How Expensive Is Cape Town?

Budget is an important point in planning a trip & most of the people avoid traveling due to financial constraints. But, is it possible to travel to a place on a budget? For anyone who is wondering is it possible or not; this post is for you. Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world & I completed it on budget. So really how expensive is Cape Town? & how much budget you should keep in mind while planning a trip to Cape Town. PS: I completed my trip in approx 50,000 INR.

There are many aspects of traveling, below is the list of things which will cover most of the budget & how can you get the best deals to help you manage the budget.

There are direct flights from all over the world to Cape Town. But, from Eastern countries the best route would be to reach Johannesburg & from Johannesburg to Cape Town, this will save you a lot. Further, always book to & fro ticket this will help you to save extra bucks. There is an article about how to find cheap international flights which will help you to find great flight deals. I booked a flight from Mumbai to Johannesburg to & fro for approx 25,000 INR & from Johannesburg to Cape Town to & fro for approx 8,000 INR.

South Africa visa cost varies from country to country. From India, the price of visa processing is approx 2,000 INR. VFS is a global service provider for processing your application. Check this link to know how to get South Africa Visa from India.

When the most important part of planning a trip is completed. It is time to look to some other points where one can actually save some bucks. As flight tickets & visa process is a fixed cost.

Cape Town in the summer season is pretty costly. However, if you travel in winters the cost of a dorm bed will be half the cost in the summers. This is one of the important aspects that will help you to save some extra bucks. The best place to book a hostel is Hostel.com or booking.com. However, there are many other websites which will help you to book great accommodation. Check this link for the same.
I booked hostel accommodation at Long Street Backpackers. For 8 days I paid approx 4,000 INR which was a great deal considering the location of the hostel. Check the review of the place here.

Most of the natural activities like table mountain, lions head, signal hill, etc are free. There are many other things to do in Cape Town like Cape of good hope, boulders beach, Kirstenbosch botanical garden which will charge some admission fee. Typically, the cost of all these activities will be around 4,000 INR. One can do many activities in Cape Town for all those activities, you can check the link Things to do in Cape Town. But, choose your activities wisely, as this will not only save your time but lots of cash as well. It is advisable to choose activities as per interests & only pursue those.

The best way to get around Cape Town is by MyCiti bus. It is one of the easiest ways to get around Cape Town & apart from this Uber is one more convenient option to get around the town. There are 3 days, 5 days 7 days pass which will save a lot during the travel. There is one option of a single journey which will cost 150 INR per journey. Renting a motorbike will cost you around 1500 INR per day. I rented a motorbike for a day so I saved a lot here. I traveled mostly by MyCiti Bus. If you are in the city the local attractions are at a walkable distance.

There are many cheap options to eat in Cape Town. I mostly cooked food at the hostel, kitchen facility was available which help a lot. Buy groceries from the local supermarkets & cook your food. This will help you to save. Further, if you are willing to eat outside, expect to spend 150 INR for a meal. The cost of a beer can is 60 INR. I spend somewhere around 3000 to 4000 INR in food & alcohol.

So, this is how I completed my trip at approx 50,000 INR for 8 days. One more reason for such a budget trip was that I was not able to do shark cage diving which was my main motive & the cost of doing it was approx 13,000 INR. Because of which I was able to complete my trip on the budget. So, if anyone asks you how expensive is Cape Town? you can share this link with your friends.

Below are the few resources you should check before making an itinerary.

Cheap Internation Flights: Best place to find cheap international flight tickets.

Best Deals On Hotels: Places to find best deals on hotels.

Amazon: Best place for all your needs. Also, find best travel accessories.

Agoda: Best place to book hotels of your liking. Agoda provides the best solution & great offer while booking a hotel.

Skyscanner: Skyscanner compares various sites & sort the flights based on the rates. A great way to check flight cost. Although the only drawback is that rates are flexible. Hence, the cost might change while you are making the payment.

Jetradar: Jetradar is a comparing site which is just like Skyscanner. But, is much more accurate & much more handy in use.

Booking: Best place to book hostel rooms. There are plenty of options available & with so many properties booking becomes much easier.

Couchsurfing: Best place to find free accommodation. It is as easy as filtering people & messaging. If you will get lucky you will find free accommodation in local resident house.

Travel Insurance: There are numerous options available to get one. So, you can choose anything which suits your requirement. Make sure you read the terms & conditions before buying one.