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

Should you visit Haifa or Gili Trawangan?

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 Haifa and Gili Trawangan. 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: Haifa or Gili Trawangan?

Haifa

Located on the northern Mediterranean coast of Israel, Haifa is Israel's third largest city. It is also a beautiful and strategically located city near the border with Lebanon. The population of Haifa, which is approximately 300,000, is surprisingly diverse. There are Jews, Muslim, and Christian Arabs throughout the city. While Haifa is an industrial city with a strong work ethic and a good job base, it is also a beautiful city with many gardens and a stunning coastline. Today the job base has increasingly become technology based with some large companies such as Google and Microsoft offering employment in the area. Haifa University is also the country's top technology university.

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 Sightseeing Tours in Israel, The Best Cultural Tours in Israel, The Best Tours for Seniors to Indonesia, and The Best G Adventures Tours to Indonesia.


Which place is cheaper, Gili Trawangan or Haifa?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in Haifa is $123, 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 Haifa and Gili Trawangan in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Haifa $74
    Gili Trawangan $24
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Haifa $148
    Gili Trawangan $48
Compare Hotels in Haifa and Gili Trawangan

Looking for a hotel in Haifa 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 Haifa


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: Haifa Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Haifa $4.93
    Gili Trawangan $2.76

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Haifa

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

  • Transfers all over the Holyland: Haifa, TLV, Airport, JLM, Jordan: $195
  • Private Transfer from Haifa Cruise Port to Tel Aviv City: $173
  • Private Transfer from Haifa Cruise Port to Tel Aviv Airport (TLV): $173

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Gili Trawangan

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

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

Is it cheaper to fly into Haifa or Gili Trawangan?

Prices for flights to both Gili Trawangan and Haifa 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
    Haifa $44
    Gili Trawangan $7.21
Typical Food Prices in Haifa

For Haifa, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:


  • Dinner
    $27

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.
    Haifa $5.68
    Gili Trawangan $3.98

Tours and Activities in Haifa

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

  • Romantic Walking Tour In Haifa for Couples: $290
  • Caesarea, Haifa, Acre, Rosh Hanikra Private Day Tour: $700
  • Christianity Day Tour: Haifa Port to Nazareth and Sea of Galilee : $295
  • From Tel Aviv: Caesarea, Haifa & Akko Guided Tour: $1,300
  • From Tel Aviv: Northern Israel Coast Private Tour: $999
  • Full Day Tour to Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee: $290
  • Haifa Port Shore Excursion: Nazareth and Sea of Galilee Day Tour from Haifa Port: $120
  • Haifa Port: Full-Day Christianity Cruise to Galilee: $388
  • Haifa Private Tour: $160
  • Haifa, Acre & Rosh Anikra Grottos Haifa Port FullDay Shared Tour: $231
  • Haifa, Acre and Rosh Anikra for Cruises with Licensed Guide: $405
  • Jerusalem & Bethlehem Tour from Haifa Port 2024 - Small Group: $255

Tours and Activities in Gili Trawangan

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

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

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Haifa $13
    Gili Trawangan $3.67


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Haifa and Gili Trawangan, we can see that Haifa is more expensive. And not only is Gili Trawangan much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Haifa is in Middle East and Gili Trawangan is in Asia, 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 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 Haifa would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Haifa 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 Haifa Expensive? and Is Gili Trawangan Expensive?.