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Cape Town on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
Cape Town works well on a budget if you hike instead of paying for every attraction and eat Cape Malay and market food. A realistic daily minimum is about R1,400 (roughly €70) per person when sharing a room.
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | R500 | R1,400 | R4,000 |
| Food & drink | R350 | R800 | R2,000 |
| Sights & tickets | R300 | R700 | R1,500 |
| Local transport | R250 | R500 | R1,200 |
| Per person, per day | R1,400 | R3,400 | R8,700 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our Cape Town day-cost table.
Free things to do
- Hiking Lion's Head for sunrise or Platteklip Gorge up Table Mountain (in a group)
- Walking the colourful streets of Bo-Kaap
- The Company's Garden in the city centre
- Sea Point promenade along the Atlantic
- Sunset from Signal Hill
- Clifton and Camps Bay beaches
Cheap eats
- Cape Malay curry or salomie with roti, R60-140
- A Gatsby shared between 3-4, R120-250 in total
- Koesisters, about R10-20 each
- Fish and chips at Kalk Bay harbour, R80-180
- Shisa nyama (braai) meat and sides, R120-250 per person
Where to sleep for less
Budget travellers stay in the City Bowl (Gardens, Tamboerskloof, Long Street area) or Sea Point, where hostels offer dorm beds and guesthouses cost about R900-1,500 for a double.
Getting around cheaply
MyCiTi buses are the cheapest option for the airport, centre, Waterfront and Atlantic seaboard. Uber and Bolt are inexpensive by European standards and the safest choice at night. For Cape Point and the Winelands, a shared hire car is cheaper than tours.
A sample budget day
- Morning: hike Lion's Head (free), then breakfast at a market (about R100)
- Lunch: Cape Malay curry with roti in Bo-Kaap, about R120
- Afternoon: Company's Garden and District Six Museum (small fee), MyCiTi to Sea Point
- Evening: sunset on Signal Hill, casual dinner on Kloof Street, Uber home (about R400 together)
- Total: about R1,400 including a shared guesthouse room
More ways to save
- Book Robben Island early for a morning ferry; it is one ticket worth paying for.
- Share car hire and fuel with other travellers for the Cape Peninsula drive.
- Bring your own picnic to Kirstenbosch or the beaches.
- Tip car guards a small amount (about R5-10) rather than parking in expensive garages.
- Visit wine estates that charge modest tasting fees, and share tastings.
- Check the cableway's live status before going, so you do not waste a trip.
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Common questions
Can you do Cape Town on a budget?
Yes. Hostels or guesthouses in the City Bowl, free hikes and Cape Malay food keep costs to about R1,400 per person a day.
What can I do for free in Cape Town?
Hike Lion's Head, walk Bo-Kaap and the Company's Garden, the Sea Point promenade, Signal Hill at sunset and the beaches.
Do I need a car in Cape Town?
Not in the city, where Uber and MyCiTi work well, but a car is the cheapest way to see the Cape Peninsula and Winelands.