Which place is cheaper, Bonaire or Melbourne?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Melbourne or Bonaire?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Melbourne or Bonaire? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Melbourne or Bonaire?
Melbourne
Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia, after Sydney. It is also the capital city of the state of Victoria, in southeastern Australia. Melbourne is arguably the best city to experience culture and the arts in Australia. There is a friendly rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney over livability and popularity and Melbourne is definitely the city to visit for its parks, shopping, restaurants, galleries and theaters. Like Sydney, it is situated on the water, at the head of Port Phillip Bay. It's a beautiful city, and although it lacks the major sights that you'll find in Sydney such as the Sydney Opera House or the Harbour Bridge, you will never find yourself lacking for entertainment. It is also a wonderful base for exploring many of the nearby highlights, including Grampians National Park, The Great Ocean Road, and Phillip Island where you can view the penguin parade.
Bonaire
An island municipality of the Netherlands, Bonaire resides in the Caribbean, east of Central America and north of Venezuela. It is a part of the ABC Islands together with Aruba and Curaçao, and is best known as a tropical vacation destination with many great dive spots, beaches, lagoons, and wildlife.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Scuba Diving Tours in Australia, and The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Australia.
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Melbourne Prices
Australia PricesBonaire Prices
Caribbean Netherlands Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMelbourne $195Bonaire $299
The average daily cost (per person) in Melbourne is $195, while the average daily cost in Bonaire is $299. 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 Melbourne and Bonaire in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMelbourne $119Bonaire $155
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMelbourne $238Bonaire $310
Compare Hotels in Melbourne and Bonaire
Looking for a hotel in Melbourne or Bonaire? 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: Melbourne Hotel Prices and Bonaire Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Melbourne $20Bonaire $65
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Melbourne
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Melbourne:
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Airport Bus$10
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Tram Ride$2.49
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Melbourne
Also for Melbourne, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Melbourne Airport: Express Bus Transfer to/from City Center: $16
- Express Bus Transfer to or from Melbourne City Center: $19
- Melbourne CBD to Melbourne Airport Private Transfer 4 or more: $32
- Melbourne Airport(Tullamarine): Shared Transfer to Melbourne: $32
- MEL Airport to CBD Private transfers 4 or more: $33
- Melbourne (Tullamarine) Airport: Shared Transfer to Melbourne: $33
- MEL Airport to City Centre Private Transfer: $40
- Melbourne Airport Private Transfer to City: $44
- Transfer Melbourne Airport MEL to City Centre/St Kilda/Hawthorne: $45
- Airport to City Private Transfer (One-way): $66
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service Melbourne HTL-APT (MEL): $69
- Private Car Transfer Melbourne Airport To CBD: $80
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Bonaire
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Bonaire:
- Private Transfers between Bonaire airport and any local address : $40
- Private Transfer from Kralendijk Port to Bonaire Airport (BON): $59
- Private Transfer from Kralendijk Cruise Port to Kralendijk city : $59
- Airport Transfer Return Included: $80
Is it cheaper to fly into Melbourne or Bonaire?
Prices for flights to both Bonaire and Melbourne 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 dayMelbourne $53Bonaire $101
Typical Food Prices in Melbourne
For Melbourne, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Coffee$2.62
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Pizza$4.58
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Melbourne
For Melbourne, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Melbourne Flavors: Queen Victoria Market Food Tour: $40
- Multicultural Markets Food Tour – Melbourne’s Global Tastes: $51
- Queen Victoria Market: 'Flavours of Australia' Food Tour: $52
- Queen Victoria Market Early Access Food Tour: $53
- Eynesbury Homestead Dinner and Ghost Tour: $54
- Inner North Street Food Tour: $72
- Sunset Kayak Tour with Dinner: $79
- Melbourne Sunset Kayaking Experience with Dinner: $81
- Melbourne Private Multicultural Markets Food Tour: $86
- Best of Little Italy Dinner Tour: $92
- Carlton a Little Italy Dinner Tour: $93
- Chinese Dumpling Cooking Class with a Drink: $99
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Bonaire
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Bonaire.
- Dinner at Sea: $95
- Discover the Flavors of Bonaire with the Bonaire Snack Food Tour: $130
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Melbourne $27Bonaire $40
Tours and Activities in Melbourne
For Melbourne, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Melbourne Scavenger Hunt and Highlights Self-Guided Tour: $4.81
- Melbourne (St Kilda) Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $6.41
- Melbourne City Centre Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $6.45
- Melbourne Vampire Quest: Self-Guided Gothic Adventure: $7.20
- Melbourne Self Guided Audio Experience: $9.00
- Immigration Museum Entry Ticket: $9.92
- Melbourne Gardens Explorer Minibus Tour: $9.92
- Scienceworks Entry Ticket: $9.92
- Questo Self-guided Haunted Melbourne Walking Tour: $11
- Melbourne Museum Entry Ticket: $12
- Upside Down House Photo Experience in Australia: $13
- Melbourne Museum Entry Ticket: $13
Tours and Activities in Bonaire
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Bonaire are as follows:
- 2 Hours Private Kitesurfing Adventure: $265
- 4 Hours Open Air Party Bus Tour with Beach Stop in Caribbean: $39
- 4 hour Individual Island Tour for 1 to 12 persons: $180
- Aquaspace Sunset Sail and Snorkel Tour on Bonaire with Diner: $130
- Bonaire Cave Tour: Walk, Climb & Swim: $75
- Bonaire CaveTour Climb, Snorkel & Explore the Hidden Gems : $83
- Bonaire Essentials Island Tour: $49
- Bonaire Landsailing Adventures: $79
- Bonaire Shore Excursion: The Bonaire Highlights Tour: $83
- Bonaire island adventure: $110
- Discover Scuba Diving Experience: $164
- North & South Highlights Guided Group Tour: $100
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMelbourne $17Bonaire $33
Typical Alcohol Prices in Melbourne
Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Melbourne from other travelers:
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Bottle of Wine$5.07
Sample the Local Flavors in Melbourne
Also in Melbourne, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Melbourne Christmas Bar Crawl: $15
- Melbourne Pub Crawl (Batmania Tours): $19
- Weekly Bar Crawl: 5 Free shots, Club Entry: $20
- Melbourne Halloween Bar Crawl: $24
- Spirits and Ales Haunted Pub Walking Tour: $26
- MELBOURNE Spirits and Ales Haunted Pub Tour: $26
- Melbourne Music Venue Pub Crawl with History + 2 Free Drinks: $26
- Laid back, Yarra Valley Wine Tour: Wine, Cider, Gin, Beer + Choc: $87
- New Chocolate and wine tasting tour in the Yarra Valley: $89
- Cruise Ship Friendly Yarra Valley Wine Tour with Port Pickup: $114
- Yarra Valley: Bus Wine Tour with Lunch and a Glass of Wine: $116
- Yarra Valley Wine Tour & Lunch & Gin/Beer Option: $129
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Melbourne and Bonaire, we can see that Bonaire is more expensive. And not only is Melbourne much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Melbourne is in Pacific and Bonaire is in Caribbean Islands, 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 Melbourne would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Melbourne 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 Bonaire would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Bonaire than you might in Melbourne.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Melbourne Expensive? and Is Bonaire Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Melbourne or Bonaire?
Melbourne has a larger population, and is about 280 times larger than the population of Bonaire. When comparing the sizes of Melbourne and Bonaire, 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.