Which place is cheaper, Johannesburg or Santorini?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Santorini or Johannesburg?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between Santorini or Johannesburg, this travel comparison, which includes costs, can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison down below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.
Where Should I go: Santorini or Johannesburg?
Santorini
Santorini is a volcanic island that is part of the Cyclades group of the Greek Islands. It has some spectacular views, beautiful sunsets, and excellent beaches. As one of the most popular of the Greek Islands to visit, Santorini sees many tourists every year. However, it's for a good reason, as the famous white-washed buildings that spill down the hill, some with blue domes that match the gorgeous color of the water, are set against the beautiful mountainous backdrop of one of the most scenic areas of the Mediterranean. Home to several of these small and scenic towns such as Oia, Kamari, Perissa, and Fira, visitors can explore the large island, enjoy delicious food, swim at the beaches, hike the hills, and sail the blue waters.
Johannesburg
Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa with a population of over 3 million people. Most of the population is made up of South Africa's black residents, who predominately reside in the Soweto area. There are approximately half a million white residents and 300,000 residents of other descent. Half of the population live in the Soweto area as well as the nearby suburbs.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Luxury Tours to Greece, The Best Budget Tours to Greece, The Best Adventure Tours to South Africa, and The Best Eco Tours in South Africa.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per daySantorini €175Johannesburg €88
The average daily cost (per person) in Santorini is €175, while the average daily cost in Johannesburg is €88. 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 Santorini and Johannesburg in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personSantorini €93Johannesburg €51
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomSantorini €186Johannesburg €102
Compare Hotels in Santorini and Johannesburg
Looking for a hotel in Santorini or Johannesburg? 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: Santorini Hotel Prices and Johannesburg Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Santorini €28Johannesburg €15
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Santorini
Also for Santorini, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- One-Way Transfer to/from the Port or Airport: $15
- Santorini Private Transfer From or To Airport: $19
- Departure Shared Transfer in Santorini Island: $22
- Arrival Shared Transfer in Santorini Island: $22
- Shared Departure Transfer: Santorini Hotel to Airport or Cruise Port: $22
- Santorini shared transfer: $22
- Private Transfers To/From Airport, Port & Hotels: $22
- Santorini : Economy Private transfer to all destinations: $22
- Departure Private Transfer Santorini to Santorini Airport JTR by Sedan Car: $23
- Private Transfer from Santorini Airport to Santorini : $24
- Economy Transfers From & To Santorini Port: $24
- PrivateTransfer from Santorini to Santorini Airport: $24
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Johannesburg
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Johannesburg:
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Taxi Ride€3.01
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Johannesburg
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Johannesburg:
- Airport To Suncity Transfer And Return: $405
- Johannesburg Airport (JNB): Transfer to Pretoria hotels: $279
- OR Tambo to Sun City Transfer : $235
- Private Transfer from Johannesburg To Pilanesberg: $221
- Johannesburg Airport (JNB): Transfer to Johannesburg hotels: $195
- Private Land Rover transfer to Sun City from Johannesburg and PTA: $195
- Suncity Transfer: $194
- Private Transfer from Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport (JNB) to Pretoria hotels: $164
- Private Transfer, Airports to Cradle of Humankind & Muldersdrift : $147
- Airport Transfers from Cradle of Humankind Muldesdrift to Jo'burg: $147
- Private Airport Transfer: $121
- Private executive transfer to sun city or airport/hotels : $118
Is it cheaper to fly into Santorini or Johannesburg?
Prices for flights to both Johannesburg and Santorini 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 daySantorini €48Johannesburg €16
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Santorini
For Santorini, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Traditional Greek Night live Music & Dinner Show in Santorini: $55
- Santorini Caldera: Sunset Cruise with Dinner: $70
- Romantic Sunset Caldera Cruise with Dinner: $70
- Volcanic Sunset Cruise with Dinner: $81
- Catamaran Tour with BBQ Dinner, Drinks, and Music: $85
- Santorini Caldera Sunset Sailing Cruise with Dinner and Wine: $87
- Volcano and Hot Springs Sunset Dinner Cruise: $97
- Santorini Cooking Class with Wine Tasting: $108
- Santorini Volcano Sunset Cruise Including Dinner on Board: $108
- The Aegean Cooking Class: $109
- Cooking Class in Traditional cave house in Santorini!: $120
- Fira: 4-Hour Walking Food Tour With Tastings: $124
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Johannesburg
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Johannesburg.
- Maboneng Street Art and Street Food Tour: $41
- A Private Traditional Cape Malay Cooking Class, with a MKR Finalist: $95
- JOBURG DINNERS : MABONENG CITY DINNER: $97
- Johannesburg Culture and food tour: $99
- Pan-African Cooking & Dinning Experience: $216
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Santorini €36Johannesburg €20
Tours and Activities in Santorini
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Santorini.
- Authentic A Self-Guided Audio Tour of Oia: $6.99
- Megalochori: Lost Atlantis 9D Experience Museum Entry Ticket: $15
- Skip the Line Lost Atlantis Experience Ticket: $15
- Akrotiri Archaeological Site Entry Ticket: $16
- E-Ticket to Akrotiri with Audio Tour on your Phone: $24
- Santorini Volcano and Hot Springs Cruise Tour from Fira Old Port: $27
- Volcanic Islands Cruise with Hot Springs Visit: $28
- Kayak Rental Adventure in Watersports Santorini: $33
- Santorini Caldera Cruise Tour (Volcano, Hot Springs, Thirassia): $33
- Santorini Volcano and Hot Springs Tour: $38
- Santorini Volcano & Hot Springs Tour : $40
- Santorini Volcano Half Day Tour: $44
Tours and Activities in Johannesburg
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Johannesburg are as follows:
- Golf Tour, Sun City , Gary Player Course - Rated the Best: $227
- Half-Day Safari Tour of the Magaliesberg Mountains by Zipline: $122
- Private Full Day Johannesburg Historical Tour : $194
- Rhino and Lion Park Safari Tour : $96
- Soweto half day tour including Mandela House.Private transport: $72
- (Meet the Artist)Art Gallery & Street Art tour with lunch: $30
- 10 Days Overland Tour-Johannesburg and Cape Town: $2,701
- 15 Days Johannesburg, Kruger National Park – Cape Town Tour: $4,052
- 3 Day Kruger National Park Tour from Johannesburg: $807
- 3 Days 2 Nights Panorama Tour & Kruger National park Safari: $832
- 4-Day Private Tour Johannesburg and Pretoria - See everything in 4 days : $214
- 4-Days Overnight Experience in The Panorama Route & Safari: $1,735
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one daySantorini €26Johannesburg €4.39
Sample the Local Flavors in Santorini
Also in Santorini, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Top Sights Day Trip, Wine Tasting, & Oia Sunset: $63
- Fira Town Walking Tour with Wine Tasting: $75
- Visit to a Wine Museum and Wine Tasting in Santorini : $76
- 2 Hours Private Wine Tasting Tour in Santorini With Pick Up: $87
- Notos Day Tour through History & Wine Tasting: $98
- Wine Tour with Sunset in Oia: $107
- Santorini Highlights Small-Group Tour with Wine Tasting from Fira: $109
- 5 towns in 5 hours: Santorini Most Popular Tour with Wine tasting: $117
- 3-Hour Wine Tasting in Santorini : $126
- Santorini Wine Adventure with 12 Wine Tastings, Tapas and Sunset: $131
- Santorini wine tasting and Traditional Cave Settlement Tour: $142
- Intimate Santorini - Small Group Shore Excursion and Wine Tasting: $142
Sample the Local Flavors in Johannesburg
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Johannesburg:
- Wine Tasting Experience in Johannesburg: $8.23
- Wine Tasting and Cableway Half Day Tour: $115
- Experience Johannesburg Wine Tour Views and Luxury: $226
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Santorini and Johannesburg, we can see that Santorini is more expensive. And not only is Johannesburg much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Santorini is in Europe and Johannesburg 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 Johannesburg would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Johannesburg 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 Santorini would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Santorini than you might in Johannesburg.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Santorini Expensive? and Is Johannesburg Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Santorini or Johannesburg?
Johannesburg has a larger population, and is about 3 times larger than the population of Santorini. When comparing the sizes of Santorini and Johannesburg, 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.