Which place is cheaper, Siem Reap or Guilin?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Guilin or Siem Reap?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
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 Siem Reap can help you decide which place is right for you.
Where Should I go: Guilin or Siem Reap?
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.
Siem Reap
Located in northern Cambodia, Siem Reap is the closest town to Cambodia's famous Angkor Wat. It is a comfortable and laid back town and most visitors use it as a base to explore the country's most visited destination. Although Siem Reap was once a quaint village, it has continued to grow and change to meet the needs of the many tourists who visit every year. Siem Reap has become a very touristy town with easy access to restaurants, hotels, and shops. It also has a large expatriate community and the western influences are unavoidable. Although prices remain quite low, they are higher than you might find elsewhere in Cambodia.
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 from Phnom Penh, and The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Siem Reap.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayGuilin $68Siem Reap $80
The average daily cost (per person) in Guilin is $68, while the average daily cost in Siem Reap is $80. 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 Guilin and Siem Reap in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personGuilin $35Siem Reap $51
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomGuilin $70Siem Reap $102
Compare Hotels in Guilin and Siem Reap
Looking for a hotel in Guilin or Siem Reap? 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.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Siem Reap Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Guilin $5.87Siem Reap $8.68
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Guilin
Some typical examples of transportation costs in Guilin are as follows:
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Taxi$2.82
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Guilin
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Guilin:
- Guangzhou Baiyun Airport Chauffeur Service , to Dongguan Transfer: $71
- Guilin Private Transfer (English-speaking) Between Guilin Hotels & Yangshuo: $93
- Guilin Transfer Services: Airport,train station & hotel: $59
- Guilin liangjiang Airport Chauffeur Service,Guilin Airport Transfer: $57
- Four Lakes Night Cruise with Round-trip Transfer: $59
- Haikou Meilan International Airport Chauffeur Service ,Haikou Airport Transfer: $50
- Live Show of Impression Liu San Jie including the Transfer Services: $102
- Private Airport Transfer:Guilin Hotel to Guilin Liangjiang International Airport: $35
- Private Departure Transfer from Hotel to Guilin Train Stations: $17
- Private Transfer from Guilin hotel to Xingping hotel: $64
- Private Transfer from Guilin to Zhangjiajie: $389
- Private Transfer from Guilin to Zhaoxing and stops at Chengyang Dong Village: $197
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Siem Reap
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Siem Reap:
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Tuk Tuk Ride$13
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Bike Rentals$1.91
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Siem Reap
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Siem Reap:
- Airport Arrival and Departure Transfer ( Coupons ): $50
- Angkor Wildlife & Aquarium with Private Transfer: $45
- Border Transfer (Siem Reap to Laos / Laos to Siem Reap ): $250
- Intercity Transfer(Siem Reap-Sihanouk/Sihanouk-Siem Reap): $300
- Kulen Elephant Forest & Tonlesap Lake Include boat /Transfer: $115
- New Airport Transfer Include Angkor Wildlife & Aquarium: $65
- Phnom Penh Transfer to/from Shihanouk Ville by Private Car: $65
- Phnom Penh: Private Taxi Transfer to Siem Reap: $121
- Private Airport Transfer: $25
- Private Angkor Wat Tour with Free Airport Pickup or Transfer: $53
- Private One-Way Arrival/Departure Transfer: $30
- Private Siem Reap Angkor Airport Transfers: $37
Is it cheaper to fly into Guilin or Siem Reap?
Prices for flights to both Siem Reap and Guilin 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
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Food Meals for one dayGuilin $23Siem Reap $15
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$1.41
Typical Food Prices in Siem Reap
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Siem Reap:
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Breakfast for Two$5.52
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Siem Reap
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Siem Reap.
- Apsara Dinner Show with Hotel Transfer: $17
- Dinner Show Apsara Dance, Pickup round trip included: $17
- Apsara show Including Buffet Dinner/Hotel Pick up: $18
- Apsara Show and Dinner with Free Shared Round Trip Transfer: $19
- Dinner Show Apsara Dance Round Pick-up included: $19
- Creative Insect-Based Dinner: $25
- Apsara Dance Show & Dinner with Tuk-Tuk Transfers: $26
- Cooking Class and Market Shopping: $29
- Khmer Cooking Class at a Local's Home: $29
- Evening Food Tour with 10 Local Tastings: $32
- Cambodian Cooking Class from Siem Reap: $32
- Experience Cambodian Cooking Class in Siem Reap: $35
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Guilin $28Siem Reap $30
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$17
Tours and Activities in Guilin
Here are a few actual costs in Guilin for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Guilin Four lakes night cruise with the English speaking driver from Guilin hotel: $47
- Kayaking Adventure with Local Guide: $51
- One Day Private Longji Rice Terraces with Minority village tour: $52
- Half-Day Self-Guided Yangshuo Xianggong Hill Sunrise Tour: $52
- Guilin Classic Li River Day Tour with Xianggong Hill : $55
- Private Full-Day City Tour with Fubo Hill: $61
- Full-Day Guilin Essence and Lifestyle Walking Tour: $69
- 1-DAY Private Longji Rice Terraces and Minority Villages Tour: $70
- 1-DAy Private Guilin -Li River Cruise-Yangshuo Highlights tour: $70
- Yangshuo Old Town and 3 star Li River Cruise from Guilin: $72
- Private Bike Tour: Yangshuo Countryside: $73
- Half/Full day Yangshuo Cuiping hill Sunset Private Tour: $73
Typical Entertainment Prices in Siem Reap
Here are a few typical costs in Siem Reap for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
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Angkor Tour Guide$8.14
Tours and Activities in Siem Reap
Here are a few actual costs in Siem Reap for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Angkor Wat Imaginary Experience: $3.33
- App self-guided: Tour Angkor Thom - Cambodia: $4.43
- City Walking Tour: $6.00
- Satcha: Tour Satcha with Local Guide incl. Free Soft Drink: $6.50
- Angkor Wat Tour by Tuk-Tuk with English Speaking Driver: $9.00
- Angkor Wat: Angkor Wat Highlights Tour with Sunrise: $12
- Siem Reap Motorbike Rental - Temple and City Tours own drive: $12
- Sunrise at Angkor Wat and Small Tour with Tours Guide: $12
- Satcha: Local Guided Tour w/Hotel Pickup and Dropoff: $13
- Angkor Sunrise Temple Tour with Angkor Wat, Bayon & Ta Prohm: $13
- Small Tour Group + Sun Rise 12$ / 1pax: $13
- Angkor Wat Private Tour by Tuk-Tuk: $14
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayGuilin $5.83Siem Reap $11
Sample the Local Flavors in Siem Reap
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Siem Reap:
- Mad Monkey Siem Reap Pub Crawl: $10
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Guilin and Siem Reap, we can see that Siem Reap 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 Siem Reap would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Siem Reap than you might in Guilin.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Guilin Expensive? and Is Siem Reap Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Guilin or Siem Reap?
Guilin has a larger population, and is about 8 times larger than the population of Siem Reap. When comparing the sizes of Guilin and Siem Reap, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.