Which place is cheaper, Cape Town or Nairobi?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Nairobi or Cape Town?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Nairobi and Cape Town 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: Nairobi or Cape Town?
Nairobi
Nairobi is Kenya's capital as well as the country's largest city. With a population of about 3 million, it is also one of the largest cities in Africa. It is a prominent city both politically and financially within the region. There are many international companies that are located in Nairobi and the Nairobi Securities and Exchange is one of the largest in Africa.
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 Safaris in Kenya, The Best Budget Safaris in Kenya, The Best Camping Tours in South Africa, and The Best Romantic Tours for Couples in South Africa.
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Nairobi Prices
Kenya PricesCape Town Prices
South Africa Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayNairobi $67Cape Town $188
The average daily cost (per person) in Nairobi is $67, while the average daily cost in Cape Town is $188. 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 Nairobi and Cape Town in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personNairobi $12Cape Town $87
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomNairobi $24Cape Town $174
Compare Hotels in Nairobi and Cape Town
Looking for a hotel in Nairobi 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: Nairobi Hotel Prices and Cape Town Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Nairobi $11Cape Town $19
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Nairobi
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Nairobi:
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Taxi from Airport$9.23
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Nairobi
Also for Nairobi, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Wilson Airport Private Transfer to Nairobi hotels or Airport: $30
- Secure, private & exclusive Airport Transfers in Nairobi Kenya: $20
- Seamless Nairobi Airport Transfers: $25
- Safe and Private Airport transfer in Nairobi: $20
- Safe Airport Transfer in Nairobi: $22
- Return Airport Transfers in Nairobi: $120
- Professional Airport Transfer Service in Nairobi: $33
- Private Transfers from Nairobi Airport to Hotels: $100
- Private Transfer to Naivasha from Nairobi: $99
- Private Transfer in Nairobi for Pax with Disability: $40
- Private Transfer in Nairobi: $180
- Private Transfer from Nairobi to Naivasha: $70
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cape Town
Also for Cape Town, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Van for 1-7 Passenger Cape Town - Airport Transfer: $53
- Table Mountain tour from Cape Town with Ticket and Transfers: $99
- Table Mountain Tour with Cable Car Tickets & Transfers: $210
- Table Mountain Shared Transfer With Hotel Pickup: $50
- Table Mountain Cable Car Tour with Tickets & Hotel Transfers: $96
- Table Mountain Cable Car Ticket with Town Transfer: $84
- Table Mountain &Bo-Kaap Half-DayTour with Tickets &Transfers: $89
- Shared Return Transfer to Aquila Safari from Cape Town Day trip: $156
- Safari Game Drive Lunch and Transfers from Cape Town: $216
- Robben Island Tour from Pre-Booked Ticket & Transfers: $57
- Robben Island Tour from Cape Town Pre-Booked Ticket and Transfers: $60
- Robben Island Ticket and Cape Town Transfers: $73
Is it cheaper to fly into Nairobi or Cape Town?
Prices for flights to both Cape Town and Nairobi 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 dayNairobi $13Cape Town $81
Typical Food Prices in Nairobi
For Nairobi, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Dinner for Two$5.00
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Nairobi
For Nairobi, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Carnivore Restaurant: Lunch or Dinner Experience in Nairobi: $21
- Kenyan Cooking Class & Authentic Dining Experience with a Local: $40
- Karibu Kitchens Nairobi Food Tour with 15+ Tastings: $55
- Traditional Kenyan Cooking Class & Local Market Tour: $60
- Popular Kenyan Food Cooking Class and Local Market Experience: $60
- Cooking Lesson of Local Food $ Lunch: $68
- Safari Park dinner with live band music and cat dance show.: $90
- Safari Park Dinner with Safari Cats Dance Show: $97
- Private Market Tour and Traditional Kenyan Cooking Class in Nairobi with a Local: $98
- Barbecue Lunch/ Dinner At The Carnivore Restaurant - Nairobi: $100
- Traditional Kikuyu Cooking Class In My Village: $100
- Nairobi dinner and safari cat dancers: $100
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:
- From African Dinner and Drumming Experience: $66
- Private Indonesian Cultural Cooking Class: $75
- PRIVATE South African Home Cooking Class in Cape Town with Annika: $82
- Cruise and Dine Dinner / Sunset Champagne Cruise and 3-Course Dinner: $87
- Cape Town Historic Centre Food Tour with 15 Local Dishes and Wine: $97
- Little Mogadishu Food Tour in Bellville, Cape Town: $112
- The Cape Town Essentials Food Tour: $142
- Cooking and Lunch Experience at SPYCED Restaurant: $166
- Cape Malay cooking class and Langa Township Half Day Tour: $184
- Full Day Cape Peninsula, Robben Island and Gold 7 Course Dinner: $224
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Nairobi $46Cape Town $26
Typical Entertainment Prices in Nairobi
Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for Nairobi's activities, tours, and tickets:
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Village Visit$15
Tours and Activities in Nairobi
For Nairobi, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- 1 Day Bike Tour to Hell’s Gate And Lake Naivasha: $139
- 1 Day Hiking Adventure At Mt Longonot From Nairobi(minimum 2 Pax): $225
- 1 Day Pure Adrenaline Adventure with Kenyan BBQ Lunch Experience: $200
- 1 Day Tour to Amboseli National Park: $200
- 1 Day tour of Lake Nakuru National Park: $250
- 2 Days 1 Night Amboseli National Park With Masai Village Tour: $280
- 2 Days Tour :Mt.Longonot Hiking TOUR &Hells Gate Bicycle Riding: $200
- 2-Hour Private Kibera Slum Guided Tour: $90
- 3 Day Maasai Mara Group Joining Safari With Guided Tour: $282
- 3 Day Maasai Mara Group Safari Big Five Adventure from Nairobi: $300
- 3 Days 2 Nights Maasai Mara Group Tour with 4x4 Jeep: $195
- 3 Days 8th Wonder Of The World with Maasai Mara Great Tour: $242
Tours and Activities in Cape Town
For Cape Town, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- 1 Hour Coastal Catamaran Cruise from Cape Town: $26
- 1- Hour Catamaran Cruise Cape Town: $26
- 10 Day South Africa Tour Joburg to Cape Town: $2,823
- 100 % Catch Rate Cape Town Wild Tours: $81
- 12 Day South Africa Tour Johannesburg to Cape Town: $3,578
- 2 hours sandboarding experience in Capetown: $31
- 2-Day Cape Town Big 6 Pre-Booked Attraction Tickets: $203
- 30min Harbour Boat Cruise Cape Town: $10
- 3D ARCHERY EXPERIENCE (1,5 guided tour) in Somerset West: $53
- Addo Elephant National Park Half Day (Open Vehicle)Shared Tour: $200
- African Food and Storytelling Tour in Cape Town City Centre: $112
- Afternoon Sunset Cape of good hope Tour From Cape Town: $55
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayNairobi $16Cape Town $23
Sample the Local Flavors in Nairobi
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Nairobi:
- Food and Wine Tasting Experience at Five Senses Restaurant: $155
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: $14
- Indigenous Food and Wine Tasting: $38
- Cape Town Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour and Constantia Wine Tasting: $40
- Cape Town Wine Tour: 3 Wineries — Babylonstoren, Fairview & Spier: $48
- Cape Winelands Discovery: Small Group Wine Tasting Full-Day Tour: $50
- Cape Town Hostel Pub Crawl & LinkUps: $51
- From CapeTown: Stellenbosch Half Day Wine Tour: $58
- Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden and Table Mountain with Wine Tour: $67
- Wine Tour: Paarl, Franschhoek & Stellenbosch incl 3 wineries: $68
- Wine Tasting Private Tour through Durbanville Winelands: $75
- Full Day Stellenbosch Paarl and Franschhoek Private Wine Tour: $78
- Wine Tour in Stellenbosch: $81
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Nairobi and Cape Town, we can see that Cape Town is more expensive. And not only is Nairobi much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Nairobi would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Nairobi 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 Nairobi.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Nairobi Expensive? and Is Cape Town Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Nairobi or Cape Town?
Cape Town has a larger population, and is about 25% larger than the population of Nairobi. When comparing the sizes of Nairobi 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.
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.