A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Melbourne vs. Tainan City for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Melbourne or Tainan City?

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

Should I visit Melbourne or Tainan City? 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 Tainan City?

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.

Tainan City

The oldest city in Taiwan, Tainan was once the nation's capital during imperial times and is today famous for its temples and historic buildings which speak to this distant past. Additionally Tainan has become known for its lively night markets and fantastic snack foods available from a large concentrate of street vendors located throughout the city.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Scuba Diving Tours in Australia, The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Australia, The Best Tours for Seniors to Taiwan, and The Best Sightseeing Tours in Taiwan.


Which place is cheaper, Tainan City or Melbourne?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

The average daily cost (per person) in Melbourne is $195, while the average daily cost in Tainan City is $149. 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 Tainan City in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Melbourne $119
    Tainan City $64
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Melbourne $238
    Tainan City $128
Compare Hotels in Melbourne and Tainan City

Looking for a hotel in Melbourne or Tainan City? 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 Melbourne


Hotels in Tainan City


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 Tainan City Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Melbourne $20
    Tainan City $20
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Melbourne

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Melbourne:


  • Airport Bus
    $10
  • 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

Is it cheaper to fly into Melbourne or Tainan City?

Prices for flights to both Tainan City 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
  • Food Meals for one day
    Melbourne $53
    Tainan City $72
Typical Food Prices in Melbourne

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


  • Coffee
    $2.62
  • 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: $49
  • 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: $98

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Melbourne $27
    Tainan City $11

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
  • Scienceworks Entry Ticket: $9.89
  • Immigration Museum Entry Ticket: $9.89
  • Melbourne Gardens Explorer Minibus Tour: $9.89
  • 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

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Melbourne $17
    Tainan City $6.14
Typical Alcohol Prices in Melbourne

Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Melbourne from other travelers:


  • 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: $115
  • Yarra Valley Wine Tour & Lunch & Gin/Beer Option: $128


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

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Melbourne Expensive? and Is Tainan City Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Melbourne or Tainan City?

Melbourne has a larger population, and is about 5 times larger than the population of Tainan City. When comparing the sizes of Melbourne and Tainan City, 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.