South Africa
How much does it cost to visit Pretoria?
Plan €1172 for 7 nights in Pretoria, return flight from London included, or €565 travelling cheap. On the ground that works out at €136 per person per day.
- From
- €54/day
- vs. London
- 66%
- Best month
- Jan
Your trip to Pretoria
Set the length, the number of travellers and the comfort level: the figures recompute here.
€1,172
per person, flight included
- on the ground
- €952
- flight from London
- €220
- per person per day, on the ground
- €136
InstantTripCost estimate
Full 7-night budget breakdown
Per-person estimate including flights from London, split across the six expense categories.
per person · Comfort
| Category | Budget | Comfort | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flights | €187 | €220 | €330 |
| Hotel | €112 | €280 | €357 |
| Food | €168 | €378 | €945 |
| Transport | €56 | €126 | €315 |
| Activities | €21 | €98 | €378 |
| Misc | €21 | €70 | €238 |
| 7-night total | €565 | €1172 | €2563 |
Flight from London (annual median).
Unit prices
comfort
Enough to check the total yourself, line by line, at the comfort level you picked.
- €8
- Breakfast
- €15
- Lunch
- €31
- Dinner
- €6
- City ride
- €14
- Site admission
- €136
- A full day
Orders of magnitude derived from our measured ranges, not surveyed venue by venue. Prices vary by neighbourhood and season.
The three tiers
What a budget traveller, a comfort traveller and a premium traveller typically spend.
Budget
€48
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €16
- Meal
- €8
- Transit / day
- €8
Comfort
€112
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €40
- Meal
- €18
- Transit / day
- €18
Luxury
€231
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €51
- Meal
- €45
- Transit / day
- €45
Why visit Pretoria
Pretoria is one of the cheapest destinations you can aim for from Europe once you are on the ground. The cost index sits at about two thirds of London's: our measurements give €16 a night at entry level, €40 for a comfortable guest house and €51 upmarket. On the ground almost everything is inexpensive; it is the airfare that dominates the budget, not daily life.
Two reflexes matter before you go. First the currency: South Africa pays in rand, not euros, and the weak rand is exactly what makes the trip so reachable. A card with no foreign transaction fee avoids losing 2 to 3% on each withdrawal or payment. Second the seasons, flipped from Europe: Pretoria is in the Southern Hemisphere, so the austral winter from June to August is dry and sunny, while summer from December to February is warm and wet.
The city, the country's administrative capital, centers on a compact historic core: Church Square, a few national museums in the Ditsong network, the Freedom Park memorial on the heights. You can cover it in two to three days, often alongside a wider trip through the region.
For two people at mid-range comfort, plan roughly €261 a day on the ground excluding flights, a level few capitals offer.
Weather & best time to visit
Average temperatures and conditions by month in Pretoria.
Best month to visitJanuary
Where to sleep in Pretoria
Choosing a district
In Pretoria, the typical lodging is not the hotel but the guest house, a small guesthouse with a few rooms, often with parking and breakfast. Price follows the leafy residential eastern suburbs, quieter and greener, rather than the administrative center that empties after dark.
Arcadia - Hatfield
East of center, embassy and university district, well stocked with guest houses and cafés. Handy and central without the administrative quarter's nighttime emptiness.
Brooklyn - Waterkloof
Upscale residential southeast, quiet and tree-lined, with handsome guest houses. Pricier, pleasant for a slower stay.
Centre - Church Square
Historic and administrative heart, museums and monuments on foot. Busy by day, quiet at night: handy for sightseeing, less so for sleeping.
The hotels we measured
Accommodation picks by price range.
Mbobo Legacy Residence
guesthouse, well rated (8.1/10) from 78 reviews.
Boitumelo Guest House
guesthouse, decent (7.2/10) from 122 reviews.
Stay Arcadia Guest House
guesthouse, well rated (8.2/10) from 86 reviews.
Kniff un Gaffel Guest House
guesthouse, rated excellent (9.1/10) from 98 reviews.
TCS on Lynnwood Guesthouse
guesthouse, well rated (8/10) from 551 reviews.
Koru Guesthouse
guesthouse, rated excellent (9.1/10) from 226 reviews.
40 on Ilkey B&B
guesthouse, well rated (8.2/10) from 281 reviews.
314 on Clark Guest House
guesthouse, very well rated (8.7/10) from 349 reviews.
All observed hotels in Pretoria
24 of 24 surveyed properties shown, the cheapest in each tier. Nightly rate for a 2-night stay arriving 15 October 2026.
| Hotel | Category | Rating | From / night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny Lodge | Budget | ★ 5.5 | €8 |
| Mbobo Legacy Residence | Budget | ★ 8.1 | €10 |
| Boitumelo Guest House | Budget | ★ 7.2 | €14 |
| 1322 Backpackers International | Budget | ★ 8.2 | €14 |
| 329 on 30th Avenue Villieria Drian | Budget | ★ 8.4 | €15 |
| 329 on 30th Avenue Villieria Justin | Budget | ★ 8.3 | €15 |
| Micnels B & B | Budget | ★ 7 | €15 |
| Sunrise Guest Inn | Budget | ★ 4.2 | €15 |
| Stay Arcadia Guest House | Mid-range | ★ 8.2 | €23 |
| Kniff un Gaffel Guest House | Mid-range | ★ 9.1 | €25 |
| Koru Guesthouse | Luxury | ★ 9.1 | €31 |
| TCS on Lynnwood Guesthouse | Mid-range | ★ 8 | €32 |
| 1202 on Cowgill | Mid-range | ★ 8.7 | €32 |
| 40 on Ilkey B&B | Luxury | ★ 8.2 | €33 |
| 360 Eastwoods Guesthouse | Mid-range | ★ 9.1 | €37 |
| Studio's@360onChurch | Mid-range | ★ 9.6 | €37 |
| The Regency Cozy Apartment- 629 | Mid-range | ★ 8.5 | €37 |
| 314 on Clark Guest House | Luxury | ★ 8.7 | €37 |
| Hotel 224 & Apartments | Mid-range | ★ 8.1 | €39 |
| Goodey's Guesthouse | Luxury | ★ 8.7 | €39 |
| Waterhouse Guest Lodge in Waterkloof | Luxury | ★ 9 | €41 |
| Royal Ridge Guesthouse | Luxury | ★ 9.1 | €44 |
| Osborne House | Luxury | ★ 8.8 | €45 |
| All Seasons Boutique Hotel - Sustainable Electricity and Water | Luxury | ★ 9.1 | €49 |
Eating in Pretoria
Concrete benchmarks to set your meal budget, from the morning coffee to dinner.
Eating in Pretoria costs little. A meal at a neighborhood restaurant often stays under €10, and the cheap local staple is the braai, the South African barbecue, found everywhere from street stalls to sit-down spots. The large eastern shopping malls gather a varied, affordable range, handy in the evening when the center empties. Plan around €15 for a sit-down dinner with a drink, double that only at the most sought-after addresses.
Moving around Pretoria
Transit, distances and the smart moves so you don't pay the tourist tax.
Pretoria is a spread-out, car-oriented city, and that is the point to plan for on budget. Distances between residential suburbs and the center are rarely walkable. Car rental is common and cheap, but many visitors rely on ride-hailing apps, widely available and inexpensive: a few euros a ride in town. Public transport exists but is hard to read for a passing visitor. For a short museum-focused stay, sleeping central and mixing walking with ride-hailing is simplest.
Things to do in Pretoria
Recommended activities and tours.
Ditsong National Museum of Natural History
The Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, formerly the Transvaal Museum, is a natural history museum situated in Pretoria, South Africa. It is located on Paul Kruger Street, between Visagie and Minnaar Streets, opposite the Pretoria City Hall.
Museum
Church Square, Pretoria
Church Square (Afrikaans: Kerkplein), originally Market Square (Dutch: Marktplein), is the square at the historic centre of the city of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. The founder of Pretoria, Marthinus Pretorius, determined that the square be used as a market place and church yard.
Square
Freedom Park
Freedom Park is a park situated on Salvokop in Pretoria. It includes a memorial with a list of the names of those killed in the South African Wars, World War I, World War II as well as during the apartheid era.
History museum
Pretoria Art Museum
The Pretoria Art Museum is an art gallery located in Arcadia, Pretoria, South Africa. The museum in Arcadia Park occupies an entire city block bounded by Park, Wessels, Schoeman and Johann Streets.
Art museum
Mahlamba Ndlopfu
Mahlamba Ndlopfu (formerly known as Libertas) is the chief official residence of the President of the Republic of South Africa. The head of government has made it their official home since 1940 and it is located in the Bryntirion Estate in Pretoria.
Architectural landmark
Pretoria Reformed Church (GKSA)
The Pretoria Reformed Church on the corner of Church and Potgieter Streets in Pretoria opposite the Kruger House is a historic Reformed church that was built during the rule of the South African Republic. The then president of the ZAR, Paul Kruger, laid the cornerstone on 10 October 1896, his birthday.
Church
Melrose House
Melrose House is a stately mansion and museum located opposite Burgers Park in Pretoria, South Africa.
Historic house museum
Ditsong Museums of South Africa
Ditsong Museums is an amalgamation of eight museums in the Pretoria and Johannesburg environs in the Gauteng Province. The museums "have diverse collections covering the fields of fauna and flora, palaeontology, military history, cultural history, geology, anthropology and archaeology."
Museum
Van Wouw Museum
The Van Wouw House, was the last residence of the South African artist Anton van Wouw.
Art museum
Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History
The Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History is a museum that showcases the various stages and forms of culture in South Africa. It is part of the Ditsong Museums of South Africa.
History museum
Places referenced on Wikidata. Admission prices vary by season - check each venue's official site.
Paying less in Pretoria
What moves the needle
What each decision takes off the €1172 total, strongest lever first.
- − €574
Travel cheap rather than mid-range
Hostel or entry-level hotel, local canteens, public transport. Accommodation is where the gap opens up.
- − €272
Stay five nights instead of seven
Two fewer nights also removes two days of meals, transport and sightseeing.
- − €140
Travel as a pair
The room is shared, nothing else is. Travellers themselves name this as the strongest lever.
Differences computed from our own measurements, for a 7-night mid-range stay, excluding flights.
6 tips on the ground
- The cost index is about two thirds of London's: on the ground, a mid-range day runs around €60 to €100 for two, excluding flights.
- A well-rated hostel runs around €8 to €14 a night, a comfortable guest house €23 to €32.
- Aiming for the austral winter (June to August), dry and sunny, avoids the summer rains and often lines up with lower rates.
- A card with no foreign transaction fee avoids 2 to 3% lost on exchange with every rand payment.
- A neighborhood meal or a braai stays under €10, far from a European capital's dinner prices.
- Ride-hailing trips in town cost a few euros, often cheaper and simpler than renting for a short stay.
FAQ
FAQ - Pretoria
- How much does a week in Pretoria cost?
- On the ground, very little: plan roughly €362 per person for seven nights on a budget (hostel or guest house, neighborhood meals, ride-hailing), excluding flights. The airfare from Europe is by far the largest budget line.
- What's the best time to visit Pretoria?
- The austral winter, June to August: seasons are flipped from Europe, and these months are dry and sunny, around 12°C with mild days. Summer, December to February, is warm but wet, with over 100mm of rain a month.
- Is Pretoria an expensive destination?
- No, the opposite: with a cost index around 66% of London, Pretoria is one of the cheapest capitals once you are there, noticeably below the more touristy Cape Town. Lodging, meals and transport are markedly cheaper than in Europe. The only genuinely high line is the flight to get there.
- What currency is used in Pretoria?
- The South African rand, not the euro. Contactless cards work everywhere in urban areas, but bring a card with no foreign transaction fee: paying in rand with a standard card often adds 2 to 3% on exchange.
At a glance
Wikidata, Wikipedia and Open-Meteo data
- Population
- 742k
- Area
- 688 km²
- Elevation
- 1332 m
- Language
- Sesotho, Tsonga, Tswana
- Currency
- R
- Time zone
- UTC+02:00
- Founded
- 1855
- Avg. July temp.
- 12°
- Avg. Jan. temp.
- 22°
- Rainy days / year
- 86
inhabitants
Rand
5° - 19°
17° - 28°
About
Pretoria in brief
Pretoria is the executive capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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