South Africa is a well-developed country, so you can’t expect it to match the prices of Southeast Asia or South America. Having said that, South Africa is excellent value for money. You can easily save your pennies in a number of ways – travelling off-season, staying in hostels and eating fewer meals out. (If you want to keep a tight-hold on your budget, Trailwallet is a fantastic app to use.) Excluding accommodation, we recommend taking around R420 ($30) per person for a budget trip, from R550 – R1100 ($40 – $80) for a midrange holiday and over R1250 (over $90) if you like to inject a little more luxury into your holidays.
A meal for two can range in anything from $8 – $23. Most hostel type places and backpacker bars will serve you a meal for around $4. In mid-range restaurants, budget for around $10 per meal, and a dinner in a fancy restaurant will cost anything upwards of $20 per person.
Alcohol is great value in South Africa. A beer will typically cost less than $1, or up to $3 if you are in Cape Town. Wine tasting costs around $3 and a decent bottle of wine can be as little as $4.
Hiring a car in South Africa is one of the most popular ways of getting around. A small car will cost around $13 a day with fuel costing around $1 per litre. Also make sure to take into consideration that you will need to pay a deposit of around $500, a contract fee of around $5 and if you aren’t bringing the car back to its original location, a fee of around $45 will be added.
For walking around national parks, such as the Royal Natal National Park, entrance costs around $3. Kruger National Park is the most expensive in South Africa with an entrance fee of around $25. If you are looking to stay in a safari lodge, it can cost anything between $200 per person, per night, to $2000. Tours to townships such as Soweto are around $33 and entrance to a museum will be about $6.
Wages are generally low when it comes to the service industry in South Africa, so tipping is widely expected.
Hotels – R20 is appreciated.
Car guards R2 – R5 depending on the length of time.
Petrol station attendants – R5, but more if the attendant does any extras like cleaning the windscreen etc.
Taxis – tips are not expected, however most people round the fee up.
Tour guides – R10 per person for a group tour and R50 for private.
Restaurants – 10% – 15% in restaurants, 10% in cafes.
Haggling is accepted in certain markets, predominantly ones which cater for tourists, selling souvenirs. However, bargaining is not as commonplace here as it is in Asia.
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