A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Mount Kailash vs. Gold Coast for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Mount Kailash or Gold Coast?

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

Should I visit Mount Kailash or Gold Coast? 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: Mount Kailash or Gold Coast?

Mount Kailash

The main point of entry to Mount Kailash is a small village called Darchen. Once an important sheep station for nomads and their flocks, the village has now grown to provide for the pilgrims wishing to embark towards Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar. It contains a number of guest houses and restaurants as well as a hotel where pilgrims must get permission from the Public Security Bureau to make the trek around the mountain. Also in the village are a handful of small stores and kiosks, as well as some grounds for camping. It is about 330 km (a one-day bus drive) from the town of Shiquanhe to the northeast, where Gunsa Airport is located, offering flights twice a week to Lhasa and Chengdu.

Gold Coast

The Gold Coast is one of Australia's premier destinations. Famous for gorgeous beaches, warm weather, watersports, and plenty of activities for all ages, millions of tourists from Australia as well as everywhere in the world flock to this region every year. With beaches, national parks, theme parks, shopping and dining, nice resorts, boating, fishing, diving, theme parks and more, the Gold Coast offers something for everyone.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Family-Friendly Tours to China, The Best Hiking & Trekking Tours in China, The Best Food and Culinary Tours in Australia, and The Best Vineyard & Wine Tours in Australia.


Which place is cheaper, Gold Coast or Mount Kailash?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in Mount Kailash is $71, while the average daily cost in Gold Coast is $98. 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 Mount Kailash and Gold Coast in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Mount Kailash $27
    Gold Coast $55
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Mount Kailash $54
    Gold Coast $110
Compare Hotels in Mount Kailash and Gold Coast

Looking for a hotel in Mount Kailash or Gold Coast? 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 Mount Kailash


Hotels in Gold Coast


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.


Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Mount Kailash $31
    Gold Coast $23

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Gold Coast

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

  • Arrival Private Transfer: Airport OOL to Gold Coast in Business Car: $98
  • Arrival Transfer: Airport OOL to Gold Coast by Luxury Van: $127
  • Departure Private Transfer: Gold Coast to Airport OOL in Business Car: $98
  • Departure Private Transfer: Gold Coast to Airport OOL in Luxury Van: $127
  • From Tandem Skydive Byron Bay with Transfers: $240
  • Gold Coast Airport Arrival Shared Transfer: $21
  • Gold Coast Airport Transfer: Airport OOL to Gold Coast in Business Car: $98
  • Gold Coast Airport Transfer: Airport OOL to Gold Coast in Luxury Car: $127
  • Gold Coast Airport Transfer: Airport OOL to Gold Coast in Luxury Van: $126
  • Gold Coast Airport Transfer: Gold Coast to Airport OOL in Luxury Car: $127
  • Gold Coast Airport Transfer: Gold Coast to Airport OOL in Luxury Van: $126
  • Gold Coast Airport: One-Way Private Transfer to Gold Coast: $73

Is it cheaper to fly into Mount Kailash or Gold Coast?

Prices for flights to both Gold Coast and Mount Kailash 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
    Mount Kailash $24
    Gold Coast $27

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Gold Coast

For Gold Coast, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Australian Outback Spectacular Dinner & Show: $72
  • Gold Coast Buffet Dinner Sightseeing Cruise: $79

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Mount Kailash $15
    Gold Coast $19

Tours and Activities in Gold Coast

Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Gold Coast.

  • Spring Brook National Park Self Guided Driving Tour: $15
  • SkyPoint Observation Deck Ticket: $24
  • Surfers Paradise: IceBar Entry Ticket and Drink: $29
  • Surfer's Paradise Sightseeing Cruise: $29
  • Surfers Paradise and Midday River Cruise: $32
  • Surfers Paradise: Gold Coast Afternoon River Cruise 4pm: $32
  • Gold Coast Morning Tea Cruise from Surfers Paradise: $32
  • Surfers Paradise Sunset Cruise: $32
  • City Lights Cruise: $36
  • Aquaduck City Tour and River Cruise: $36
  • Gold Coast Sunset River Cruise: $36
  • Aquaduck Gold Coast 1 hour City and River Tour: $36

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Mount Kailash $2.76
    Gold Coast $5.19

Sample the Local Flavors in Gold Coast

Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Gold Coast:

  • Tamborine Mountain: Wine Tasting Tour with 2-Course Lunch: $124
  • Full-Day Guided Wine Tour in Mt Tamborine From Gold Coast : $132


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

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Mount Kailash Expensive? and Is Gold Coast Expensive?.