tour with lunch: $30
- A Day Of Soweto Food & Beer Tour: $32
Typical Entertainment Prices in Seoul
Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Seoul are as follows:
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Palace Tickets$5.90
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Movie Ticket$5.90
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Kimchi Museum$2.21
Tours and Activities in Seoul
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Seoul are as follows:
- Gyeongbokgung Palace Hanbok Rental Experience in Seoul: $7.00
- Seoul Changdeokgung Palace Hanbok Experience Hanboknam (내국인불가): $7.20
- [NEWTRO ART TOUR] Media art museum & walking tour: $8.00
- Self-Guided Audio Tour: $11
- Skip the Line: Figure Museum W Ticket (내국인 불가): $11
- Seoul Job Experience Theme Park Ticket for Kid (내국인 불가): $13
- Dongdaemun City Tour Bus(내국인불가): $14
- 63 Aqua Planet and 63 Building Seoul Observatory Tickets: $14
- Seoul : Guided Consultation Tour (Filler, Cosmetic Surgery): $16
- Gyeongbokgung Palace Private Half-Day Tour: $19
- Virtual Tour of Korean Demilitarized Zone: $19
- Seoul Myeongdong Catholic Church Historic Private Walking Tour: $20
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayJohannesburg $4.73Seoul $12
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: $8.28
Sample the Local Flavors in Seoul
Also in Seoul, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Chunpoong Makgeolli Brewery Tour: $11
- The Seoul Pub Crawl [official]: $21
- Pub Crawl: $25
- The Seoul Pub Crawl [official]: $26
- Soju Tasting at Distillery - Story of Three Pigs: $43
- Learn and Craft Makgeolli in a Traditional Brewery: $81
When comparing the travel costs between Johannesburg and Seoul, we can see that Seoul is more expensive. However, the two cities are actually relatively comparable in price, as the difference is somewhat minimal. Generally, this means that you could travel with generally the same travel style and level of luxury in each place. Even though Johannesburg is in Africa and Seoul is in Asia, both of these destinations have relatively similar prices of travel. Generally, the levels of luxury and expenses are the same for these cities even though they are geographically far apart.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Johannesburg Expensive? and Is Seoul Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Johannesburg or Seoul?
Seoul has a larger population, and is about 5 times larger than the population of Johannesburg. When comparing the sizes of Johannesburg and Seoul, 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.