A Travel Price Comparison for Australia Perth vs. Cairns for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Pacific / Comparisons /
Jump to  down-arrow

Should you visit Perth or Cairns?

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

Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Perth and Cairns can help you decide which place is right for you.

Perth

Capital of Western Australia, Perth is a city that sits where the Swan River meets the sea, and given its ocean side location there is plenty to see and do on the water and beyond. Spend a day on Perth's sandy beaches or get lost in its parks and gardens, sail down the river or enjoy the city's history and culture visiting museums and historic sites, shopping, dining, and much more.

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.

Which city is cheaper, Cairns or Perth?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in Perth is $113, while the average daily cost in Cairns is $82. 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 city. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Perth and Cairns in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Perth $65
    Cairns $37
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Perth $130
    Cairns $74

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Perth $21
    Cairns $10

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Perth

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

  • Private Sedan Transfer from Perth CBD Hotel to Perth Airport: $47
  • Private Departure Transfer: Hotel to Perth Airport: $48
  • Perth Departure Transfer by Private Chauffeur: Perth City Center to Airport: $59
  • Perth Airport Transfer - group booking: $198

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cairns

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

  • Cairns to Mission Beach Private Transfer: $303
  • Cairns to Port Douglas Private Transfer: $252
  • Premium Van, Private Transfer, Cairns Airport - Port Douglas.: $244
  • Luxury Van, Private Transfer, Cairns Airport - Port Douglas.: $171
  • Corporate Bus, Private Transfer, Cairns Airport - Palm Cove: $171
  • Premium, private bus transfer. Cairns City - Cairns Airport.: $135
  • Premium Van, Private Transfer, Cairns Airport - Palm Cove.: $125
  • Port Douglas Transfers between Cairns Airport & Port Douglas (Private Chauffeur): $118
  • Cairns Airport (CNS) Departure Transfer (Cairns Hotels to Cairns CNS Airport): $112
  • Premium Van, Private Transfer, Cairns Airport - Trinity Beach: $107
  • Premium Van, Private Transfer, Cairns City - Cairns Airport: $89
  • Luxury Van, Private Transfer, Cairns Airport - Palm Cove.: $89

Is it cheaper to fly into Perth or Cairns?

Prices for flights to both Cairns and Perth 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
    Perth $31
    Cairns $24

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Perth

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

  • Perth Classic Bites & Local Flavors: Food Tour: $71
  • Swan Valley Half-Day Food Tour and Wine Trail from Perth: $75
  • Half-Day Low and Slow BBQ Food Tour in Perth: $91
  • Perth Swan River Dinner Cruise: $110
  • Withlocals The 10 Tastings: Perth Private Food Tour: $118
  • Pinnacles Sunset Dinner and Wildlife Experience a Small Group Tour: $130

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cairns

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

  • Guided Twilight Tour of the Aquarium with Dinner: $90
  • Cairns Aquarium by Twilight with 3 Course Dinner: $99
  • Afternoon Tour with Evening Dinner Cruise: $134
  • Small-Group Afternoon Cairns City Tour with Harbour Dinner Cruise: $154

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Perth $12
    Cairns $32

Tours and Activities in Perth

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

  • "The Thirsty Three" Swan Valley Private Tour: $154
  • 1-Day Pinnacles and Yanchep Tour from Perth including Fish and Chips Lunch: $348
  • 1-Day Private Perth and Fremantle Tour: $263
  • 1/2 day Swan Valley Wine Cheese & Chocolate Tour Inc Afternoon Cruise to Perth: $87
  • 2-Hour Guided Welcome Perth City Walking Tour: $174
  • 20 Day Perth to Darwin Adventure: $3,279
  • 4 Day South West Australia Tour - All inclusive with premium accomodation: $944
  • 4-Day South West Yoga and Wellness Tour from Perth: $1,430
  • 5 Day Perth to Exmouth Adventure: $839
  • 6 Days Perth All-Inclusive Touring Package: $1,580
  • 6-Day Esperance Adventure Tour from Perth: $743
  • 9 Day Perth to Broome Adventure: $1,513

Typical Entertainment prices in Cairns

Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for Cairns's activities, tours, and tickets:


  • Scuba Diving
    $39

Tours and Activities in Cairns

For Cairns, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • 14-Day Cape York Camping Tour: $2,350
  • 2 Day Reef & Rainforest Adventure: $619
  • 2-Day Cape Tribulation and Daintree Rainforest Tour from Cairns /Port Douglas: $221
  • 2-Day Green Island Cruise and Kuranda Day Trip: $316
  • Aboriginal Cultural Daintree Rainforest Tour from Cairns or Port Douglas: $210
  • Atherton Tablelands Waterfalls and Rainforest Day Tour Departing Cairns: $95
  • Barron Gorge and Kuranda National Park Half Day Rainforest and Waterfall 4WD Tour from Cairns: $124
  • Cairns 4WD Waterfall and Rainforest Tour Including Kuranda Scenic Railway or Skyrail Rainforest Cableway: $166
  • Cairns Adventure Package- 4 tours in 3 days!: $325
  • Cairns Aquarium Admission Ticket: $35
  • Cairns Aquarium Family Tickets: $104
  • Cairns Aquarium General Admission Ticket: $32

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Perth $6.44
    Cairns $12

Sample the Local Flavors in Perth

Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Perth:

  • Perth Bar Crawl: $12
  • Afternoon Swan Valley Sundowner Wine Tour from Perth: $63
  • Swan Valley Half-Day Food and Wine Tasting Tour: $70
  • Sunday Afternoon Swan Valley Wine & Brewery Tour from Perth: $75
  • The Non-Touristy Swan Valley Private Day Trip & Wine Tastings: $81
  • From Swan Valley Winery & Brewery Day Tour With Lunch: $94
  • Swan Valley Sunset Wine Tour - Premium Small Group Tour: $95
  • Half-Day Swan Valley Winery & Brewery: $99
  • Small-Group Bickley Valley Wine Tour: $107
  • Wine Tasting Day Trip and Swan Valley River Cruise to Perth: $123
  • Swan Valley River Cruise and Wine Tasting Day Trip from Perth: $123
  • VIP Swan Valley Wine Tour: Premium Small-Group Wine and Gourmet Experience: $126

Sample the Local Flavors in Cairns

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

  • Tablelands Food & Wine Tour: $233

About these numbers

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

Budget Your Trip

Budget Your Trip has average travel costs for thousands of cities around the world, all provided by other travelers. You can also register to organize your spending by category and location with graphs, maps, charts, and tables.
Sign Up

More City Comparisons
Uluru National Park (Ayers Rock) vs. Perth
Uluru National Park (Ayers Rock) vs. Cairns
Perth vs. Darwin
Perth vs. Alice Springs
Perth vs. Adelaide
Perth vs. Torquay
Perth vs. Sydney
Perth vs. Surfers Paradise
Perth vs. Rockhampton
Perth vs. Noosa Heads
Perth vs. Newcastle
Perth vs. Melbourne
Perth vs. Katoomba
Perth vs. Hobart
Perth vs. Gold Coast
Perth vs. Fraser Island
Perth vs. Coffs Harbour
Perth vs. Wollongong
Perth vs. Canberra
Perth vs. Byron Bay
Perth vs. Brisbane
Perth vs. Airlie Beach
Perth vs. Whitsundays
Darwin vs. Cairns
Alice Springs vs. Cairns
Adelaide vs. Cairns
Torquay vs. Cairns
Sydney vs. Cairns
Share This Page
Pin This Page
Perth vs. Cairns Travel Comparison

Some of the links on this website are sponsored or affiliate links which help to financially support this site. By clicking the link and making a purchase, we may receive a small commission, but this does not affect the price of your purchase.