Which place is cheaper, Taupo or Mount Kailash?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
Should I visit Mount Kailash or Taupo? 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.
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.
Taupo is a town located in the center of the North Island, situated on the shores of Lake Taupo, which is New Zealand's largest lake. It is also the caldera of the Taupo Volcano. It has a population of 23,700 people and is visited by many people interested in fishing, boating, and other water activities. There are many hiking and biking trails that take you around the water as well.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Family-Friendly Tours to China, The Best Hiking & Trekking Tours in China, The Best G Adventures Tours to New Zealand, and The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Auckland.
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 Taupo is $107. 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 Taupo in more detail.
Looking for a hotel in Mount Kailash or Taupo? 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.
Prices for flights to both Taupo 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.
Here are a few typical costs in Taupo for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
Here are a few actual costs in Taupo for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Taupo from other travelers:
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Mount Kailash and Taupo, we can see that Taupo 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 Taupo 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 Taupo would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Taupo 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 Taupo Expensive?.