A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Bali vs. Palawan for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Bali or Palawan?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Bali and Palawan can help you decide which place is right for you.

Where Should I go: Bali or Palawan?

Bali

Known as the "Island of the Gods," it's not difficult to see why the Gods would want to set up shop in Bali. With a beautifully diverse landscape of hills, mountains, coastlines, beaches, vibrant rice fields and volcanic hillsides, you'll easily go into sensory overload.

Bali is home to 4 million people who all hold true to a deeply spiritual and unique culture. With champion surfing, world class resorts and challenging hiking trails, this Indonesian island accommodates travelers from every walk of life. It's often called, "paradise on earth, " and no one disagrees.

Palawan

Palawan is an archipelagic province of the Philippines, named for its largest island which measures about 450 kilometers (or 280 miles) long. The island is known as an ecological frontier with plenty of beaches and resorts as well as opportunities to see a diverse array of wildlife and their habitats on land and sea.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Tours for Seniors to Indonesia, The Best G Adventures Tours to Indonesia, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Philippines, and The Best 2-Week Tours in Philippines.


Which place is cheaper, Palawan or Bali?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Bali is $74, while the average daily cost in Palawan is $36. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Bali and Palawan in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Bali $42
    Palawan $13
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Bali $84
    Palawan $26
Compare Hotels in Bali and Palawan

Looking for a hotel in Bali or Palawan? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Bali


Hotels in Palawan


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Bali Hotel Prices and Palawan Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Bali $9.20
    Palawan $16
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Bali

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Bali:


  • Motorbike Rental
    $3.16

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Bali

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Bali:

  • West Beach Nusa Penida Tour with Speedboat Transfer from Sanur: $99
  • Unforgettable Batur Volcano Hiking With Private Transfer: $85
  • Ubud: Sky Bike and Jungle Swing Experience with Transfer: $65
  • The Best Paragliding In Bali With Private Hotel Transfer: $140
  • Sanur Bali to/from Lembongan: Speedboat Transfer: $16
  • Private Departure Transfer: Hotel to Bali Airport: $29
  • Private Arrival Transfer: Bali Airport to Hotel: $29
  • Nusa Dua Departure transfer to Bali Airport International (DPS): $13
  • Ngurah Rai Bali Airport Private Transfer: $16
  • LuxMe Bali Four Hands massage with Hotel Transfer: $51
  • Fast Boat Transfers between Bali and Lombok: $48
  • Denpasar Arrival Transfer: Airport to Hotel: $23

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Palawan

Also for Palawan, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Arrival Airport transfers from Puerto Princesa Airport to Hotels: $7.50
  • Shared Busuanga Airport to Coron Hotel Transfer: $10
  • Private Transfer From El Nido Lio Airport To El Nido Hotels: $20
  • Airport Transfers: $20
  • Arrival airport transfer-Private airport to hotel in central area: $20
  • Private Puerto Princesa Airport Transfers: $29
  • El Nido (Lio) Airport Transfers: $50
  • Private Busuanga Airport to Coron Hotel Transfer: $79
  • Private Van Transfer : From El Nido to Puerto Princesa Palawan: $140
  • Puerto Princesa - El Nido | Private Van Transfer: $149
  • Private Transfers Puerto Princesa To Elnido: $260

Is it cheaper to fly into Bali or Palawan?

Prices for flights to both Palawan and Bali change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Bali $21
    Palawan $12
Typical Food Prices in Bali

Some typical examples of dining costs in Bali are as follows:


  • Coffee
    $1.26
  • Lunch for Two
    $14
  • Bali Cafe for Two
    $27
  • Lunch for Two
    $8.22
  • Lunch for 2
    $9.11
  • Dinner for 2
    $9.99

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Bali

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Bali.

  • Best Romantic Seafood Dinner at Jimbaran Beach Sunset : $29
  • From Ubud: Authentic Cooking Class in a Local Village: $30
  • Pirate Dinner Cruise with Shows, Games, and Music: $31
  • From Ubud: Balinese Cooking Class at an Organic Farm: $35
  • Romantic Seafood Dinner at Jimbaran: $38
  • Seminyak: Balinese Cooking Class & Market Tour: $45
  • Padang-Padang Beach+ Uluwatu Sunset and Kecak Dance + Dinner: $45
  • Bali Street Food Tour: $45
  • Spice Garden, Jamu & Cooking Class in Bali Village, english: $50
  • Bali's Best Sunset: Uluwatu Kecak Dance & Dinner Jimbaran Beach: $50
  • Private Full or Half-Day Authentic Food Tour: $52
  • Ubud: Romantic Barbecue Dinner by the Pool: $56

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Palawan

For Palawan, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Puerto Princesa Fireflies Watching with Dinner: $30

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Bali $11
    Palawan $5.26
Typical Entertainment Prices in Bali

Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Bali are as follows:


  • Spa for Two
    $55
  • Snorkelling Trip
    $13
  • Cooking School
    $28

Tours and Activities in Bali

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Bali are as follows:

  • Lembongan Snorkeling and Island Tour: $80
  • Nusa Penida Snorkeling Adventure (Private & All-Inclusive): $129
  • Sightseeing to Ulundanu temple, banyumala waterfall & Tanah lot: $57
  • (BCR Rafting) Rafting Adventure in Telaga Waja River 18km: $55
  • 1 Days Tour Batur Volcano Various Very Beautiful Tourist Objects: $97
  • 2 Days Private Tours : Watersport And Uluwatu Temple: $135
  • 3-Days Lombok,Gili island Tour Hopping around departure from Bali island: $300
  • 30 minutes tandem Paragliding tours in Bali with free photo/video: $185
  • 5 Hours Bali Blue Lagoon Snorkeling Tour Including Tanjung Jepun: $59
  • 6-Hour White Water Rafting and Kanto Lampo Waterfall Private Tour: $79
  • Adventure Canyoning in Tamata: $247
  • Adventure Rafting Journey With Us! And Ubud Tours : $123

Tours and Activities in Palawan

For Palawan, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • Half-day Puerto Princesa City Tour: $15
  • 2in1 City tour and museum with pick up at hotel or cruise port: $15
  • Coron Town Tour with Maquinit Hot Spring: $16
  • Flyfish ride and Clear Kayak Experience in Coron: $17
  • City tour of Puerto Princesa Palawan Philippines : $19
  • Coron Town Tour: $20
  • Coron Island Hopping Tour A with Kayangan Lake: $25
  • Joiners Puerto Princesa City Tour: $27
  • El Nido Tour D Full Day w/ Beach Lunch: $28
  • Coron Island Hopping Tour B with Skeleton Wreck & Barracuda Lake: $32
  • Coron Island Tour B: $34
  • City Tour of Puerto Princesa: $35

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Bali $3.26
    Palawan $7.52


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Bali and Palawan, we can see that Bali is more expensive. And not only is Palawan much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Palawan would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Palawan and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Bali would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Bali than you might in Palawan.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Bali Expensive? and Is Palawan Expensive?.