Should you visit Soweto or Johannesburg?
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the prices of travel for Soweto and Johannesburg. We’ll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget. So, let's dig into it.
Soweto
The name Soweto is an acronym for South Western Townships, first used in 1963 to describe the groups of townships to the south west of Johannesburg. It is a city of contrasts, featuring anything from tin shanties to luxurious mansions, and is probably best known for being the home of two Nobel Prize winners.
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.
Which city is cheaper, Johannesburg or Soweto?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Soweto is $62, while the average daily cost in Johannesburg is $95. 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 city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Soweto and Johannesburg in more detail.
Accommodation
For a normal double-occupancy room in Soweto, $64 is the average cost for a hotel room. Also in Soweto, the typical price for a place to stay for one person is $32, such as in a hostel.
The average price for accommodation for two people in Johannesburg is $110. This is for two people sharing a typical double occupancy hotel room.
Food
Soweto food costs typically run travelers around $20 per day. Eating every meal in a nicer restaurant will drive the cost up, and grabbing fast food or casual meals will help you save money.
Johannesburg food costs typically run travelers around $17 per day. Eating every meal in a nicer restaurant will drive the cost up, and grabbing fast food or casual meals will help you save money.
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Food
Meals for one day
Soweto $20
Johannesburg $17
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Johannesburg
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Johannesburg.
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JoburgPlaces Secret Underground Storytelling Dinner:
$57
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JoburgPlaces Migrant Cuisine Storytelling Dinner:
$57
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Johannesburg Cooking Class:
$60
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A Private Traditional Cape Malay Cooking Class, with a MKR Finalist:
$95
-
3-Day Kruger National Park Safari including Breakfast and Dinner:
$672
-
4-Day Kruger National Park Safari including Breakfast and Dinner:
$850
-
4-Day Kruger Park Safari & Panoramic Tour Combo including Breakfast and Dinner:
$903
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5-Day Kruger National Park Safari including Breakfast and Dinner:
$1,115
-
5-Day Kruger Park Safari & Panoramic Tour Combo including Breakfast and Dinner:
$1,119
Local Transportation
To get around in Soweto, the average visitor spends $12 per day, per person. This includes the costs of taxi rides and private drivers as well as public transportation, which tends to be much more affordable.
While taxis and private drivers typically cost much more than public transportation, people usually spend around $16 per day to get around in Johannesburg.
Typical Local Transportation prices in Johannesburg
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Johannesburg:
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Johannesburg
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Johannesburg:
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Transfer and Shuttles:
$50
-
Tour operator. airport and hotels transfers chauffeur and safari tours services.:
$37
-
Suncity Transfer:
$151
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Round Trip O.R. Tambo Airport (JNB) Transfer to Johannesburg City Center:
$84
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Return Private Transfers to Sun City from OR Tambo Airport or Joburg Hotels:
$141
-
Private transfer: Johannesburg to Johannesburg Airport (JNB):
$38
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Private transfer: Johannesburg Airport (JNB) to Johannesburg:
$38
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Private transfer service from OR Thambo, Lanseria and Wonderboom Airport:
$33
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Private Transfer: Johannesburg, Pretoria or Sun City to JNB Airport by Minivan:
$64
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Private Transfer: Johannesburg to Sun City/Pilanesberg National Park:
$125
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Private Transfer: JNB Airport to Johannesburg, Pretoria or Sun City by Minivan:
$76
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Private Johannesburg Airport Arrival Transfer:
$49
Is it cheaper to fly into Soweto or Johannesburg?
Prices for flights to both Johannesburg and Soweto 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.
Entertainment
In Soweto, the costs for things to do, activities, admission tickets, and other sightseeing expenses are on average $16 per person, per day.
Activities, things to do, and other forms of entertainment usually cost around $21 per person, per day in Johannesburg. This cost includes the price of admission tickets to attractions and museums as well as daily tours.
Tours and Activities in Soweto
For Soweto, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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Virtual Tour Of Soweto:
$20
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Walking Tours, Bicycle Tours:
$34
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Soweto Bicycle Tour:
$47
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Soweto half day tour:
$55
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Soweto Pub-Crawl Tour:
$55
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Half Day Soweto Tour:
$57
-
Platteklip Gorge Guided Hike Experience from Cape Town:
$59
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Soweto by Bike | Half-Day Johannesburg Cycle Tour:
$65
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Cradle Of Humankind Tour:
$135
Tours and Activities in Johannesburg
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Johannesburg are as follows:
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1 or 2 Day Johannesburg Hop-On, Hop-Off Tour:
$14
-
10 Day - Kruger Park - Swaziland - Durban - Lesotho - Drakensberg Tour:
$2,214
-
15 Days - Johannesburg, Kruger National Park and Cape Town Tour:
$4,025
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2 Days/ 1 Night - Dinokeng Safaris and Cullinan tours:
$312
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3 Day Unlimited Kruger National Park Safari Game Drive from Johannesburg Tour:
$639
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3 days tour package - Soweto/Apartheid Museum/ Pretoria/Lion Park:
$312
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3-Day Kruger National Park Experience:
$794
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3-Day NON-SHARED Private Group Kruger Safari Camping Tour from Johannesburg:
$3,013
-
3-day Cradle of Human Kind, Sun City and Pilanesberg Big 5 Tour:
$990
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4 Hour Johannesburg City Tour:
$74
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4-Day Johannesburg to Soweto Pretoria Private Tour Farm Stay:
$503
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4-Day Private Guided Safari Tour of Madikwe with Meals:
$938
Alcohol
Typically, people visiting Soweto spend on average $8.21 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
The average person spends about $4.72 on alcoholic beverages in Johannesburg per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.
Sample the Local Flavors in Johannesburg
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Johannesburg:
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Wine Tasting Experience in Johannesburg:
$10
-
Johannesburg Pub Crawl:
$57
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Soweto and Johannesburg, we can see that Johannesburg is more expensive. And not only is Soweto much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Soweto would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Soweto 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 Johannesburg would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Johannesburg than you might in Soweto.
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