Which place is cheaper, Gili Trawangan or Cairns?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Cairns or Gili Trawangan?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Cairns 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: Cairns or Gili Trawangan?
Cairns
Most travelers go to Cairns specifically to visit Great Barrier Reef. The city itself is surprisingly large and cosmopolitan with a population of approximately 140,000. The city's economy is almost exclusively based on tourism, although you will find some jobs centered around agriculture, or more specifically sugar cane, bananas, coffee, tea, wine, and some tropical fruits. The city itself is surrounded by rainforest and makes a great base for exploring Kuranda, with the Barron Gorge National Park and the Daintree offering a quieter tropical getaway than Cairns.
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 Contiki Tours to Australia, The Best G Adventures Tours to Australia, The Best Tours for Seniors to Indonesia, and The Best G Adventures Tours to Indonesia.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayCairns $94Gili Trawangan $36
The average daily cost (per person) in Cairns is $94, while the average daily cost in Gili Trawangan 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 Cairns and Gili Trawangan in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personCairns $43Gili Trawangan $24
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomCairns $86Gili Trawangan $48
Compare Hotels in Cairns and Gili Trawangan
Looking for a hotel in Cairns 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.
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: Cairns Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Cairns $12Gili Trawangan $2.76
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cairns
Also for Cairns, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Shuttle Bus Shared Transfer Cairns City to Port Douglas: $49
- Shuttle Bus Shared Transfer Cairns Airport to Port Douglas: $50
- Shared Shuttle Transfer - Cairns Airport to Port Douglas: $40
- Shared Shuttle Return Transfers (ex Cairns) Transfers Only: $63
- Private Transfers - Cairns Airport to Palm Cove: $78
- Private Transfer from Cairns hotels to Port Douglas Cruise Port: $134
- Private Transfer from Cairns Cruise Port to Port Douglas hotels: $143
- Private Transfer from Cairns Cruise Port to Cairns Airport (CNS): $45
- Private Transfer from Cairns City Hotels to Cairns Cruise Port: $21
- Private Transfer from Cairns Airport to Port Douglas: $109
- Private Transfer from Cairns Airport (CNS) to Port Douglas Port: $134
- Private Transfer from Cairns Airport (CNS) to Cairns Cruise Port: $45
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Gili Trawangan
Also for Gili Trawangan, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Private Transfer Three Gili Island Lombok by Speedboat: $100
- Lombok Transfer From 3 Gilis to Airport or Hotel In Lombok: $45
- Central Gili Island Bus Transfer Senggigi Mataram Kuta Lombok: $16
- Airport private Transfer: $39
Is it cheaper to fly into Cairns or Gili Trawangan?
Prices for flights to both Gili Trawangan and Cairns 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
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Food Meals for one dayCairns $28Gili Trawangan $7.21
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cairns
For Cairns, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Cairns Luxury Catamaran Harbor and Dinner Cruise: $85
- Night at the Aquarium Guided Tour & 2 Course Dinner: $91
- Guided Twilight Tour with 3-Course Dinner: $117
- City Sights Tour with Evening Dinner Cruise: $149
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:
- Sweet and Spicy - Indonesian Cooking Class in Gili Trawangan: $28
- Learn to cook authentic Indonesian food at Gili Cooking Classes: $30
- Gili Trawangan Sunset BBQ Dinner Cruise with snorkeling: $91
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Cairns $37Gili Trawangan $3.98
Typical Entertainment Prices in Cairns
Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for Cairns's activities, tours, and tickets:
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Scuba Diving$36
Tours and Activities in Cairns
For Cairns, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Kuranda Rainforestation Nature Park Ticket (BNP): $43
- 3B Daintree Rainforest, Mossman Gorge, Crocodile Wildlife Cruise: $188
- Atherton Tablelands, Waterfalls and Rainforest Tour from Cairns: $98
- Atherton Tablelands: Lakes, Waterfalls, Rainforest Day Tour: $97
- Authentic Indigenous Cultural Tour Including Scenic River Cruise: $92
- Barron Gorge and Kuranda National Park Half Day Rainforest and Waterfall 4WD Tour from Cairns: $120
- Cairns 4WD Rainforest Waterfall Tour Including a GBR Island Tour: $242
- Cairns Aquarium General Admission & Coral Conservation Tour: $52
- Cairns Aquarium General Admission Ticket: $34
- Cairns Aquarium Turtle Hospital and City Sightseeing Tour: $116
- Cairns Aquarium and small group City Sightseeing Tour: $125
- Cairns Botanic Gardens: Mushroom Photography Tour: $44
Tours and Activities in Gili Trawangan
For Gili Trawangan, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- 5H All Inclusive Breakfast &Snorkeling Cruise on Utopia Catamaran: $107
- 5H All Inclusive Sunset & Snorkeling Cruise on Utopia Catamaran: $107
- Gili Hai 3 Islands BBQ Cruise: $72
- Gili Hai 3 Islands BBQ Sunset Cruise: $72
- Gili Nanggu Day Tour: $80
- Gili Trawangan 3 Island Half day Cruise with BBQ Lunch and Snorkeling : $91
- Shared Gili Islands Snorkeling Tour: $19
- Kuta Tour (South Of Lombok Beutiful Tour): $49
- Lombok Private Customize Tour: $85
- Lombok Private Tour Waterfall And Traditional Village Including Beach: $55
- Private Snorkeling Experience in Gili Trawangan: $22
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayCairns $13Gili Trawangan $3.67
Sample the Local Flavors in Cairns
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Cairns:
- Cairns Brewery Tours: $139
- From Atherton Tablelands Food and Wine Tasting Tour: $160
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Cairns and Gili Trawangan, we can see that Cairns is more expensive. And not only is Gili Trawangan much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Cairns is in Pacific and Gili Trawangan is in Asia, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. 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 Cairns would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Cairns 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 Cairns Expensive? and Is Gili Trawangan Expensive?.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.