Which place is cheaper, Rome or Pretoria?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Pretoria or Rome?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Pretoria or Rome? 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 Rome?
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.
Rome
Rome is the capital and largest city in Italy. It is also a common entry point for most visitors flying into the country. Rome has been a center of power, culture, and religion for the last millenium, making it one of the most famous and popular destinations in not only Europe, but the world. The influence of the Roman Empire can be seen across continents.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Eco Tours in South Africa, The Best Sightseeing Tours in South Africa, The Best Luxury Tours to Italy, and The Best Budget Tours to Italy.
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Pretoria Prices
South Africa PricesRome Prices
Italy Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayPretoria $64Rome $243
The average daily cost (per person) in Pretoria is $64, while the average daily cost in Rome is $243. 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 Rome in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personPretoria $27Rome $106
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomPretoria $54Rome $212
Compare Hotels in Pretoria and Rome
Looking for a hotel in Pretoria or Rome? 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: Rome Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Pretoria $13Rome $25
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Pretoria
Also for Pretoria, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Airport transfers, door to door .private transfers: $41
- Airport transfers,door to door shuttle: $53
- Pretoria to Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport (JNB) - Departure Private Transfer: $43
- Private Transfer from JHB Airport to Hotels and Around Sandton: $39
- Shuttle Transfer from Gauteng to Greater Kruger: $65
- Sun City & Pilanesberg Transfers: $250
- Sun City Private Transfer: $246
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Rome
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Rome:
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Metro Ride (for Two)$2.35
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Train to the Airport$18
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Taxi to Airport$53
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Bicycle Rental (Full Day)$12
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Rome
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Rome:
- private transfer from Rome to Fiumicino airport: $72
- Welcome Private Transfer from Fiumicino Airport to Hotel in Rome: $119
- VIP Transfer from Fiumicino Airport to Rome or Vice Versa: $72
- Transfers from all Airports to ancient city of Rome: $72
- Transfers from Fiumicino airport: $84
- Transfers Ciampino airport To Rome: $50
- Transfer to Rome from Fiumicino Airport: $58
- Transfer to Fiumicino Airport from Rome: $119
- Transfer services from airports to rome for up to 4 persons: $299
- Transfer from Termini station to Rome center with minivan: $105
- Transfer from Rome to the port of Civitavecchia: $147
- Transfer from Rome to MagicLand: $127
Is it cheaper to fly into Pretoria or Rome?
Prices for flights to both Rome 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 $27Rome $98
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Pretoria
For Pretoria, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Lesedi Cultural Experience + Lunch or Dinner: $113
Typical Food Prices in Rome
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Rome:
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Casual Lunch (for Two)$16
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4 Ice Cream Sandwiches$3.51
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Cafe e doce$4.69
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Pizza (Fast Food)$3.11
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Sitdown Lunch (for Two)$37
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Cheese and bread$12
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Espresso$2.35
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Dinner$68
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Rome
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Rome.
- Pizzas and Piazzas: A Self-Guided Walk of Rome’s Culinary Culture: $20
- Hard Rock Cafe Rome with Set Lunch or Dinner: $34
- Food Tour of the Vatican with Farmers Market and Wine Tasting: $35
- Rome City Center Largest Farmers Market and Street Food Tour : $35
- Vatican Street Food Tour around the Biggest Fresh Market in Rome: $35
- Street Food tour : Eat like a real local: $40
- Tasty Trionfale Farmers Market Food Tour and Local Wines Tasting: $42
- Vatican Street Food Tour and Wine Experience with Local Guide: $47
- Fettuccine Pasta Cooking Class in Rome City Center: $52
- Trastevere Ultimate Food Tour by Do Eat Better: $52
- Trastevere & Campo de' Fiori Street Food Tour, Eat Like a Local: $53
- Rome Street Food Tour Eat Like a Local: $53
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Pretoria $15Rome $42
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: $18
- Soweto walking tour with a taxi ride: $31
- Soweto Quad Bike and Tuk Tuk Tours : $45
- Rietvlei Nature Reserve half-day tour from Pretoria, every TUESDAY: $51
- Full Day Shopping Tour: Arts, Crafts, and African Garments: $55
- Taste of Africa Food tasting Experience : $56
- Half day Soweto Tour : $58
- Johannesburg Walking Tours: $59
- Apartheid Museum Guided Tour : $59
- Soweto Walking Tour Mandela House And Street Food: $60
- Pretoria Tour-Voortrekker Monument, Town, Union Buildings: $64
- Soweto Half Day Private Tour 4 hours R 1250,00: $64
Typical Entertainment Prices in Rome
Here are a few typical costs in Rome for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
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Rome Museum Vaticano (for 2)$81
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Coliseum Tickets (for Two)$39
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Roma Pass$35
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Hop on Hop Off Bus (All Day)$23
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Segway Tour$88
Tours and Activities in Rome
Here are a few actual costs in Rome for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Appian Way and Aqueducts Electric Bike Tour: $90
- Baths of Caracalla Guided Tour -Private or Shared: $130
- Best of Rome by Night Private Sightseeing Chauffeured Tour: $227
- Discover The Churches of Rome guided tour: $178
- Evening Tour of the City’s Most Iconic Sights - Up To 6 People: $190
- Golf Cart Small-Group Guided Tour: Rome City Highlights: $104
- Golf Cart Tour of 3h with local guide and gelato: $215
- Guided Group Walking Tour of Rome Top Sights: $47
- Guided Tour of Rome's Churches and Art: $209
- Guided tour in Chinese between Vatican Museums + St. Peter's Basilica: $154
- Hidden Gems & Rome Catacomb Semi Private Tour by golf cart: $108
- Last Hour Guided Tour To Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel: $102
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayPretoria $33Rome $21
Typical Alcohol Prices in Rome
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Rome:
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Bottle of Wine$7.63
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Pint of Beer$7.44
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Beer$12
Sample the Local Flavors in Rome
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Rome:
- Unique Wine Tasting in Enoteca in Rome San Pietro Area: $33
- Trionfale Farmers Market and Vatican Quarter Food and Wine Tour: $35
- Rome’s Exclusive Wine Tasting: Sip Near the Colosseum!: $39
- Tour of Rome with wine tasting: $54
- Wine Tasting in Trastevere with Food and Gelato: $54
- Guided Wine Tasting Experience in a Roman Vineyard: $59
- Wine Tour in Historic Center of Rome: $60
- Dolce Vita Burlesque show: $60
- EAT AND DRINK LIKE A LOCAL - Wine Tasting in Trastevere w/ Gelato: $72
- Wine Tour in Romes Historic center: $82
- Devour Rome Food & Wine Tour of Trastevere: $84
- The greatest wine tour of Rome: $84
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Pretoria and Rome, we can see that Rome 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 Rome 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 Rome would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Rome 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 Rome Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Pretoria or Rome?
Rome has a larger population, and is about 58% larger than the population of Pretoria. When comparing the sizes of Pretoria and Rome, 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.