Want to go to Cape Town this December? Here’s how much it costs to get there

Cape Town is one of South Africa’s biggest December destinations, but getting to the Mother City is becoming an increasingly expensive part of the festive-season holiday.

For travellers from Johannesburg and Durban, flying remains the quickest option, while driving could work out cheaper for families and groups sharing a car.

Current December 2026 fares show that travellers could pay more than R3 000 for a one-way flight, depending on where they are travelling from and which airline they choose.

Johannesburg to Cape Town

There are five airlines competing on the Johannesburg-Cape Town route: SAA, FlySafair, LIFT, CemAir and Airlink.

A live fare comparison for Friday, 18 December 2026 shows a significant spread between the cheapest and most expensive options.

Johannesburg to Cape Town flight prices

Airline	One-way fare on 18 December
SAA	R2 489
CemAir	R2 909
LIFT	R2 949
FlySafair	R2 989
Airlink	R3 359

SAA is currently the cheapest of the five for this particular date, while Airlink is the most expensive at R3 359.

The prices were checked on 15 October and are live fares rather than historical averages, meaning they can change as seats are sold.

Another current fare search found a R2 489 SAA one-way fare on 11 December, showing that prices can vary even within the same month.

Durban to Cape Town

Durban travellers have fewer seats to choose from than those travelling from Johannesburg, and December fares are already expensive.

For Friday, 18 December, the current search found:

Durban to Cape Town flight prices

Airline	One-way fare on 18 December
CemAir	R3 029
FlySafair	R3 139
LIFT	R2 595
SAA	R7 449
Airlink	R4 416

CemAir is currently the cheapest of the fares exposed in the December search, at R3 029 one way.

The available fare data was also checked in early October, so these prices should be treated as a snapshot rather than a guaranteed December price.

Flying isn’t the only option

For families and groups, driving could still work out cheaper because the cost of fuel and tolls can be split between several passengers.

The Johannesburg-Cape Town road trip is about 1 400km one way, while Durban-Cape Town is roughly 1 730km.

Using a vehicle that averages 7 litres per 100km, and October’s petrol prices, the estimated fuel and toll costs are:

Route	Approx. distance	Estimated return fuel	Return tolls	Estimated return road cost
Johannesburg – Cape Town	~1 400km each way	~R5 930	~R504	~R6 430
Durban – Cape Town	~1 730km each way	~R7 110	~R228	~R7 340

The calculation uses the October 2026 petrol price of R30.25/l inland and R29.38/l at the coast.

December’s petrol price is not yet known, so these are estimates rather than December quotations. The road-trip figures also exclude food, accommodation, parking and vehicle wear and tear.

So, flying or driving?

The difference becomes clearer when the cost is divided between passengers. Using the estimated road-trip costs and the current December fares:

Travellers	Johannesburg flights*	Johannesburg drive	Durban flights**	Durban drive
1	R4 978 return	~R6 430	R6 058 return	~R7 340
2	R9 956 return	~R6 430	R12 116 return	~R7 340
4	R19 912 return	~R6 430	R24 232 return	~R7 340

* Based on the current SAA fare of R2 489 each way on 18 December, assuming the same fare in both directions.

** Based on the current CemAir fare of R3 029 each way on 18 December, assuming the same fare in both directions.