Which place is cheaper, Dublin or Pretoria?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Pretoria or Dublin?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Pretoria or Dublin? 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 Dublin?
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.
Dublin
Dublin is the vibrant and fun capital city of Ireland and home to over a third of the country's population. There are almost 2 million people in the metropolitan area. It's also the most common entry point into the country for visitors. Once you arrive, its a good idea to head over to the main tourist office in St. Andrew's Church off Grafton Street. They can give you maps and information to make sure your trip is efficient and fun. Many people enjoy seeing what remains of the Georgian architecture throughout the city. Much of the city is also modernist in style with many blocks made up of offices.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Eco Tours in South Africa, The Best Sightseeing Tours in South Africa, The Best Walking Tours in Ireland, and The Best Luxury Tours to Ireland.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayPretoria $50Dublin $154
The average daily cost (per person) in Pretoria is $50, while the average daily cost in Dublin is $154. 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 Dublin in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personPretoria $25Dublin $73
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomPretoria $50Dublin $146
Compare Hotels in Pretoria and Dublin
Looking for a hotel in Pretoria or Dublin? 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: Dublin Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Pretoria $12Dublin $21
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Pretoria
Also for Pretoria, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Gauteng, South Africa: Airport transfers, shuttle services: $27
- One Way Private Transfer from Airports and Hotels in Sandton: $89
- Shuttle Transfer from Gauteng to Greater Kruger: $61
- Sun City Private Transfer: $250
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Dublin
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Dublin:
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Rental Car for a Day$16
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Dublin
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Dublin:
- The Westin Hotel Dublin To Dublin Airport Private Chauffeur Transfer: $167
- The Marker Hotel Dublin To Dublin Airport To Private Chauffeur Transfer: $155
- The Croke Park Hotel Dublin To Dublin Airport Private Chauffeur Transfer: $179
- Shannon: Private Airport Arrival Transfer to Dublin: $619
- Private transfer service from Dublin to Galway: $499
- Private transfer service from Dublin to Belfast: $431
- Private Transfer: Dublin to Dublin Airport DUB in Business Car: $103
- Private Transfer: Dublin Airport DUB to Dublin in Business Car: $103
- Private Transfer from Navan to Belfast Airport (BFS): $272
- Private Transfer from Dundalk to Belfast Airport (BFS): $178
- Private Transfer from Dun Laoghaire Port to Dublin Airport (DUB): $46
- Private Transfer from Dublin city to Dun Laoghaire Cruise Port: $46
Is it cheaper to fly into Pretoria or Dublin?
Prices for flights to both Dublin 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
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Food Meals for one dayPretoria $15Dublin $53
Typical Food Prices in Dublin
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Dublin:
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Lunch Lynam's Pub$4.23
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Dublin
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Dublin.
- Discover the Flavors of Dublin on a Guided Street Food Tour: $30
- Dublin 3-Course Dinner and Live Shows at The Irish House Party: $31
- No Diet Club - Best Food Tour in Dublin !: $59
- Dublin Irish Night Show, Dance and Traditional 3-Course Dinner: $60
- NO DIET CLUB - Best Food Tour in Dublin !: $62
- Grand Canal Cruise with Dinner: $72
- Delicious Walking Food Tour: $81
- Delicious Dublin Food Tour: $82
- Dublin Delicious Donut Adventure & Walking Food Tour: $87
- Howth Coastal Craft Beer and Seafood Tour: $96
- Bread, Beer & Bia: Irish Cooking Class & Dinner in Dublin: $99
- Irish Craic & Cuisine: Cooking Class & Dinner in Central Dublin: $106
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Pretoria $14Dublin $27
Tours and Activities in Pretoria
For Pretoria, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- History Bicycle Tour of Soweto: $40
- Apartheid Museum Tour in Johannesburg from Pretoria, every FRIDAY afternoon: $51
- Apartheid Museum Tour in Johannesburg, every FRIDAY afternoon: $51
- Soweto and Johannesburg Tours: $55
- Soweto Township Tour from Johannesburg - Friday Special: $58
- Soweto & Johannesburg - walking, Bike , E-scooter, Tuk Tuk Tour : $58
- Pretoria Tour-Voortrekker Monument, Town, Union Buildings: $59
- Cullinan Diamond Mine Surface Guided Tour from Pretoria, every MONDAY: $61
- Soweto Pub-Crawl Tour: $61
- Taste of Africa Food tasting Experience & Optional Beer Tasting: $61
- Johannesburg exploration tour(Jo-burg/Soweto & Apartheid museum): $66
- Private Johannesburg and Soweto with Apartheid museum tour: $69
Typical Entertainment Prices in Dublin
Here are a few typical costs in Dublin for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
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Wild Wicklow Tour$28
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Guinness Brewery for Two$29
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St Pauls Cathedral$4.82
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Dublin Writer's Museum$6.75
Tours and Activities in Dublin
Here are a few actual costs in Dublin for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- A Self Guided Walking Tour of Dublin's Docklands: $12
- (Small Group) Cliffs of Moher and Castle Tour from Dublin: $141
- 1-Hour Cocktail Masterclass Experience in Dublin: $49
- 2 Hours Senior’s Historical Private Walking Tour of Dublin : $193
- 2-Day Southern Ireland Tour from Dublin:Including Blarney and Cliffs of Moher: $217
- 2-Day Wild Atlantic Way Tour From Dublin: $217
- 2-Hour Historical Walking Tour from Dublin : $21
- 3-Hour Drinks on Foot Dublin Walking Guided Tour: $30
- 4-Day Grand Atlantic Rail Tour from Dublin: $1,181
- 5-Day Tour of West Ireland: Blarney Stone & Cliffs of Moher: $1,461
- 6-Day Tour of Southern Ireland from Dublin: $946
- A Guided Walking Tour of Trinity College Campus: $17
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayPretoria $31Dublin $18
Sample the Local Flavors in Dublin
Also in Dublin, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Authentic Brewery Tour: $11
- Generation Pub Crawl: $15
- Dublin Epic Pub Crawl: Experience Dublin's pubs and nightlife: $15
- "Dublin Delight Pub Expedition" Pub Crawl: $16
- The Dublin Liberties Distillery: Tour with Whiskey Tasting: $18
- The Dublin Liberties Distillery - Guided Tour and Whiskey Tasting: $19
- Teeling Whiskey Distillery Tour & Tasting: $22
- Exclusive Brewery Tour and Tasting at Kildare Brewing Co, Sallins: $22
- Skip the Line: Teeling Whiskey Distillery Tour and Tasting in Dublin Ticket: $22
- The Black Experience Pub Tour: $22
- City Pub Crawl Experience: $24
- Pearse Lyons Whiskey Distillery Experience: $24
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Pretoria and Dublin, we can see that Dublin is more expensive. And not only is Pretoria much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Pretoria is in Africa and Dublin is in Europe, 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 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 Dublin would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Dublin 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 Dublin Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Pretoria or Dublin?
Pretoria has a larger population, and is about 58% larger than the population of Dublin. When comparing the sizes of Pretoria and Dublin, 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.