A Travel Price Comparison for South Africa Pretoria vs. Cape Town for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

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Should you visit Pretoria or Cape Town?

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

Should I visit Pretoria or Cape Town? 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 Cape Town?

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.

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.

Which city is cheaper, Cape Town or Pretoria?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Pretoria is $41, while the average daily cost in Cape Town is $80. 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 city. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Pretoria and Cape Town in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Pretoria $21
    Cape Town $31
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Pretoria $42
    Cape Town $62
Compare Hotels in Pretoria and Cape Town

Looking for a hotel in Pretoria 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.

Hotels in Pretoria


Hotels in Cape Town


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.


Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Pretoria $9.69
    Cape Town $14

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Pretoria

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

  • From Johannesburg Airport: 1-Way Transfer with Pretoria Tour: $96

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cape Town

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

  • Private transfer from Cape Town International Airport to Cape Town (CBD): $15
  • Private Transfer to Safari Aquila from Cape Town Full Day Excluding Entry Fees: $86
  • Private Cape Town Airport Transfers: $54
  • Private Business Transfer from Hotel in Cape Town to Cape Town Airport (CPT): $36
  • Private Airport Transfer: Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport (CPT): $15
  • Private Airport Transfer: Cape Town International Airport (CPT) to Cape Town: $15
  • Private Airport Transfer from Cape Town (CBD) to Cape Town international airport: $15
  • Hermanus Private Transfers - Charter - transport from Airport: $60
  • Franschhoek Private Transfers: $68
  • Departure Private Transfers from Cape Town City to Cape Town Airport CPT: $67
  • Departure Private Transfers from Cape Town City to Cape Town Airport CPT: $60
  • Departure Private Transfer: Cape Town to Cape Town Cruise Port by Minivan: $73

Is it cheaper to fly into Pretoria or Cape Town?

Prices for flights to both Cape Town 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 $12
    Cape Town $34

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:

  • Private Virtual Cooking Class Live from Cape Town: $23
  • Cape Malay Cooking with a Chef Founder: $34
  • African Cooking with a Chef Founder: $34
  • Cruise and Dine Dinner / Sunset Champagne Cruise and 3-Course Dinner: $53
  • Withlocals The 10 Tastings: Cape Town Private Food Tour: $54
  • Sunset Champagne Cruise and 3-Course Dinner: $57
  • Your Tailored Cape Town Private Food Tour: $65
  • Private Authentic Cape Malay Cooking Class in Manenberg with Locals: $67
  • The Cape Town Essentials Food Tour: $67
  • African Dinner and Drumming Experience: $70
  • African cooking experience: $91
  • Private South African Cape Malay Cooking Class: $98

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Pretoria $12
    Cape Town $19

Tours and Activities in Pretoria

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

  • 13-Day Kruger Swazi and Drakensberg Adventure Accommodated Tour from Pretoria: $2,399
  • 13-Day Kruger Swaziland and Drakensberg Adventure Camping Tour from Pretoria: $1,833
  • 14-Day Mozambique and Zim Explorer Adventure Camping Tour from Pretoria: $2,597
  • 20-Day Kruger to Cape Town Adventure Accommodated Tour from Pretoria: $2,866
  • 20-Day Kruger to Cape Town Adventure Camping Tour from Pretoria: $2,031
  • 23-Day Kruger, Vic Falls and Zanzibar Adventure Accommodated Tour from Pretoria: $4,521
  • 23-Day Kruger, Vic Falls and Zanzibar Adventure Camping Tour from Pretoria: $3,184
  • 3 Days/2 Nights package Tour -Kruger National Park: $359
  • 4-Day Kruger Safari Adventure Accommodated Tour from Pretoria: $708
  • 4-Day Kruger Safari Adventure Camping Tour from Pretoria: $552
  • 6-Hour Johannesburg Guided Tour from Pretoria: $154
  • 7-Day African Insight Adventure Accommodated Tour from Pretoria: $1,635

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 Cape Town Bo-Kaap Photo Shoot Experience: $53
  • 1-Hour Cape Town City Center Photo Shoot Experience: $53
  • 11-Day Cape Desert Safari Adventure Accommodated Tour from Cape Town: $2,540
  • 11-Day Cape Desert Safari Adventure Camping Tour from Cape Town: $1,330
  • 12 Days Cape & Namibia Accommodated Adventure: $2,799
  • 12 day - Meander to South Africa's best kept secrets and experience Lesotho: $2,890
  • 19 Days Cape to Victoria Falls Accommodated Adventure: $4,541
  • 19-Day Desert Tracker Adventure Accommodated Tour from Cape Town: $3,955
  • 19-Day Desert Tracker Adventure Camping Tour from Cape Town: $2,116
  • 25 Days Cape to Vic Falls to Johannesburg Accommodated Adventure: $6,105
  • 3 Day Adventure - Hike and Wine Pilates: $359
  • 3 Day Adventure - Hike and Wine Pilates: $359

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Pretoria $26
    Cape Town $17

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: $10
  • Cape Town's Only Craft Rum Tasting and Distillery Tour: $15
  • Wine Tasting & Storytelling with SA Tapas add-on: $34
  • The Fringe Secret Bar Crawl: $34
  • Franschhoek and Stellenbosch Wine Tour from Cape Town: $39
  • Cape Point Full Day Tour With Wine Tasting: $41
  • Cape Town Pub Crawl: $44
  • Cape Winelands and Wine Tasting Full Day Tour: $57
  • Nightlife Experience Pub Crawl: $58
  • Vintage Kombi Wine Tour & Local BBQ: $77
  • Cape Point/Boulders Beach/Wine Tasting- Best Of Cape Town In A Day: $86
  • Tour to Cape Town Peninsula with Wine Tasting: $94

About these numbers

When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Pretoria and Cape Town, we can see that Cape Town 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 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 Pretoria.

Budget Your Trip

Budget Your Trip has average travel costs for thousands of cities around the world, all provided by other travelers. You can also register to organize your spending by category and location with graphs, maps, charts, and tables.
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Pretoria vs. Cape Town Travel Comparison

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