A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Hat Yai vs. Royal Chitwan National Park for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Hat Yai or Royal Chitwan National Park?

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

Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Hat Yai and Royal Chitwan National Park can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.

Where Should I go: Hat Yai or Royal Chitwan National Park?

Hat Yai

The fourth largest city of Thailand, Hat Yai is a popular tourist destination, especially on weekends and holidays for people in neighboring Malaysia and Singapore. It is best known as a commercial hub and shopping destination, and for its floating market and Buddhist temple.

Royal Chitwan National Park

The majestic elephant, the silly monkey and dozens of soaring birds call the Royal Chitwan National Park home. At the foot of the Himalayas, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is 932 square kilometers of animal and plant life preservation in Nepal.

Once the favorite hunting ground for Nepal's ruling class, the area began seeing the endangerment of all the area animals. So in 1957, Nepal passed its first conservation law to protect the rhinos and their habitat. At the end of the 1960s, however, DDT had cleared 70% of Royal Chitwan National Park jungles, thousands of people had created moved in on the land and only 95 rhinos were left. By 1977 the park was under complete protection, enlarged to the present-day size and is one of the last refuges of the Bengal tiger.

This park, also known as "the heart of the jungle," provides over 70,000 annual visitors with opportunities to get close and personal with animals they've only seen in movies. Fair warning, however, the weather is quite hot and humid for most of the year.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Contiki Tours to Thailand, The Best G Adventures Tours to Thailand, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Pokhara, and The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Nepal.


Which place is cheaper, Royal Chitwan National Park or Hat Yai?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in Hat Yai is $16, while the average daily cost in Royal Chitwan National Park is $35. 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 Hat Yai and Royal Chitwan National Park in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Hat Yai $5.11
    Royal Chitwan National Park $11
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Hat Yai $10
    Royal Chitwan National Park $22
Compare Hotels in Hat Yai and Royal Chitwan National Park

Looking for a hotel in Hat Yai or Royal Chitwan National Park? 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 Hat Yai


Hotels in Royal Chitwan National Park


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: Hat Yai Hotel Prices and Royal Chitwan National Park Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Hat Yai $0.63
    Royal Chitwan National Park $22

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Hat Yai

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Hat Yai:

  • private van transfer from Hatyai Airport to Pabara Pier: $68
  • Transfer from Hatyai Airport to Koh Lipe: $25
  • Private Van transfer from Hatyai City to Pak Bara Pier: $73
  • Private Van transfer from Hatyai Airport to Pak Bara Pier: $73
  • Private Hatyai Airport Transfer to Pak Bara Pier by Van: $69

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Royal Chitwan National Park

Also for Royal Chitwan National Park, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Chitwan to Kathmandu One Way Transfer by Private AC Car : $75

Is it cheaper to fly into Hat Yai or Royal Chitwan National Park?

Prices for flights to both Royal Chitwan National Park and Hat Yai 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
    Hat Yai $10
    Royal Chitwan National Park $9.44
Typical Food Prices in Hat Yai

Some typical examples of dining costs in Hat Yai are as follows:


  • Roti Snack
    $0.55

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Hat Yai -
    Royal Chitwan National Park $9.63

Tours and Activities in Hat Yai

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Hat Yai are as follows:

  • One Way Speedboat and Van Ticket Koh Lipe to Hat Yai Airport: $30
  • One Way Van and Speedboat Ticket Hat Yai Airport to Koh Lipe: $30

Tours and Activities in Royal Chitwan National Park

For Royal Chitwan National Park, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • Experience the ride in Lowlands of Nepal: $62
  • 1 Night 2 Days Chitwan Safari Tour: $118
  • Chitwan Jungle Safari Tour: $140
  • 2 Nights 3 Days Chitwan Jungle Safari Tour : $154
  • Chitwan Safari Tour : $160
  • 3 Nights 4 Days Comfortable Chitwan Safari Tour: $195
  • Chitwan Tour Packages: $200

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Hat Yai $2.52
    Royal Chitwan National Park $6.49
Typical Alcohol Prices in Hat Yai

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Hat Yai:


  • Beer
    $1.64


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Hat Yai and Royal Chitwan National Park, we can see that Royal Chitwan National Park is more expensive. And not only is Hat Yai much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Hat Yai would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Hat Yai 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 Royal Chitwan National Park would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Royal Chitwan National Park than you might in Hat Yai.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Hat Yai Expensive? and Is Royal Chitwan National Park Expensive?.