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

Should you visit Pretoria or Essaouira?

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

Should I visit Pretoria or Essaouira? 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 Essaouira?

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.

Essaouira

Essaouira is a beautiful beach town on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. The city has a pleasant medina that has been named a UNESCO World Heritage site and is interesting to explore. It's an 18th century fortified town with a lot of character and charm. The city is rich and culture and you'll find a handful of art galleries throughout the town. The city is also a gathering place for artists and musicians, particularly during the Gnaoua Festival of World Music, which takes place the last week of June. This event attracts about 450,000 visitors yearly.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Eco Tours in South Africa, The Best Sightseeing Tours in South Africa, The Best 10-Day Tours in Morocco, and The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Morocco.


Which place is cheaper, Essaouira 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 $69, while the average daily cost in Essaouira is $60. 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 Essaouira in more detail.



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

Looking for a hotel in Pretoria or Essaouira? 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 Essaouira


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: Essaouira Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Pretoria $13
    Essaouira $2.14

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Pretoria

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

  • Sun City Private Transfer: $246
  • Airport transfers,door to door shuttle: $53
  • Private Transfer from JHB Airport to Hotels and Around Sandton: $40
  • Private Airport Transfers to Sandton & Joburg CBD: $24

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Essaouira

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

  • private transfer essaouira to casablanca or casablanca-essaouira: $284
  • Transferts Marrakech à Essaouira ou Essaouira à Marrakech: $97
  • Transfert Marrakech to Essaouira Or Essaouira to Marrakech: $111
  • Transfer from Essaouira to Marrakech city or Marrakech airport: $124
  • Transfer from Essaouira to Marrakech city or Marrakech airport: $139
  • Private transfer Marrakech to Essaouira or Essaouira toMarrakech: $116
  • Private transfer Marrakech airpot - Essaouira: $116
  • Private transfer Essaouira Taroudant.: $197
  • Private transfer Essaouira Ouarzazate.: $232
  • Private Transfer from Marrakech to Essaouira 1 to 4 people: $109
  • Private Transfer from Essaouira to Marrakesh Menara (RAK) Airport: $136
  • Private Transfer from Essaouira to Marrakech: $112

Is it cheaper to fly into Pretoria or Essaouira?

Prices for flights to both Essaouira 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 $29
    Essaouira $25

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: $82
  • Lesedi Cultural Experience + Lunch or Dinner: $113
  • Lesedi Cultural Experience + Lunch or Dinner: $131

Typical Food Prices in Essaouira

Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Essaouira:


  • Baklava
    $1.50
  • Breakfast Crepes
    $0.53
  • Fish for Lunch
    $16

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Essaouira

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

  • Agadir Cooking Class Experience with Local Market Visit: $30
  • Essaouira Sunset Tour: Sidi M’barek Waterfall,Coastal Walk&Dinner: $47
  • Essaouira Moroccan Cooking Class Experience: $52
  • Essaouira Street Food Tour: $68
  • l'Atelier - Moroccan Cooking Workshop in Essaouira: $70
  • Essaouira Cooking Class: $75
  • 3 Hours Horse Riding with Dinner and Overnight Berber Camp: $214

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Pretoria $16
    Essaouira $13

Tours and Activities in Pretoria

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

  • 2-Day Johannesburg, Soweto and Pretoria Guided Tour: $192
  • 3 tours/ cradle human kind caves and Lesedi Cultural village: $158
  • 3-Day Private Tour Johannesburg - See everything: $238
  • Aerial Cableway Private Tour from Johannesburg: $137
  • Aha Lesedi Cultural Village tour: $174
  • Ann Van Dyk Cheetah Centre Half-Day Tour from Johannesburg: $221
  • Apartheid History of South Africa (Full day Experience with lunch: $113
  • Apartheid Museum Tour in Johannesburg, every FRIDAY afternoon: $70
  • Apartheid Museum and Soweto Tour in Johannesburg: $97
  • Apartheid museum,Johannesburg & Soweto guided tour: $113
  • Bicycle or Tuk Tuk Soweto Guided Experience: $102
  • City Tour of Pretoria: $152

Tours and Activities in Essaouira

Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Essaouira.

  • 1 Day Horseback Riding Tour with Overnight Stay in Berber Tent: $290
  • 1 Hour Quad Bike Adventure in Essaouira desert: $34
  • 1-Day Quad Adventure in Essaouira near Marrakech: $205
  • 1-Hour Scenic Quad Bike Tour: Discover Essaouira’s Coastline: $35
  • 1-hour buggy tour in Essaouira desert (2 places/buggy): $77
  • 2 – Hours Quad Bike Adventure in Essaouira Desert with Moroccan Tea: $57
  • 2 Hours Dromedary Ride Tour in Essaouira Morocco: $52
  • 2-Hours Buggy Adventure in Essaouira desert (2 places per buggy): $96
  • 2-hour quad adventure between beach and dunes: $58
  • 3-Days Desert Tour From Fes to Marrakech: $197
  • 3H Buggy Adventure – Dunes, Ocean & Sunset Ride: $231
  • Beginners surf experience in Essaouira: $34

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Pretoria $35
    Essaouira $9.82


When comparing the travel costs between Pretoria and Essaouira, we can see that Pretoria 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. Since both cities are in Africa, it's no surprise that their costs are relatively close, as many destinations here have somewhat similar travel prices overall.

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


Which is Bigger, Pretoria or Essaouira?

Pretoria has a larger population, and is about 20 times larger than the population of Essaouira. When comparing the sizes of Pretoria and Essaouira, 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.