A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Boracay vs. Gili Trawangan for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Boracay or Gili Trawangan?

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

Should I visit Boracay or Gili Trawangan? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.

Where Should I go: Boracay or Gili Trawangan?

Boracay

A small island in the Philippines known for its resorts and beaches, Boracay is a little escape. Each beach has its own unique character, each with new treasures waiting to be discovered.

Gili Trawangan

Gili Trawangan, known as Gili T, is the most visited of the three Gili Islands, located on the northeast side of Lombok. These islands are known for world-class diving and snorkeling spots. It's not hard to see why, considering that any direction you step off the shoreline, there's a beautiful underwater world to explore.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 10-Day Tours in Philippines, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Philippines, The Best Tours for Seniors to Indonesia, and The Best G Adventures Tours to Indonesia.


Which place is cheaper, Gili Trawangan or Boracay?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

The average daily cost (per person) in Boracay is $66, while the average daily cost in Gili Trawangan is $40. 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 Boracay and Gili Trawangan in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Boracay $23
    Gili Trawangan $23
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Boracay $46
    Gili Trawangan $46
Compare Hotels in Boracay and Gili Trawangan

Looking for a hotel in Boracay or Gili Trawangan? 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 Boracay


Hotels in Gili Trawangan


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: Gili Trawangan Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Boracay $28
    Gili Trawangan $2.65

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Boracay

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Boracay:

  • Speedboat Caticlan to Boracay Transfer (Oneway): $81
  • Private Transfer from Boracay Port to Boracay Island Hotel: $59
  • Private Transfer from Boracay Island Hotels Boracay Cruise Port: $59
  • PRIVATE AIRPORT TRANSFER TO BORACAY: $58
  • Departure: Ferry boat Transfer Boracay to Caticlan Airport: $30
  • Caticlan: Speedboat Airport Transfer to Boracay: $34
  • Caticlan: Shared Airport Transfer From/To Boracay: $23
  • Caticlan: 1-Way or Roundtrip Airport Transfer to Boracay: $27
  • Caticlan Airport (MPH) to Boracay - Round-Trip Private Transfer : $53
  • Caticlan Airport (MPH) to Boracay - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $53
  • Caticlan Airport (MPH) to Boracay - Arrival Private Transfer : $24
  • Two-way Shared Transfer from/to Airport to Hotel: $34

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Gili Trawangan

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

  • Gili Trawangan Luxury Speedboat Transfer to Bali: $24
  • Private Speedboat transfer Between Lombok and Gili Islands: $15

Is it cheaper to fly into Boracay or Gili Trawangan?

Prices for flights to both Gili Trawangan and Boracay 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
    Boracay $25
    Gili Trawangan $12

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Gili Trawangan

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

  • Indonesian Food Cooking Class of Gili Air: $33
  • Learn to cook authentic Indonesian food at Gili Cooking Classes: $33
  • Gili Trawangan Sunset BBQ Dinner Cruise with snorkeling: $91

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Boracay $15
    Gili Trawangan $3.82

Tours and Activities in Boracay

Here are a few actual costs in Boracay for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • 2 Hours Boracay Inland Private Tour in E-Trike: $125
  • 2-Hour Boracay Land Tour via Etrike: $32
  • Boracay - Crystal Kayak phot-op Experience: $8.95
  • Boracay ATV Tour and Kawa Hot Bath: $85
  • Boracay Atv Mainland Adventure with lunch: $59
  • Boracay Cliff Jumping & Snorkeling Experience (Private): $105
  • Boracay E-trike Land Tour: $23
  • Boracay Eco-Hopping Tour: $85
  • Boracay Island Hopping Experience: $63
  • Boracay Island Hopping Tour with Hot Kawa Bath Experience: $30
  • Boracay Island Hopping with Lunch+ Atv Mainland Adventure: $57
  • Boracay Island Hopping+ Helmet Diving (Shared Tour): $63

Tours and Activities in Gili Trawangan

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

  • Experience The Gili Fireshow with Cocktail: $9.75
  • From Gili Islands Snorkeling Boat Tour: $15
  • Group Snorkeling Tour Gili Islands Including GoPro Documentation: $15
  • Gili Islands Snorkel Tour - Explore an Underwater Paradise: $16
  • Gili Islands Sunset Boat Tour and Snorkeling: $17
  • Cycling Tour with Snorkeling and Viewpoint: $31
  • Cycling, Viewpoint & Paddle Boarding Tour: $34
  • Gili Meno Horse Riding Adventure on the Beach for 1 Hour: $42
  • Gili Air 1 Hour Horseback Beach Adventure: $46
  • Kuta Tour (South Of Lombok Beutiful Tour): $49
  • Lombok Private Tour Waterfall And Traditional Village Including Beach: $62
  • Mushroom Tour with Jungle Breakfast: $75

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Boracay $16
    Gili Trawangan $3.53


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Boracay and Gili Trawangan, we can see that Boracay is more expensive. And not only is Gili Trawangan much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Gili Trawangan would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Gili Trawangan 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 Boracay would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Boracay than you might in Gili Trawangan.

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