Which place is cheaper, Johannesburg or Warsaw?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Warsaw or Johannesburg?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Warsaw and Johannesburg can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.
Where Should I go: Warsaw or Johannesburg?
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital city of Poland. It has a population of 1.7 million, making it the country's largest city. Located on the Vistula River, it is a popular tourist destination for its interesting architecture and culture. The right bank of the river was the first area to become populated in the 9th or 10 century. Today, however, the city's central district is on the left bank of the river. The Old Town, where you will find many sights and attractions, is fully contained within the city center.
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 Sightseeing Tours in Poland, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Krakow, 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 dayWarsaw $94Johannesburg $95
The average daily cost (per person) in Warsaw is $94, 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 destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Warsaw and Johannesburg in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personWarsaw $52Johannesburg $55
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomWarsaw $104Johannesburg $110
Compare Hotels in Warsaw and Johannesburg
Looking for a hotel in Warsaw 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: Warsaw Hotel Prices and Johannesburg Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Warsaw $4.68Johannesburg $16
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Warsaw
Also for Warsaw, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- ONEWAY Private Warsaw Chopin Airport(WAW) to/from Warsaw Transfer: $24
- Bus Transfer to/from Vilnus: $36
- Warsaw Chopin Airport one way private transfer 5-8 PAX: $36
- Private transfer from Warsaw city center to Modlin Airport WMI: $36
- Private Transfer from Warsaw Hotels to Warsaw Airport : $38
- Warsaw Private Transfer from Warsaw city centre to Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW): $41
- Warsaw Private Transfer from Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) to City centre: $41
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Warsaw APT-HTL (WAW): $42
- Private Transfer from Warsaw Chopin Airport: $43
- Private transfer by social-distance car from or to Warsaw Chopin Airport: $44
- Private transfer from Warsaw Chopin airport by social-distance car: $44
- Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) to Downtown hotels - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $44
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$3.24
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 Warsaw or Johannesburg?
Prices for flights to both Johannesburg and Warsaw 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 dayWarsaw $27Johannesburg $17
Typical Food Prices in Warsaw
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Warsaw:
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Dinner for Two$13
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Lunch for Two$10
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Warsaw
For Warsaw, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Lunch or Dinner at Hard Rock Cafe with Skip-the-Line: $19
- Breakfast Market Food Tour in Warsaw: $56
- Warsaw's No 1 cooking class-Polish dumplings with liqueur tasting: $61
- Polish Dumplings Cooking Class: $62
- Traditional Polish Cooking Class in Warsaw: $79
- Traditional Polish Cooking Class with liquor tasting in Warsaw: $89
- Polish Food Tour: $93
- Taste of Poland - Old Town food tour and guided walk in one: $95
- 4-Hour Polish Food Tour: $110
- The 10 Tastings of Warsaw With Locals: Private Food Tour : $117
- EVERYDAY Warsaw Traditional Food Tour with Old Town Sightseeing: $156
- Traditional Food Tour with Old Town Sightseeing: $156
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.Warsaw $7.02Johannesburg $21
Tours and Activities in Warsaw
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Warsaw.
- First Discovery Walk and Reading Walking Tour: $3.23
- Self-Guided Highlights Scavenger Hunt & Walking Tour: $4.31
- Walking Audio Tour of Wilanów Palace Grounds: $5.20
- Uncover Historic Marvels of In-App Audio Tour: $5.32
- Warsaw at War 1939-1945: A Self-guided Audio Tour: $5.99
- Warsaw's Old Town A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $5.99
- Old Town Self-Guided Smartphone Audio Tour: $5.99
- City Exploration Game and Tour on your Phone: $6.45
- Smartphone Escape Game and Tour: $6.46
- Museum POLIN "(post)JEWISH..." - Exhibition Ticket: $7.47
- Self-Guided Audio Tour: $11
- POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews Ticket: $11
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 dayWarsaw $10Johannesburg $4.73
Sample the Local Flavors in Warsaw
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Warsaw:
- The Original Pub Crawl: $16
- #1 Pub Crawl Warsaw with Premium Open Bar: $20
- Pub Crawl with 1-Hour Open Bar: $20
- Warsaw Wine Tasting Private Tour with Wine Expert: $177
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 comparing the travel costs between Warsaw and Johannesburg, we can see that Johannesburg is more expensive. However, the two cities are actually relatively comparable in price, as the difference is somewhat minimal. Generally, this means that you could travel with generally the same travel style and level of luxury in each place. Even though Warsaw is in Europe and Johannesburg is in Africa, both of these destinations have relatively similar prices of travel. Generally, the levels of luxury and expenses are the same for these cities even though they are geographically far apart.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Warsaw Expensive? and Is Johannesburg Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Warsaw or Johannesburg?
Johannesburg has a larger population, and is about 19% larger than the population of Warsaw. When comparing the sizes of Warsaw 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.