Should you visit Guilin or Harbin?
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 Guilin and Harbin can help you decide which place is right for you.
Guilin
Guilin is a city in Southern China situated on the west bank of the Li River with Hunan to the north. Its name means, "Forest of Sweet Osmanthus," owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees located in the city. Products like tea, sugar, and wine, can be made from the tree and are found in many shops throughout Guilin. A popular tourist destination, the city is renowned for its scenery of karst topography with unique mountains jutting out of the urban landscape.
Harbin
Harbin, China is the northernmost major city in the country, with a population of over 10 million. Harbin was founded in 1897 by Russia, which has resulted in a lot of Russian influence throughout the city and many Russian citizens. The city is most famous for their annual International Snow and Ice Festival, a two-month-long festival running from January through February of each year.
Which city is cheaper, Harbin or Guilin?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Guilin is $21, while the average daily cost in Harbin is $49. 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 city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Guilin and Harbin in more detail.
Accommodation
Guilin's average price for two people sharing a typical double-occupancy hotel room is $24. A typical place to stay for one person, per day is $12.
Double occupancy rooms typically run around $38 in Harbin For nicer amenities and a premiere location, you can expect to pay a bit more.
Food
The price of a meal in Guilin can vary widely. However, the average price for food per day is $6.78 per person, and a typical meal will cost around $2.71 based on the spending of previous visitors. Less expensive dining options can be found by eating street food or at fast food restaurants.
On average, meal and food prices in Harbin cost around $13 per person, per day. While this price can vary widely by location, the type of restaurant, and the amount of food ordered, a typical meal often costs around $5.20.
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Food
Meals for one day
Guilin $6.78
Harbin $13
Typical Food prices in Guilin
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Guilin:
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Fresh Coconut Drink
$1.57
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Guilin
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Guilin.
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Half day Yangshuo Cooking lesson Small Group Tour:
$60
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Yangshuo Country Life Experience with Cooking Class like a Local:
$108
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One-Day Li River Cruise and Chinese Cooking Class Tour:
$215
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Full-Day Li-River with the 4 Star Luxury Boat VIP Room and Yangshuo Cooking Tour:
$273
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5-Day Small-Group Yangshuo Bike Adventure with Rock Climbing, Hiking, Kayaking or Cooking Class:
$737
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5-Day Yangshuo Family Adventure: Biking, Caving, River Cruise and Cooking Class:
$868
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Harbin
For Harbin, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
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3-hour Private Food Tour in Harbin:
$100
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Half-Day Private Harbin Beer Museum and Food Tour Including Harbin Beer1900:
$150
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Harbin Dumpling Cooking Class:
$150
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Hot Spring Experience with Hot Pot Dinner in Harbin:
$160
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4-Hour Private Night Tour to Harbin Ice and Snow World with Dinner Options:
$250
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Private Full Day Tour to Harbin Beifang Forest Zoo and Optional Seafood Dinner:
$250
Local Transportation
The cost of a taxi ride in Guilin is significantly more than public transportation. On average, past travelers have spent $0.83 per person, per day, on local transportation in Guilin.
Public transportation tends to be much less expensive in Harbin than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend $1.36 on transportation in Harbin on average per day.
Typical Local Transportation prices in Guilin
Some typical examples of transportation costs in Guilin are as follows:
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Guilin
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Guilin:
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Yangshuo: Liu Sanjie Impression Show with Transfer:
$56
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Yangshuo Via Ferrata with Round way private transfer from Guilin hotel:
$90
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YANGSHUO City to Guilin Liangjiang Airport (KWL) - Departure Private Transfer:
$80
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Transfer from Guilin Liangjiang Airport to Guilin City Center:
$38
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Transfer from Guilin Hotels to Yangshuo Town:
$35
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Transfer from Guilin (KWL) - Guilin:
$81
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Round-Trip Private Transfer: Guilin International Airport to Hotel:
$148
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Private Transfer from Yangshuo/Guilin to Sanjiang and stops Longji Rice Terraces:
$150
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Private Transfer from Yangshuo(Xingping) Train Station to Yangshuo Hotel:
$20
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Private Transfer from Yangshuo Train Station to Yangshuo Hotel:
$45
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Private Transfer from Guilin to Zhaoxing and stops at Longji terraces:
$160
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Private Transfer from Guilin to Zhaoxing and stops at Chengyang Dong Village:
$185
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Harbin
Also for Harbin, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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5-Hour Private Transfer to Harbin Ice and Snow World:
$99
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6-Hour Private Transfer to Sun Island Snow Sculptures and Siberia Tiger Park:
$110
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Full-DayPrivateTransfer to Harbin Volga Manor&Harbin City from Yabuli Ski Resort:
$270
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Full-DayPrivateTransfer to Harbin Volga Manor&Yabuli Ski Resort from Harbin City:
$300
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Group Transfer to Harbin Ice and Snow World plus Sun Island Snow Sculpture Festival:
$88
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Harbin Airport Chauffeur Service, Harbin Airport Transfer:
$27
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Harbin Airport Chauffeur Service, Harbin Airport Transfer:
$40
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Harbin Catholic Church Car Transfer Service:
$200
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Harbin City Car Transfer Service with Driver:
$120
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Harbin Private Arrival Transfer: Airport to Hotel:
$89
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Harbin Private Departure Transfer: Hotel to Airport:
$89
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Harbin Private Departure Transfer: Hotel to Railway Station:
$56
Entertainment
Entertainment and activities in Guilin typically cost an average of $8.91 per person, per day. This includes fees paid for admission tickets to museums and attractions, day tours, and other sightseeing expenses.
Sightseeing expenses in Harbin, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of $48 per day, per person.
Typical Entertainment prices in Guilin
Here are a few typical costs in Guilin for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
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Entrance to the Caves
$19
Tours and Activities in Guilin
Here are a few actual costs in Guilin for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
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1 Day Li River Cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo with Private Guide & Driver:
$200
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1 Day Relaxing Li River Cruise Private Tour with the 4 Star Luxury Boat VIP Room:
$215
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1 Day Relaxing Li River Cruise With The 4 Star Luxury Boat lower Deck Seating:
$215
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1 Day Yangshuo Countryside Cycling and Yulong bamboo boat Private Tour:
$90
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1 Day Yangshuo Countryside Hiking Private Tour:
$75
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1 Day Yangshuo Countryside Hiking along the Yulong river Private Tour:
$100
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1 Day Yangshuo private Day Tour with the Scooter:
$100
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1 day Guilin Li River Cruise and Yangshuo Countryside with Scooter Private Tour:
$175
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1-Day Guilin Tour to Reed Flute Cave, Xianggong Hill, Bamboo Boat and Night Show:
$85
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1-Day Guilin Xing'an Ling Canal Private Tour:
$175
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1-Day Li-River Tour:4 Star Luxury Boat VIP Room & Liusanjie Show-President Seat:
$350
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1-Day Longji Terrace Fields-Dazhai village Tour with the English Speaking Driver:
$75
Tours and Activities in Harbin
For Harbin, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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Hagia Sophia TOURS /Skip The Lines:
$12
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2-Hour Harbin City Tour:
$50
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1-Day Harbin Private Tour:
$70
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Half-Day Private Harbin City Walking Tour to Zhongyang Street and Sophia Church:
$80
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Private Half Day City Tour including Russian Town and Harbin Ropeway Ride:
$90
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Private Customized Harbin City Day Tour by Public Transportation:
$96
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Private 2-hour Winter Local Culture Experience Tour with Ice Swimming Show, Songhua River Ropeway and Walking on Songhua River:
$100
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"Visit Museum of Heilongjiang" - a guide tour.:
$100
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Harbin Ethnic Museum Guided Tour.:
$100
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80-Minute Foot Massage Private Tour in Harbin City:
$100
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4-Hour Tour to Harbin Church,Gogol Street,Hongbo Square and Heilongjiang Museum:
$100
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Half Day Tour for Harbin Guandong Ancient Lane and Wood Sculpture Museum:
$100
Alcohol
Typically, people visiting Harbin spend on average $7.13 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Guilin and Harbin, we can see that Harbin is more expensive. And not only is Guilin much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Guilin would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Guilin 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 Harbin would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Harbin than you might in Guilin.
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