Cape Town is a bargain

If you thought paying R20 for a small bottle of still water was expensive, you were wrong.

A survey by global travel website Trip Advisor found that four-star hotels in Cape Town are among the cheapest in the world for room service.

The research included the cost of a club sandwich, bottled water, a mini bottle of vodka, peanuts, a can of cool drink and dry cleaning one shirt.

The annual survey, the third one of its kind, compared the cost of in-room amenities in 62 popular cities around the world. Cape Town was the only South African city included.

Mother City hotels charge on average $1.87 (R20) for a bottle of water from the minibar. The average in Oslo, Norway, is a jaw-dropping $7.43.

Cape Town's $7.07 charge to have a shirt dry-cleaned is a doddle compared to the $22.75 it will set you back in Olso.

And while a mini bottle of vodka costs an average of $2.31 at a Cape Town five-star hotel, the most expensive city surveyed was Seoul at $9.90.

The survey found that Helsinki, Finland, was the most expensive international spot for room service. At $88.94, it is about four times more than Tunis, Tunisia ($18.41).

Cape Town's total room rate was found to be the fourth-cheapest of all cities surveyed, at $119.54, coming in behind Jakarta, Indonesia ($90.81), Hanoi in Vietnam ($98.98) and Budapest, Hungary ($109.58).

Media manager for the City of of Cape Town Priya Reddy said the city was proud of the survey findings. "We will continue to offer value for money to local and international tourists," she said.