A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Pretoria vs. Antananarivo for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Pretoria or Antananarivo?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Should I visit Pretoria or Antananarivo? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.

Where Should I go: Pretoria or Antananarivo?

Pretoria

Located in Gauteng Province, Pretoria is the administrative capital city of South Africa, making it home to many government buildings and three universities. It is actually one of three capital cities, being home to the executive branch, with Cape Town as the legislative capital and Bloemfontein as the judicial capital. Within South Africa, Pretoria is also known as the "Jacaranda City" due to the thousands of jacaranda trees lining its streets, parks, and gardens.

Antananarivo

Antananarivo is the capital of Madagascar; it is also sometimes referred to as Tana. This city is the cultural and political center of Madagascar as a whole. There are multiple universities, museums, and other social venues in the city, as well as a national rugby team. This city has a very apparent French influence.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Eco Tours in South Africa, The Best Sightseeing Tours in South Africa, The Best Wildlife Tours to Madagascar, and The Best Hiking & Trekking Tours in Madagascar.


Which place is cheaper, Antananarivo or Pretoria?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

The average daily cost (per person) in Pretoria is $59, while the average daily cost in Antananarivo is $88. 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 Pretoria and Antananarivo in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Pretoria $24
    Antananarivo $28
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Pretoria $48
    Antananarivo $56
Compare Hotels in Pretoria and Antananarivo

Looking for a hotel in Pretoria or Antananarivo? 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.

Hotels in Pretoria


Hotels in Antananarivo


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: Antananarivo Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Pretoria $11
    Antananarivo $13

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Pretoria

Also for Pretoria, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Private Airport Transfers to Sandton & Joburg CBD: $27
  • Airport transfers, door to door .private transfers: $38
  • Pretoria to Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport (JNB) - Departure Private Transfer: $42
  • One Way Private Transfer from Airports and Hotels in Sandton: $87

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Antananarivo

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Antananarivo:

  • Private Airport Transfert Ivato Antananarivo: $40
  • Private Airport Transfert Ivato Antananarivo: $102
  • Cheap Transfer from Airport to your Hotel in Antananarivo: $17

Is it cheaper to fly into Pretoria or Antananarivo?

Prices for flights to both Antananarivo and Pretoria 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
  • Food Meals for one day
    Pretoria $25
    Antananarivo $47

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Pretoria

For Pretoria, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Feisty Food Tour : $73
  • Lesedi Cultural Experience + Lunch or Dinner: $102
  • Pan African Cooking Class & Organic food experience: $195

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Antananarivo

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Antananarivo.

  • Cooking And Cuisine Tasting From Tana-Malagasy Fine Foodie Madagascar Tour: $245

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Pretoria $14
    Antananarivo $23

Tours and Activities in Pretoria

For Pretoria, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • Harties Cableway Experience Ticket: $16
  • History Bicycle Tour of Soweto: $39
  • Soweto Quad Bike and Tuk Tuk Tours : $42
  • Rietvlei Nature Reserve half-day tour from Pretoria, every TUESDAY: $47
  • Johannesburg: Downtown Walking Tour Including Ponte City building: $49
  • Apartheid Museum Tour in Johannesburg from Pretoria, every FRIDAY afternoon: $50
  • Private local authentic soweto Moto taxi experience : $53
  • Pretoria Capital City Tour from Pretoria, every TUESDAY: $56
  • Johannesburg & Soweto Tour - With Transport: $57
  • Pretoria Tour-Voortrekker Monument, Town, Union Buildings: $57
  • Soweto Township Tour from Johannesburg - Friday Special: $60
  • Soweto Pub-Crawl Tour: $60

Tours and Activities in Antananarivo

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Antananarivo are as follows:

  • 4-Hours Night Tour of Antananarivo: $173
  • 7 Days Sainte-Marie Island Tour by Plane from Antananarivo: $3,689
  • 9 Days Adventure from Antananarivo to Isalo Park & Tulear: $2,270
  • Antananarivo : Custom Walking Tour With A Guide (Private Tour): $37
  • Antananarivo : Day tour to Mantasoa Lake: $240
  • Antananarivo Like a Local: Customized Guided Tour: $25
  • Andasibe Mantadia National Park 3-Day Tour: $704
  • Guided Tour and sunset in queen's palace: $67
  • Lemurs Park & City Tour: $240
  • Private Walking Tour with a Local Guide: $30
  • Antanavario: Private custom tour with a local guide: $25
  • Day - Tour Ampefy: $153

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Pretoria $30
    Antananarivo $9.10


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Pretoria and Antananarivo, we can see that Antananarivo is more expensive. And not only is Pretoria much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Pretoria would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Pretoria 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 Antananarivo would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Antananarivo than you might in Pretoria.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Pretoria Expensive? and Is Antananarivo Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Pretoria or Antananarivo?

Pretoria has a larger population, and is about 16% larger than the population of Antananarivo. When comparing the sizes of Pretoria and Antananarivo, 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.