Which place is cheaper, Shangri-La or Dewa Sanzan?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Dewa Sanzan and Shangri-La can help you decide which place is right for you.
Dewa Sanzan, Japan is a picturesque city in the Tohoku region which consists solely of the three sacred mountains: Mount Haguro, Mount Gassan, and Mount Yudono. The mountains are considered holy to the Japanese Shinto religion and are a popular pilgrimage site, especially since many ascetic pilgrims live in the mountains and are occasionally spotted throughout the various hiking trails.
The original Shangri-La existed in the fictional world of James Hilton's novel "The Lost Horizon." It was a hidden paradise, a place so beautiful that it couldn't possibly exist on earth. The Shangri-La that exists in Yunnan, China today was renamed from its former title Zhongdian in 2001 in order to associate the place with the mystical allure created in Hilton's novel. Visitors come to admire the traditional monasteries and temples set against a backdrop of mountain preserves and pristine lakes.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Contiki Tours to Japan, The Best G Adventures Tours to Japan, The Best 2-Week Tours from Beijing, and The Best Family-Friendly Tours to China.
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Dewa Sanzan is $65, while the average daily cost in Shangri-La is $46. 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 Dewa Sanzan and Shangri-La in more detail.
Looking for a hotel in Dewa Sanzan or Shangri-La? 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.
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Shangri-La:
Prices for flights to both Shangri-La and Dewa Sanzan 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.
For Dewa Sanzan, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Shangri-La are as follows:
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Dewa Sanzan and Shangri-La, we can see that Dewa Sanzan is more expensive. And not only is Shangri-La much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Shangri-La would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Shangri-La 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 Dewa Sanzan would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Dewa Sanzan than you might in Shangri-La.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Dewa Sanzan Expensive? and Is Shangri-La Expensive?.