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

Should you visit Pretoria or Marseille?

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

Should I visit Pretoria or Marseille? 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 Marseille?

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.

Marseille

Marseille is the second largest city in France and is the largest Mediterranean port in the region. For visitors, Marseille offers an authentic glimpse at France. It has many colorful markets, natural beauty such as the Calanques with its large, beautiful cliffs, and the old harbor area, which offers a glimpse at the areas working class history.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Eco Tours in South Africa, The Best Sightseeing Tours in South Africa, The Best Contiki Tours to France, and The Best G Adventures Tours to France.


Which place is cheaper, Marseille or Pretoria?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in Pretoria is $50, while the average daily cost in Marseille is $158. 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 Marseille in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Pretoria $25
    Marseille $76
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Pretoria $50
    Marseille $152
Compare Hotels in Pretoria and Marseille

Looking for a hotel in Pretoria or Marseille? 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 Marseille


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: Marseille Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Pretoria $12
    Marseille $30

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Pretoria

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

  • Sun City Private Transfer: $250
  • Shuttle Transfer from Gauteng to Greater Kruger: $61
  • One Way Private Transfer from Airports and Hotels in Sandton: $89
  • Gauteng, South Africa: Airport transfers, shuttle services: $27

Typical Local Transportation Prices in Marseille

Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Marseille:


  • Metro Pass
    $3.21

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Marseille

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

  • Transfert aéroport de Marseille -> Marseille centre/hôtels: $194
  • Transfert Aéroport Marseille vers : $226
  • Transfer from Marseille Airport to Train Station / Ports / Hotels: $164
  • Transfer between Marseille airport and Marseille city: $85
  • Transfer Marseille city center to Marseille Airport: $87
  • Transfer Marseille Provence Airport ↔ Cruise Port: $104
  • Transfer Marseille Airport to Marseille city center: $90
  • Transfer : $85
  • Taxi aéroport Marseille cassis transfer port Cruise: $151
  • Provence airport transfers: $131
  • Private transfer from Marseille Airport to Cavaillon: $280
  • Private transfer by car: Marseille airport to / from Cassis-La Ciotat: $185

Is it cheaper to fly into Pretoria or Marseille?

Prices for flights to both Marseille 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 $15
    Marseille $45

Typical Food Prices in Marseille

For Marseille, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:


  • Orangina
    $2.68

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Marseille

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

  • Web-cooking workshop / French cuisine or French pastry: $35
  • No Diet Club - Unique food tour in Marseille! (Cours Julien): $64
  • Sunset Boat Cruise with Dinner and Drinks: $73
  • Sunset Cruise with Dinner: $74
  • Sunset Sailing Cruise with Dinner and Drinks: $86
  • Bakeries, Chocolate & Patisseries Food Tour: $94
  • Marseille Sunset Apéro Food tour: $97
  • Evening Food Tour with Tastings: $102
  • Sunset Sailing Dinner in the Frioul Archipelago: $102
  • Walking Food Tour with Tastings: $102
  • Marseille Miam Miam Food tour: $104
  • Marseille Food Tour - Do Eat Better Experience: $108

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Pretoria $14
    Marseille $41

Tours and Activities in Pretoria

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

  • 2 Hours Bicycle Tour in Soweto(Johannesburg): $91
  • 4-Hours Pretoria Private History Tour : $83
  • Aerial Cableway Private Tour from Johannesburg : $82
  • Ann Van Dyk Cheetah Centre Half-Day Tour from Johannesburg: $199
  • Apartheid Museum Tour in Johannesburg from Pretoria, every FRIDAY afternoon: $51
  • Apartheid Museum Tour in Johannesburg, every FRIDAY afternoon: $51
  • Artistic Half Day Tour of Johannesburg : $86
  • Cheer on the Cheetah Run for Conservation Adventure: $194
  • Cradle of Human Kind & Lion & Rhino Park Tour Full day Tour Private : $188
  • Cradle of Humankind Half Day Tour with Lunch : $110
  • Cradle of Humankind Private Tour and Safari: $108
  • Cradle of Humankind half day tour: $102

Tours and Activities in Marseille

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

  • "Old Marseille" district tour and treasure hunt: $27
  • 2H: City-Tour Marseille: $274
  • 3h Kayak Tour at Calanques National Park: $68
  • A Day in Provence Small Group Tour from Marseille: $180
  • Accrobranche - Ecopark Adventures Marseille Saint-Jérôme: $26
  • Aix-en-Provence: Half-Day Shore Excursion Tour: $646
  • All Inclusive Food & History Tour of Marseille with Local Guide: $144
  • Beer tasting experience in Marseille: $43
  • Bookbinding experience in the Vieux Port: $93
  • Calanques National Park Kayak Day Tour: $113
  • Calanques Trilogy Electric Bike Tour from Marseille: $66
  • Canyoning Half Day Tour from La Ciotat : $68

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Pretoria $31
    Marseille $29

Sample the Local Flavors in Marseille

Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Marseille:

  • Marseille Bar Crawl Party with Free Shots and VIP Entry: $22
  • Marseille Riviera Bar Crawl Party with Free Shots and VIP Entry: $27
  • Marseille Pub Crawl : Meet, Drink & Party: $43
  • New Year's Eve Bar Crawl Marseille France: $65
  • Short Day Tour around Aix en Provence and Wine Tasting : $119
  • Bandol and Cassis: Full Day Wine Tour from Marseille: $144
  • Luberon: Full-Day Wine Tour from Marseille: $144
  • Full-day Wine Tour around Bandol & Cassis from Marseille: $146
  • Full-Day Wine Tour around Luberon from Marseille: $146
  • Marseille Shore Excursion - Full Day Wine Tour in Provence: $164
  • Small Group Marseille Shore Excursion : Avignon & Chateauneuf du Pape Wine Tour: $164
  • Côtes du Rhône Wine tour: Avignon, Palace of the Popes: $165


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Pretoria and Marseille, we can see that Marseille 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 Marseille 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 Marseille would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Marseille 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 Marseille Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Pretoria or Marseille?

Pretoria has a larger population, and is about 2 times larger than the population of Marseille. When comparing the sizes of Pretoria and Marseille, 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.