A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Chengdu vs. Whitsundays for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Chengdu or Whitsundays?

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

Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Chengdu and Whitsundays. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.

Where Should I go: Chengdu or Whitsundays?

Chengdu

Chengdu is in China's Sichuan Provence and is in what is known as the Red Basin. It is a particularly fertile region in China that is known for its agriculture. For this reason it is sometimes referred to as the "Land of Milk and Honey". The Funan River cuts through the city but has almost no boat traffic anymore. The city itself has a wonderful relaxed vibe compared to the rest of China and is filled with green parks and places to relax. It is considered one of the most livable cities in China.

Whitsundays

Just off the coast of Queensland, Australia is a cluster of 74 different islands. These islands, the Whitsunday Islands, welcome over a half a million visitors every year to see one of the Seven Wonders of the World - the Great Barrier Reef.

As one of the most famous destinations in the world, it's not uncommon to see expensive yachts sailing around among the private ferries. Most of the islands are designated as national parks with access to snorkeling and diving in the coral reefs, or just to lay in the sand on the famous Whitehaven Beach.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Cultural Tours in China, The Best Luxury Tours to China, The Best 3-Week Tours in Australia, and The Best Budget Tours to Australia.


Which place is cheaper, Whitsundays or Chengdu?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in Chengdu is $52, while the average daily cost in Whitsundays is $139. 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 Chengdu and Whitsundays in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Chengdu $21
    Whitsundays $72
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Chengdu $42
    Whitsundays $144
Compare Hotels in Chengdu and Whitsundays

Looking for a hotel in Chengdu or Whitsundays? 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 Chengdu


Hotels in Whitsundays


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.


Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Chengdu $6.09
    Whitsundays $58

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Chengdu

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Chengdu:

  • 1-Day Chengdu Layover Tour: Panda Base, city central with Round Airport Transfer: $240
  • Chengdu Panda & Giant Buddha Day Tour With Private Transfer: $240
  • 1-Day Chengdu Layover Tour: Leshan Giant buddha with Round Airport Transfer: $205
  • Downtown to Leshan round way transfer for one day service: $172
  • Private Transfer from Chengdu to TFU or CTU Airport: $171
  • Private Transfer from Chengdu to Sanxingdui Museum: $143
  • Private Transfer from Chengdu Downtown to Airport: $140
  • Private Transfer to Leshan Giant Buddha: $138
  • Chengdu Tianfu Airport Private Transfer: $119
  • Round-Trip Private Transfer between Emei Shan and Chengdu City: $113
  • Arrival Transfer Chengdu Airport CTU to Chengdu by Luxury Sedan: $91
  • Chengdu panda ticket with one way private transfer: $70

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Whitsundays

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

  • Whitsunday Islands: Whitehaven Beach Camping Transfer: $130

Is it cheaper to fly into Chengdu or Whitsundays?

Prices for flights to both Whitsundays and Chengdu 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
    Chengdu $22
    Whitsundays $31

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Chengdu

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

  • Sichuan Opera Face-Changing Show And Hotpot Dinner Evening Tour: $40
  • Discovery more Chengdu evening food tour with locals : $55
  • Eat with Locals Chengdu Dinner Tour : $61
  • Tuktuk Food Tour Through Chengdu's Local Eats: $69
  • Half-Day Professional Mapo Tofu Cooking Class with Local Spice Market Visit: $69
  • Half Day Chengdu Tofu Making Class with Mapo Tofu Cooking: $72
  • Half day Sichuan Cuisine Cooking Class Tour(Cooking 3 dishes): $75
  • Half-Day Chengdu Cooking Class with Local Market Visit: $75
  • Chengdu Evening Food Tour: $76
  • Tuk Tuk Food Tour with Unlimited Beer and Soda: $79
  • Half-Day Chinese Bun Cooking Class with Local Spice Market Visit: $80
  • Spicy Local Food Tour through Chengdu: $80

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Whitsundays

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

  • Hamilton Island: Whitsundays Sunset BBQ Dinner Cruise: $102

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Chengdu $16
    Whitsundays $26

Tours and Activities in Chengdu

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

  • Chengdu Leshan Buddha and Drop off off Railway Station Day Tour: $226
  • Chengdu Private Day Tour to the Leshan Giant Buddha and Huanglongxi Old Town: $248
  • Chinese Traditional Massage Experience In Chengdu: $90
  • Private Chengdu Panda Base and Sichuan Cuisine Museum Day Tour: $120
  • Private Chengdu day Tour of panda base with Leshan giant Buddha: $298
  • Private Full Day Chengdu Panda Base and Jinsha Site Museum Tour: $136
  • Private Leshan Buddha Day Tour with Local Market visiting: $160
  • 1 Day Wolong Panda Nature Reserve Tour: $218
  • 1 day Chengdu City Highlights Mini Group tour: $102
  • 1-Day Chengdu Ancient History and Culture City Tour: $179
  • 1-Day Chengdu Cultural Discovery:Jinsha,Shu Brocade Museum & Dufu Cottage Tour : $189
  • 1-Day Chengdu Leshan Giant Buddha Private Tour With the Lunch and Boat tour: $242

Tours and Activities in Whitsundays

Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Whitsundays.

  • Airlie Beach: Whitsundays Full-Day Camira Sailing Adventure: $163
  • Airlie Beach: Private Guided 2-Night Yacht Sailing Cruise: $5,159

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Chengdu $4.04
    Whitsundays $13


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

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