Which place is cheaper, Pretoria or Riga?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
Should I visit Riga or Pretoria? 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.
Riga is the vibrant capital city of Latvia. It continues to gain popularity as a tourist destination in part because it is the base for the airline Air Baltic. This affordable airline offers discount flights around Europe and most of these flights pass through Riga with a forced overnight layover. This encourages travelers to visit this fascinating city for at least a night or two.
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.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Eco Tours in South Africa, and The Best Sightseeing Tours in South Africa.
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Riga is €104, while the average daily cost in Pretoria is €46. 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 Riga and Pretoria in more detail.
Looking for a hotel in Riga or Pretoria? 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.
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Riga:
Also for Pretoria, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
Prices for flights to both Pretoria and Riga 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.
Some typical examples of dining costs in Riga are as follows:
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Riga.
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Riga are as follows:
For Pretoria, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
Also in Riga, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Riga and Pretoria, we can see that Riga is more expensive. And not only is Pretoria much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Riga is in Europe and Pretoria is in Africa, 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 Riga would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Riga 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 Riga Expensive? and Is Pretoria Expensive?.
Pretoria has a larger population, and is about 2 times larger than the population of Riga. When comparing the sizes of Riga and Pretoria, 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.