Which place is cheaper, Royal Chitwan National Park or Phuket?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Phuket or Royal Chitwan National Park?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between Phuket or Royal Chitwan National Park, this travel comparison, which includes costs, can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison down below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.
Where Should I go: Phuket or Royal Chitwan National Park?
Phuket
Phuket Island is the tourist mecca of southern Thailand. Known for its beaches and resorts, the island brings in a massive amount of travelers from all over the world, year round. Although the beaches are beautiful, Phuket has also become more westernized and tourist-oriented in recent decades, leaving many travelers to venture elsewhere to find that amazing beach with a more authentic Thai vibe. However, Phuket Island is quite large, and hidden gems can still be found.
Royal Chitwan National Park
The majestic elephant, the silly monkey and dozens of soaring birds call the Royal Chitwan National Park home. At the foot of the Himalayas, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is 932 square kilometers of animal and plant life preservation in Nepal.
Once the favorite hunting ground for Nepal's ruling class, the area began seeing the endangerment of all the area animals. So in 1957, Nepal passed its first conservation law to protect the rhinos and their habitat. At the end of the 1960s, however, DDT had cleared 70% of Royal Chitwan National Park jungles, thousands of people had created moved in on the land and only 95 rhinos were left. By 1977 the park was under complete protection, enlarged to the present-day size and is one of the last refuges of the Bengal tiger.
This park, also known as "the heart of the jungle," provides over 70,000 annual visitors with opportunities to get close and personal with animals they've only seen in movies. Fair warning, however, the weather is quite hot and humid for most of the year.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Thailand, The Best 2-Week Tours in Thailand, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Pokhara, and The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Nepal.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayPhuket $105Royal Chitwan National Park $35
The average daily cost (per person) in Phuket is $105, while the average daily cost in Royal Chitwan National Park is $35. 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 Phuket and Royal Chitwan National Park in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personPhuket $56Royal Chitwan National Park $11
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomPhuket $112Royal Chitwan National Park $22
Compare Hotels in Phuket and Royal Chitwan National Park
Looking for a hotel in Phuket or Royal Chitwan National Park? 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: Phuket Hotel Prices and Royal Chitwan National Park Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Phuket $11Royal Chitwan National Park $22
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Phuket
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Phuket:
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Longtail Taxi (for Two)$8.18
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Taxi from Airport to Phuket Town$6.82
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Phuket
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Phuket:
- Ziplining Hanuman Experience in Phuket with Roundtrip Transfer (SHA Plus): $85
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Phuket HTL-APT (HKT): $27
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Phuket APT-HTL (HKT): $27
- Transfer to or from Phuket International Airport by Sedan: $17
- Transfer from Phuket Airport to Phuket Hotel: $21
- TAXI PHUKET AIRPORT Transfer to PHUKET TOWN (SHA Plus): $30
- TAXI AIRPORT TRANSFER to RASSADA PIER: $25
- Simon Cabaret Phuket Show Included Tickets and Transfer: $28
- Siam Niramit Phuket Admission Ticket with Transfer Option: $44
- Shared Transfer from Phuket to Koh Tao by Coach and Catamaran: $59
- Shared Transfer Phuket International Airport (HKT) To Phuket City - Arrival: $33
- RoundTrip Priva Transfer Phuket Airport to Talang, Kathu or Muang: $54
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Royal Chitwan National Park
Also for Royal Chitwan National Park, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Chitwan to Kathmandu One Way Transfer by Private AC Car : $75
Is it cheaper to fly into Phuket or Royal Chitwan National Park?
Prices for flights to both Royal Chitwan National Park and Phuket 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 dayPhuket $22Royal Chitwan National Park $9.44
Typical Food Prices in Phuket
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Phuket:
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Casual Dinner (for Two)$7.88
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Casual Lunch (for Two)$4.64
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Sit Down Dinner (for Two)$12
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Thai Noodles$2.45
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Bananas$0.68
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Pizza (for Two)$8.18
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Phuket
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Phuket.
- Thai Cooking Class 1.5 Hrs ( 2 Dishes Menu): $36
- Express Thai Cooking Class in Phuket: $43
- Coral Island Catamaran Cruise with Sunset Dinner: $43
- Vegetarian Organic Thai Cooking Class and Market Tour in Phuket: $52
- Flavours of the South Guided Food Tour: $52
- Coral Island & Sunset Dinner by Sailing Catamaran: $53
- Phuket Coral Island Sunset with Dinner by Catamaran Yacht: $53
- Thai Cooking Class in Phuket: $55
- Phuket Cooking Class Thai activity: $55
- Thai Cooking Class in Phuket: $55
- Phuket Thai Cooking Class with Market Tour Option: $55
- Organic Thai Cooking Class and Market Tour in Phuket: $55
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Phuket $42Royal Chitwan National Park $9.63
Typical Entertainment Prices in Phuket
Here are a few typical costs in Phuket for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
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One Day Boat Tour$25
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Scuba Diving (Two Dives)$68
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Thai Oil Massage$17
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Surfboard Rental$8.18
Tours and Activities in Phuket
Here are a few actual costs in Phuket for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- 3 Khai Islands Snorkeling Tour by Speed Boat: $43
- Activities In & Around Full Day Customizable Tour: $90
- Amazing Krabi Private 1 day tour from Phuket by VAN: $218
- James Bond Island Highlights Tour from Phuket with Lunch: $115
- Khai Island Half Day Tour by Speedboat from Phuket (SHA Plus): $61
- Phi Phi Islands Adventure Day Tour with Seaview Lunch from Phuket: $68
- Whitewater Rafting & ATV Adventure Tour from Phuket including Lunch: $118
- Zipline Adventure 32 Platforms + Roller + Skywalk: $108
- 2 Hours Phuket Old Town Street Food Walking Tour: $45
- 2-Hour ATV Tour from Phuket: $77
- 2x Snorkelling Phi Phi, Maiton, Maya Bay, khai islands tour: $58
- 4 Waters Eco Adventure: $96
Tours and Activities in Royal Chitwan National Park
For Royal Chitwan National Park, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Experience the ride in Lowlands of Nepal: $62
- 1 Night 2 Days Chitwan Safari Tour: $118
- Chitwan Jungle Safari Tour: $140
- 2 Nights 3 Days Chitwan Jungle Safari Tour : $154
- Chitwan Safari Tour : $160
- 3 Nights 4 Days Comfortable Chitwan Safari Tour: $195
- Chitwan Tour Packages: $200
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayPhuket $6.35Royal Chitwan National Park $6.49
Typical Alcohol Prices in Phuket
Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Phuket from other travelers:
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Cocktails (for Two)$5.46
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Beer$2.32
Sample the Local Flavors in Phuket
Also in Phuket, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- All-Night Bar Crawl with Drinks & 4 Venues: $22
- Phuket Guided Pub Crawl: $25
- Pub Crawl Tour: $25
- Phuket Real City Tour with Rum Cocktail Distillery: $77
- Big Buddha & The Distillery Phuket: $97
- Phuket Rum Distillery Cocktail Workshop And Wat Chalong Temple : $172
- Phuket Rum Distillery Cocktail Workshop & Wat Chalong Temple: $213
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Phuket and Royal Chitwan National Park, we can see that Phuket is more expensive. And not only is Royal Chitwan National Park much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Royal Chitwan National Park would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Royal Chitwan National Park 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 Phuket would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Phuket than you might in Royal Chitwan National Park.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Phuket Expensive? and Is Royal Chitwan National Park Expensive?.
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.