Which place is cheaper, Cairns or Jakarta?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Jakarta or Cairns?
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 Jakarta and Cairns. 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: Jakarta or Cairns?
Jakarta
As Indonesia's capital and largest city, Jakarta rests on the northwest coast of the island of Java. It is the country's economic, cultural, and political center with plenty of opportunities for sightseeing, nightlife, shopping, and entertainment.
Cairns
Most travelers go to Cairns specifically to visit Great Barrier Reef. The city itself is surprisingly large and cosmopolitan with a population of approximately 140,000. The city's economy is almost exclusively based on tourism, although you will find some jobs centered around agriculture, or more specifically sugar cane, bananas, coffee, tea, wine, and some tropical fruits. The city itself is surrounded by rainforest and makes a great base for exploring Kuranda, with the Barron Gorge National Park and the Daintree offering a quieter tropical getaway than Cairns.
For some great organized tour ideas, see Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Indonesia, The Best Adventure Tours to Indonesia, The Best Contiki Tours to Australia, and The Best G Adventures Tours to Australia.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayJakarta $64Cairns $94
The average daily cost (per person) in Jakarta is $64, while the average daily cost in Cairns is $94. 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 Jakarta and Cairns in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personJakarta $33Cairns $43
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomJakarta $66Cairns $86
Compare Hotels in Jakarta and Cairns
Looking for a hotel in Jakarta or Cairns? 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: Jakarta Hotel Prices and Cairns Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Jakarta $20Cairns $12
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Jakarta
Some typical examples of transportation costs in Jakarta are as follows:
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Taxi to Station$1.09
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Jakarta
Also for Jakarta, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Jakarta HTL-APT (CGK): $21
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Jakarta APT-HTL (CGK): $21
- Soekarno‑Hatta International Airport: Transfer to Jakarta: $29
- Private Transfer from West Jakarta to Jakarta Halim Airport (HLP): $32
- Private Transfer from West Jakarta to Jakarta Airport (CGK): $32
- Private Transfer from Tebet to Jakarta Halim Airport (HLP): $32
- Private Transfer from Tebet to Jakarta Airport (CGK): $32
- Private Transfer from Tanah Abang to Jakarta Airport (CGK): $32
- Private Transfer from Taman Sari to Jakarta Airport (CGK): $32
- Private Transfer from Sunter to Jakarta Halim Airport (HLP): $32
- Private Transfer from Sunter to Jakarta Airport (CGK): $32
- Private Transfer from Sumur Batu to Jakarta Halim Airport (HLP): $32
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cairns
Also for Cairns, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Hot Air Balloon Flight with Transfers: $653
- Cairns to Mission Beach (ONE WAY) Private Transfer 1 to 6 pax: $277
- Cairns Airport(CNS) to Port Douglas - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $268
- Mercedes-Benz S Class Transfers Cairns Airport - Port Douglas : $255
- Luxury Van, Private Transfer, Cairns Airport - Port Douglas.: $254
- Cairns Airport(CNS) to Cairns City - Round-Trip Private Transfer : $247
- Cairns Airport (CNS): Private Transfer to Cairns city hotels: $241
- Premium Van, Private Transfer, Cairns Airport - Port Douglas.: $230
- IMAX Private Transfer 7 Guests Cairns Airport to Hotels in Port Douglas : $225
- Cairns to Silky Oaks (ONE WAY) Private Transfer 1 to 6 pax: $195
- Airport Transfer - Cairns Airport to Port Douglas: $185
- Cairns Airport Private Transfers: $184
Is it cheaper to fly into Jakarta or Cairns?
Prices for flights to both Cairns and Jakarta 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 dayJakarta $17Cairns $28
Typical Food Prices in Jakarta
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Jakarta:
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Dinner$2.73
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Dinner$0.74
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Jakarta
For Jakarta, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Fun Food Tour Jakarta: $30
- Mangga Besar Food Tour: $49
- Cikini Heritage Food Tour: $49
- Jakarta Night Life Tour with highlight and food tour: $54
- Jakarta Night Tour: Guided Sightseeing & Street food tour: $56
- Kota Tua Food Tour: $64
- Melawai Night Street Food Tour: $67
- 10-Tasting Private Food Tour with a Local Host: $96
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cairns
For Cairns, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Cairns Luxury Catamaran Harbor and Dinner Cruise: $85
- Night at the Aquarium Guided Tour & 2 Course Dinner: $91
- Guided Twilight Tour with 3-Course Dinner: $117
- City Sights Tour with Evening Dinner Cruise: $149
- Small-Group Afternoon Cairns City Tour with Harbour Dinner Cruise: $156
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Jakarta $13Cairns $37
Tours and Activities in Jakarta
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Jakarta.
- 3 Hours Jakarta City Tour (Jakarta's Iconic Places): $45
- 4 Hours Jakarta Private City Tour - (Most Tourist Attractions): $55
- 5 Hours Jakarta Private City Tour - (Most Highlights): $65
- 6 Hours Jakarta Private City Tour - (Must Visit Places): $75
- 7 Hours Indonesia Cultural & Heritage Park Tour: $110
- 8 Hours Jakarta Private City Tour - (All Tourist Attractions): $109
- Afternoon Guided Chinatown Tour in Jakarta : $53
- Afternoon city tour Jakarta: $82
- Baduy Tribal Tracker and Village in Private Tour Full Day & Lunch: $130
- Bandung City Tour Mountain Volcano and Hotspring ( Start From Jakarta): $154
- Bandung Private Tour Mountain Volcano and Hotspring ( Overland ): $175
- Bandung Tour : Volcano, Coffee Fields, Hot Springs Water: $119
Typical Entertainment Prices in Cairns
Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for Cairns's activities, tours, and tickets:
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Scuba Diving$36
Tours and Activities in Cairns
For Cairns, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- 2 Day Daintree Rainforest and Chillagoe Outback Tour: $261
- 3B Daintree Rainforest, Mossman Gorge, Crocodile Wildlife Cruise: $188
- Aboriginal Fishing & Beach Day Tour+ Daintree Crocodile Cruise: $241
- Atherton Tablelands Waterfall Adventure from Cairns: $108
- Atherton Tablelands, Waterfalls and Rainforest Tour from Cairns: $99
- Atherton Tablelands: Lakes, Waterfalls, Rainforest Day Tour: $97
- Authentic Indigenous Cultural Tour Including Scenic River Cruise: $92
- Barron Gorge and Kuranda National Park Half Day Rainforest and Waterfall 4WD Tour from Cairns: $120
- Cairns 4WD Rainforest Waterfall Tour Including a GBR Island Tour: $242
- Cairns Aquarium General Admission & Coral Conservation Tour: $52
- Cairns Aquarium General Admission Ticket: $34
- Cairns Aquarium General Admission and Turtle Hospital Tour: $52
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayJakarta $4.23Cairns $13
Sample the Local Flavors in Cairns
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Cairns:
- Cairns Brewery Tours: $139
- From Atherton Tablelands Food and Wine Tasting Tour: $160
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Jakarta and Cairns, we can see that Cairns is more expensive. And not only is Jakarta much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Jakarta is in Asia and Cairns is in Pacific, 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 Jakarta would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Jakarta 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 Cairns would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Cairns than you might in Jakarta.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Jakarta Expensive? and Is Cairns Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Jakarta or Cairns?
Jakarta has a larger population, and is about 60 times larger than the population of Cairns. When comparing the sizes of Jakarta and Cairns, 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.