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 Budget Tours to China, The Best Tours for Seniors to China, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in New Zealand, and The Best 2-Week Tours in New Zealand.


Which place is cheaper, Aoraki Mount Cook or Chongqing?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in Chongqing is $89, while the average daily cost in Aoraki Mount Cook is $112. 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 $63
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Chongqing $100
    Aoraki Mount Cook $126
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 $29

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Chongqing

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Chongqing:

  • Dazu Rock Carvings Private Transfer or Tour: $278
  • Chongqing Private Round Trip Transfer to Wulong National Park: $168
  • Chongqing Private Round Trip Transfer to Dazu Rock Carvings: $128
  • Transfer betwn hotel airport and railway station (Chongqing): $116
  • Chongqing Jiangbei Airport Chauffeur Service, Chongqing Airport Transfer, Pickup: $60
  • Datong Yungang Airport Chauffeur Service , to Datong Transfer: $40
  • Private Departure Transfer:Hotel to Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport CKG: $39
  • Private Arrival Transfer: Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport(CKG) to Hotel: $39
  • Private Transfer from Chongqing hotel to Chongqing Train Station : $27
  • Chongqing Jiangbei Airport (CKG) private round-trip transfer: $25
  • Private Departure Transfer: Hotel to Any Railway Station in Chongqing: $24
  • Private Arrival Transfer:Any Chongqing Railway Station to Hotel: $24

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Aoraki Mount Cook

Also for Aoraki Mount Cook, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Private Transfer from Dunedin City Hotels to Chalmers Cruise Port: $45

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 $25
    Aoraki Mount Cook $28

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Chongqing

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

  • Chongqing Local Flavors Walking Food Tour: $98
  • 4 Hour Walking Historical Local Food Tour: $111
  • CHONGQING:Strolling through the city(Include dinner): $127
  • Chongqing City Private Night Tour with Hot Pot Dinner: $158
  • Chongqing Liangjiang Night Cruise Including Authentic Hot Pot Dinner: $183
  • Chongqing Port Transfer Service with Half-Day Tour and Hot Pot Dinner: $193

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Chongqing $14
    Aoraki Mount Cook $25

Tours and Activities in Chongqing

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

  • Dazu Rock Carvings Private Day Tour With the baoding Mountain and Beishan site: $251
  • 1 Day Chongqing Megacity Walking Tour: $75
  • 1-Day Chongqing Dazu Rock Carvings Private Tour With the Lunch: $143
  • 3-Hour Walking Tour of Chongqing Shancheng (Mountain City) Lane: $65
  • 4D3N Yangtze River Victoria Cruise: Chongqing to Yichang: $638
  • 5D4N Yangtze River Victoria Cruise: Yichang to Chongqing: $638
  • All-In-One Chongqing Trendy Spots Private Tour: $220
  • All-in-one Chongqing Night view private tour: $150
  • City Night Cruise and Local Snacks Tour: $218
  • Chongqing Dazu stone carving day tour: $193
  • Chongqing Half day Private Tour With Entire City Night View: $220
  • Chongqing Private City Tour Extention: $220

Tours and Activities in Aoraki Mount Cook

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

  • Half-Day Self-Guided Ride and Wine Bike Tour from Arrowtown: $63
  • Half-Day Guided Sea Kayaking Tour from Anakiwa: $69
  • Mt Cook to Queenstown Small Group Tour (One-Way): $111
  • From Christchurch: Mount Cook One-Way Discovery Tour: $126
  • Mt Cook to Christchurch One-Way Small Group Tour via Lake Tekapo: $127
  • Mt Cook to Lake Tekapo One-Way Small Group Tour: $127
  • Mount Cook to Queenstown Day Tour: $159
  • Mt Cook Small Group Tour from Queenstown with Optional Activities : $159
  • Mt Cook & Hooker Valley Hike Small Group Tour from Queenstown: $159
  • Day Tours from Mount Cook: $175
  • (MT) Mount Cook & Lake Tekapo Day Tour from Christchurch: $222
  • Mt Cook Tour: Finish at Christchurch, Queenstown or Dunedin: $950

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Chongqing $7.09
    Aoraki Mount Cook $22

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: Pinot Noir Wine Tasting Experience: $29
  • Kinross Winery: Valli Wine Tasting Experience: $29
  • Kinross Winery: Wild Irishman Wine Tasting Experience: $48
  • Kinross Winery: Premium Central Otago Wine Tasting Experience: $48


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?.