A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Chongqing vs. Aoraki Mount Cook for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Chongqing or Aoraki Mount Cook?

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 Chongqing and Aoraki Mount Cook. 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: Chongqing or Aoraki Mount Cook?

Chongqing

Chongqing, China is a large city in central China and one of only four cities in the country that are not part of a province. While Chongqing is famous for being an economically important city, brush away its industrial surface and you'll find a naturally beautiful city with plenty of hidden wonders. Although you'll find many expats in the city, English is rarely spoken, meaning knowing some basic Mandarin will come in handy.

Aoraki Mount Cook

Aoraki Mount Cook National Park is located on the South Island of New Zealand. It was declared a national park in 1953 to protect and preserve the landscape. The park is home to the country's highest peak, Aoraki/Mount Cook. In Maori, Aoraki means, "cloud piercer", and the English name, Mt Cook, refers to the navigator James Cook, who discovered New Zealand in the 18th century. Mt Cook was the training location for Sir Edmund Hillary, who was the first person to summit Everest in 1953. Other peaks in the park include Mount Tasman, Mount Sefton, and Mount Hicks. Not only can you find lush greenery all over the park, but also, glaciers cover 40% of the parks area.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 10-Day Tours in China, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in China, The Best Romantic Tours for Couples in New Zealand, and The Best Luxury Tours to New Zealand.


Which place is cheaper, Aoraki Mount Cook or Chongqing?

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

  • Chongqing Prices
    China Prices
    Aoraki Mount Cook Prices
    New Zealand Prices
  • Average Daily Cost Per person, per day
    Chongqing $106
    Aoraki Mount Cook $124

The average daily cost (per person) in Chongqing is $106, while the average daily cost in Aoraki Mount Cook is $124. 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 Chongqing and Aoraki Mount Cook in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Chongqing $50
    Aoraki Mount Cook $59
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Chongqing $100
    Aoraki Mount Cook $118
Compare Hotels in Chongqing and Aoraki Mount Cook

Looking for a hotel in Chongqing or Aoraki Mount Cook? 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 Chongqing


Hotels in Aoraki Mount Cook


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.
    Chongqing $19
    Aoraki Mount Cook $27

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Chongqing

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Chongqing:

  • Wulong 5-Day Tour with Hotel & Transfers: $687
  • Wulong 3-Day Tour with Hotel & Transfers: $497
  • 5-Day Private Tour with Hotel & Transfers: $497
  • Chongqing Private Round Trip Transfer to Wulong National Park: $156
  • Chongqing Private Round Trip Transfer to Dazu Rock Carvings: $134
  • Private One Way Transfer (English Service) between Airport & Hotel & Cruise Port: $99
  • Private Round-Trip Transfer: Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport(CKG) : $60
  • Datong Yungang Airport Chauffeur Service , to Datong Transfer: $40
  • Private Arrival Transfer: Chongqing Chaotianmen Cruise Pier to Hotel: $39
  • Private Departure Transfer: Hotel to Chongqing Chaotianmen Cruise Pier: $39
  • Private Arrival Transfer: Chongqing Jiangbei Airport (CKG) to Hotel: $27
  • Chongqing Jiangbei Airport (CKG) private round-trip transfer: $25

Is it cheaper to fly into Chongqing or Aoraki Mount Cook?

Prices for flights to both Aoraki Mount Cook and Chongqing 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
    Chongqing $43
    Aoraki Mount Cook $46

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Chongqing

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

  • Qingyu Banquet Experience with Show and Dinner: $51
  • Half-Day Cultural Immersion with Cooking Class: $80
  • Food Tour with Old Town and Magical Night Views: $93
  • Chongqing Food Tour: $93
  • 3 HR Chongqing Food Tour: $110
  • Chongqing City Private Night Tour with Hot Pot Dinner: $158
  • Magical Chongqing Art Performance and Food Tour: $297

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Chongqing $14
    Aoraki Mount Cook $23

Tours and Activities in Chongqing

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

  • 1 Day Chongqing Megacity Walking Tour: $117
  • 1 Day Private Tour to UNESCO Dazu Rock Carvings from Chongqing: $156
  • 1 Day Private tour to Chongqing Wulong National Geology Park: $168
  • 1-Day Chongqing City Private Tour with the Hot pot Lunch: $157
  • 1-Day Chongqing Dazu Rock Carvings Private Tour With the Lunch: $143
  • 3Days Chongqing Cyber City✖ Wulong Karst Cave Adventure: $750
  • 4D3N Yangtze River Victoria Cruise: Chongqing to Yichang: $628
  • All-In-One Chongqing Trendy Spots Private Tour: $220
  • ChongQing Guanyinqiao: A 3-Hour Urban Adventure: $80
  • Chongqing 10 Hour Private Customized City Tour: $161
  • Chongqing 1949 Ticket Epic Historical Spectacle: $41
  • Chongqing Adventure: Underwater Museum,816 Cave&Wuling Gorge: $134

Tours and Activities in Aoraki Mount Cook

Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Aoraki Mount Cook.

  • Moeraki Boulders Self Guided Audio Tour: $5.99
  • Gibbston Valley Wines - Cave Tour : $17
  • Guided Tour with Cheese & Wine Pairing: $21
  • Twizel Stargazing Experience with a Guide (Carbon Positive): $59
  • Half-Day Self-Guided Ride and Wine Bike Tour from Arrowtown: $59
  • Queenstown Sightseeing Tour: Highlights of Queenstown: $89
  • Tekapo to Mt. Cook National Park Day Tour with Driver: $97
  • Mt Cook to Lake Tekapo Small Group Tour (one-way): $98
  • Mt Cook to Christchurch One-Way Small Group Tour via Lake Tekapo: $107
  • Mt Cook to Queenstown Small Group Tour (One-Way): $107
  • Day Tours from Mount Cook: $119
  • Mt Cook Small Group Scenic Day Tour from Queenstown: $149

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Chongqing $7.01
    Aoraki Mount Cook $20

Sample the Local Flavors in Aoraki Mount Cook

Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Aoraki Mount Cook:

  • Kinross Winery: Classic Central Otago Wine Tasting Experience: $15
  • Gibbston Valley Wine Tour - Self-Guided Audio Tour: $24
  • Kinross Winery: Premium Central Otago Wine Tasting Experience: $45


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

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