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

Should you visit Da Nang or Gili Trawangan?

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

Should I visit Da Nang 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: Da Nang or Gili Trawangan?

Da Nang

Halfway between Ho Chi Minh City in the south and Hanoi in the North is the easy-going beach city of Da Nang (or Danang, for some). The third most populated city in Vietnam, Da Nang draws in crowds with its beautiful and calm beaches as well as its history as a French colonial port.

With beaches, mountains, and cityscape, there's bound to be a point of interest for all travelers. Da Nang is also a transit hub to get to the four Vietnamese UNESCO World heritage sites: Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, Hue, Hoi An, and My Son.

Da Nang experiences wet season from September through March and dry season from April through August with average temperatures of around 80℉.

Da Nang is also known to have some of the friendliest locals, probably due to the peace and quiet and lack of heavy traffic, even in the city.

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 Adventure Tours to Vietnam, The Best Eco Tours in Vietnam, The Best Tours for Seniors to Indonesia, and The Best G Adventures Tours to Indonesia.


Which place is cheaper, Gili Trawangan or Da Nang?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in Da Nang is $46, 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 Da Nang and Gili Trawangan in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Da Nang $19
    Gili Trawangan $24
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Da Nang $38
    Gili Trawangan $48
Compare Hotels in Da Nang and Gili Trawangan

Looking for a hotel in Da Nang 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 Da Nang


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: Da Nang Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Da Nang $11
    Gili Trawangan $2.76

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Da Nang

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Da Nang:

  • Vietnam Airport Transfers: $13
  • Try find better than us! Airport Transfer in Da Nang HTL-APT (DAD): $10
  • Try find better than us! Airport Transfer in Da Nang APT-HTL (DAD): $10
  • Transfer: Center Danang - BRG Golf Resort: $55
  • Transfer from Danang to Ba Na hills get free to Marble mountains: $66
  • Transfer from Da Nang to Hue : $70
  • Transfer from Da Nang to Hoi An: $8.00
  • Transfer from Da Nang or Hoi An to Hue via Bach Ma National Park: $81
  • Transfer between Da Nang Railway Station and Hoi An: Arrival or Departure: $31
  • Transfer From Hoi An to Da Nang Airport or Train station.: $21
  • Transfer Danang Airport to Intercontinenal Danang Resort: $31
  • Tours/transfer from Hoi An/Da Nang to Bana/Golden Bridge: $33

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Gili Trawangan

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

  • Central Gili Island Bus Transfer Senggigi Mataram Kuta Lombok: $16
  • Airport private Transfer: $39
  • Lombok Transfer From 3 Gilis to Airport or Hotel In Lombok: $45
  • Private Transfer Three Gili Island Lombok by Speedboat: $100

Is it cheaper to fly into Da Nang or Gili Trawangan?

Prices for flights to both Gili Trawangan and Da Nang 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
    Da Nang $16
    Gili Trawangan $7.21

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Da Nang

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

  • Dragon bridge show and Da Nang local food tour: $4.10
  • Home Cooking Class: $22
  • Vegetarian Cooking class and Basket Boat Riding: $25
  • Happy Cooking Class in Danang : $26
  • Cooking Class and tasting Pho with Local Girl: $29
  • Vegetarian Home Cooking Class Da Nang: $29
  • Eco Cooking Class and Basket boat tour from Da Nang city: $29
  • Da Nang Home Cooking Class: $29
  • Da Nang Street Walking Food Tour : $29
  • Basket Boat Riding and Cooking Class from Da Nang City : $29
  • Da Nang Vegetarian Cooking Class: $29
  • Making Lantern & Basket Boat & Happy Cooking Class: $30

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
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Da Nang $13
    Gili Trawangan $3.98

Tours and Activities in Da Nang

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Da Nang are as follows:

  • Ba Na Hills & Golden Bridge Full-Day Tour: $93
  • DA NANG CITY SUNSET - Private Guided Tour : $92
  • Experience Hoi an Rural Eco Tour from Da Nang or Hoi An city: $76
  • Full-Day Tour to Discover Hue's Imperial Heritage : $56
  • GOLDEN BRIDGE BA NA HILLS & MARBLE MOUNTAIN -Private Guided Tour: $148
  • Golden Bridge Ba Na Hill-Early start to Avoid Crowds-PrivateTour: $138
  • Golden Bridge- Early Departure & Marble Mountains- Private Tour: $133
  • HOI AN COUNTRYSIDE & MARBLE MOUNTAIN Private Tour from Hoi An or Da Nang city: $82
  • Hoi An Countryside Tour with 3 Villages & Hoi An City Tour: $128
  • HoiAn Walking Tour with RiverBoat-Night Market-Colourful Lantern: $77
  • Hue City 1 Day Private Tour From Hoi An or Da Nang: $130
  • INSTAGRAM Tour - Da Nang & Hoi An city Private Tour ( 11 Hours): $140

Tours and Activities in Gili Trawangan

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

  • Shared Gili Islands Snorkeling Tour: $19
  • Private Snorkeling Experience in Gili Trawangan: $22
  • Kuta Tour (South Of Lombok Beutiful Tour): $49
  • Lombok Private Tour Waterfall And Traditional Village Including Beach: $55
  • Gili Hai 3 Islands BBQ Cruise: $72
  • Gili Hai 3 Islands BBQ Sunset Cruise: $72
  • Gili Nanggu Day Tour: $80
  • Lombok Private Customize Tour: $85
  • Gili Trawangan 3 Island Half day Cruise with BBQ Lunch and Snorkeling : $91
  • 5H All Inclusive Breakfast &Snorkeling Cruise on Utopia Catamaran: $107
  • 5H All Inclusive Sunset & Snorkeling Cruise on Utopia Catamaran: $107

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Da Nang $9.39
    Gili Trawangan $3.67


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Da Nang and Gili Trawangan, we can see that Da Nang 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 Da Nang would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Da Nang 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 Da Nang Expensive? and Is Gili Trawangan Expensive?.