Short answer: On the ground in South Africa, plan on roughly R650–1,150 (about $40–70) per person per day on a hostel budget in Cape Town, R1,950–3,450 (about $120–210) in a mid-range hotel shared by two with a big sight each day, and about R3,850–5,000 ($235–300) in a five-star hotel with fine dining and the top excursions. A week therefore costs roughly $275–490, $830–1,465 or $1,635–2,120 per person, before flights and safaris. For a reality check, Cape Town’s international visitors spent an average of R1,390 (about $85) per day in 2025 over a stay of 9.5 nights, according to Cape Town Tourism.
South Africa is excellent value for travelers paying in dollars, euros or pounds: world-class food and wine, scenic drives and self-drive safaris cost far less than in Europe, North America or Australia. The bigger costs are hotels in Cape Town in the busy summer, car hire for the long distances, park conservation fees, and, above all, private game lodges if you choose one. This guide breaks it all down with figures from official sources where they exist, so you can build a realistic budget for your trip to South Africa. On the European Central Bank’s reference rates, the rand was about R16.50 to the US dollar in early October 2026; dollar figures here are rounded at that rate, and our Money exchange tool has today’s rate.
South Africa daily costs at a glance
These example days are built from the prices further down this page: one person, one sightseeing day in Cape Town. They leave out flights, car hire, park days and wine tasting.
| Per person, per day | Budget | Mid-range | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed | Hostel dorm bed: R180–300 | Half of a mid-range hotel room at R1,800–3,500: R900–1,750 | Half of a five-star room averaging about R4,700–4,850: R2,350–2,450 |
| Food | Coffee and two casual meals at about R150–200: R330–450 | Coffee, two restaurant mains and a share of a bottle of Cape wine: R420–800 | Restaurant meals with a bottle of wine: R500–1,000 |
| Local transport | MyCiTi 1 Day Pass: R130 | Two ride-hailing trips at R80–150: R160–300 | Three ride-hailing trips: R240–450 |
| Sights | Free beaches and hikes, or Boulders penguins: R0–245 | Table Mountain Cableway or Robben Island: R475–600 | Cape Point and Boulders, or Cableway and Robben Island: R760–1,075 |
| Total | About R650–1,150 ($40–70) | About R1,950–3,450 ($120–210) | About R3,850–5,000 ($235–300) |
Sight and transport prices are the operators’ official prices; average hotel rates come from the hotel data company CoStar; hostel prices are from hostels’ own listings; meal, mid-range room and ride-hailing ranges are the typical ranges in our Cape Town guide. Treat them as typical ranges, not quotes.
What visitors actually spend in South Africa
Cape Town Tourism’s figures give a rare look at real spending. In 2025, the city welcomed 1.44 million foreign overnight visitors, who stayed an average of 9.5 nights and spent an average of R1,390 (about $85) per day, or about R13,200 ($800) per trip, a record R19 billion in total. The United Kingdom sent the most visitors (210,932), followed by the United States (167,053) and Germany (161,271). For the whole Western Cape, South African Tourism counted 1.5 million international visitors in 2025 who spent nearly R26 billion, which works out at roughly R17,300 ($1,050) per visitor. These totals do not include the flight to South Africa.
On our Travel costs by country scale, which compares hotel, restaurant and transport prices with the United States (US = 100), South Africa scores 45. In plain words, typical travel prices are a little under half of US levels, the same as neighboring Namibia (45) and below Botswana (56), though above Kenya (31).
Accommodation costs
| Per night | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Hostel dorm bed, Cape Town | About R180–300 ($11–18) |
| Mid-range hotel room, Cape Town | About R1,800–3,500 ($110–210) |
| Mid-range hotel room, Johannesburg | About R1,400–2,800 ($85–170) |
| Rest camp bungalow, Kruger | About R1,500–3,000 ($90–180) |
| Cape Town hotels, average room rate, January–June 2025 | R3,037 ($185) |
| V&A Waterfront hotels, average room rate, January–June 2025 | R4,846 ($295) |
| Cape Town five-star hotels, average room rate, 2024 | About $285 (R4,700) |
The average-rate figures are CoStar hotel data reported in 2025; Cape Town’s average room rate passed R3,000 for the first time in the first half of 2025, up 15.8% on a year earlier. Prices peak in the summer school holidays from mid-December to mid-January, when beaches, Cape Town and Kruger fill up, while the Cape’s rainy winter (June to August) is its low season, with good hotel deals. Kruger’s rest camps are popular with South African families in the school holidays, so book early. Guesthouses and self-catering cottages are good value along the Garden Route and in the Winelands around Stellenbosch.
Food and drink costs
Eating out is one of South Africa’s great pleasures, and very good value. As the typical ranges in our guides, a coffee in a café costs about R30–45 ($2–3), a main course in a mid-range restaurant about R150–280 ($9–17) in Cape Town and R140–260 in Johannesburg, and a bottle of Cape wine in a restaurant about R180–400 ($11–24). Wine tasting in Stellenbosch and the Winelands is a highlight; farms set their own tasting fees. Prices include 15% VAT.
Getting around: MyCiTi, Gautrain and car hire
| Fare (as of October 2026) | Price |
|---|---|
| MyCiTi bus, Cape Town: myconnect card | R40 ($2.40) |
| MyCiTi Day Pass: 1 / 3 / 7 days | R130 / R290 / R420 ($7.90 / $18 / $25) |
| Ride-hailing, Cape Town center to Camps Bay | About R80–150 ($5–9) |
| Gautrain, OR Tambo airport to Sandton | R228 ($14) |
| Gautrain, OR Tambo airport to Pretoria | R258 ($16) |
| Gautrain, Sandton to Pretoria, peak / off-peak | R91 / R73 ($5.50 / $4.40) |
| Small rental car, per day | About R400–800 ($24–48) |
Distances are long: Cape Town to Kruger is a domestic flight, not a drive, for most visitors, and domestic flights link Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Gqeberha and the airports near Kruger. On the ground, a rental car is the easiest way to see the Cape Peninsula, the Winelands, the Garden Route and the national parks, where you can drive yourself on a self-drive safari. Add fuel and road tolls, such as the toll on Chapman’s Peak Drive.
Sightseeing and national park fees
South African National Parks (SANParks) charges a daily conservation fee per person, with lower rates for South Africans and nationals of Southern African Development Community countries. Fees include VAT and change every year on 1 November, so the rates below change during the coming high season:
| International adult | To 31 Oct 2026 | From 1 Nov 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Kruger National Park, per day | R602 ($36) | R692 ($42); child R345 |
| Addo Elephant National Park, per day | — | R565 ($34); child R283 |
| Cape Point (Table Mountain National Park) | R515 ($31) | New rate not yet confirmed |
| Boulders penguin colony | R245 ($15) | New rate not yet confirmed |
| Tsitsikamma, Storms River Mouth (Garden Route NP) | R367 ($22) | New rate not yet confirmed |
If you will spend more than about a week in national parks, compare the Wild Card annual pass. Visitors from outside SADC can buy the International All Parks Cluster card, which covers conservation fees in more than 80 parks and reserves: R4,680 for one person (about $285), R7,310 for a couple (about $445) and R8,745 for a family of up to seven (about $530), as listed by SANParks in 2026. At Kruger’s 2026/27 rate, one person’s card pays for itself after seven park days.
Other headline prices, official for 2026:
- Table Mountain Aerial Cableway: adult return R475 online or R530 at the ticket office (children 4–17 R230 online), valid 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027; it can close in bad weather.
- Robben Island Museum tour: R600 for international adults, by ferry from the V&A Waterfront, about 3.5 hours; sailings can be cancelled in rough seas.
- Pilanesberg National Park: the park’s tariff from 1 December 2025 lists R748 for foreign adults per day, plus a vehicle fee.
Many of the best things are free: the beaches of Clifton and Camps Bay, the Sea Point promenade, the colorful streets of the Bo-Kaap, the hike up Lion’s Head, and whale watching from the cliffs at Hermanus in season. Private game reserves next to Kruger and in the Eastern Cape are the big splurge: their all-inclusive rates, with game drives and meals, vary widely, so compare what is included.
Taxes, VAT refunds and tipping
Prices include 15% VAT. Foreign visitors can claim VAT back on goods taken out of the country through the VAT refund offices at the main international airports; keep tax invoices and have the goods with you. Some municipalities and tourism bodies add small tourism levies to hotel bills. Citizens of the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, Australia and many other countries can visit without a visa for up to 90 days. South Africa’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation, launched on 12 August 2026, is aimed first at visa-requiring travelers; visa-exempt visitors can use it voluntarily for a faster arrival queue.
Tipping is customary: 10–15% in restaurants (check whether a service charge is already added), R10–R20 for porters, a few rand for fuel-station attendants who fill your tank, R5–R10 for informal car guards, and, on safari, a tip for your ranger and tracker at the end of a stay. Our tip calculator does the math.
Money-saving tips for South Africa
- Book the Cableway online. R475 instead of R530 at the ticket office.
- Do the parks yourself. A self-drive day in Kruger costs the conservation fee plus fuel, a fraction of a private lodge.
- Buy a Wild Card for a week or more in the national parks.
- Avoid the summer school holidays. Mid-December to mid-January is the most expensive and busiest time; see the best time to visit South Africa.
- Visit the Cape in winter. June to August is low season, with good hotel deals and whales in False Bay.
- Use MyCiTi and the Gautrain for city and airport trips, and a MyCiTi day pass for busy days.
- Self-cater some meals in rest camps and cottages with kitchens.
For a route that combines the Cape and a safari, see our South Africa itinerary, and for inspiration, our top places to visit in South Africa.
Plan your trip: our free trip planner can build a day-by-day plan for South Africa from our guides, including Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Hermanus, the Garden Route and Kruger National Park. Then use the Money exchange tool to turn rand into your own currency, and the Destination weather tool to pick your dates.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need for a week in South Africa?
Using the example days above, seven days on the ground cost roughly R4,550–8,050 (about $275–490) per person on a tight budget, R13,650–24,150 (about $830–1,465) mid-range, and R26,950–35,000 (about $1,635–2,120) in comfort, before flights, car hire and safaris. Cape Town’s international visitors averaged R1,390 a day in 2025, about R9,700 ($590) for a week.
Is South Africa expensive?
Not for visitors paying in dollars, euros or pounds. On our travel cost scale South Africa scores 45 against 100 for the US, and food, wine and self-drive safaris are good value. Cape Town’s top hotels and private game lodges are the exceptions.
How much does it cost to enter Kruger National Park?
International adults pay a daily conservation fee of R602 (about $36) until 31 October 2026, and R692 (about $42) from 1 November 2026; children pay R345 under the new rates. Accommodation and guided activities cost extra.
Is the Wild Card worth it?
For a long park-based trip, yes. The International All Parks Cluster card costs R4,680 for one person, which equals about seven days of Kruger fees at the 2026/27 rate. For a couple (R7,310), it pays off from the sixth day together in Kruger.
Do I need cash in South Africa?
A little. Cards and phone wallets are accepted almost everywhere, including restaurants, fuel stations and park reception desks, and SANParks parks are largely cash-free. Carry some cash for tips, car guards and small rural shops.
What is the cheapest time to visit South Africa?
The Cape’s winter, June to August, is its low season, with good hotel deals; it is also the dry season in Kruger, the best time for game viewing, though the winter school holidays bring local families to the parks. Mid-December to mid-January is the most expensive time.