A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Puerto Princesa vs. Te Anau for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Puerto Princesa or Te Anau?

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

Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Puerto Princesa and Te Anau can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.

Where Should I go: Puerto Princesa or Te Anau?

Puerto Princesa

The island of Palawan is known the Philippines' last frontier and its capital, Puerto Princesa, is considered the greenest city in the Philippines. With plenty of land that has yet to be explored and inundated with tourists, Puerto Princesa, also known as "The City of the Living God," is a nature buff's dream. Whether you want to swim with starfish, walk among the mangrove treetops, or visit the world's largest saltwater crocodile at the Palawan Nature Conservation Center, Puerto Princesa and its surrounding area offers plenty of opportunities to get into the great wide open.

Te Anau

Te Anau is a town on the South Island of New Zealand, best-known as a gateway to Fiordland National Park and Milford Sound. The region is a major destination for ecotourism as it is home to rare species like the endangered flightless takahe bird and natural features like caves, waterfalls, forests, lakes, glacial valleys, and mountains.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Philippines, The Best 2-Week Tours in Philippines, Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in New Zealand, and The Best Adventure Tours to New Zealand.


Which place is cheaper, Te Anau or Puerto Princesa?

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 Puerto Princesa is $86, while the average daily cost in Te Anau is $118. 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 Puerto Princesa and Te Anau in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Puerto Princesa $24
    Te Anau $44
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Puerto Princesa $48
    Te Anau $88
Compare Hotels in Puerto Princesa and Te Anau

Looking for a hotel in Puerto Princesa or Te Anau? 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 Puerto Princesa


Hotels in Te Anau


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: Puerto Princesa Hotel Prices and Te Anau Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Puerto Princesa $51
    Te Anau $27

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Puerto Princesa

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

  • Transfer to/from Puerto Princesa and El Nido: $17
  • Transfer between Puerto Princesa and El Nido: $18
  • Shared Transfer Puerto Princesa/Port Barton: $17
  • Puerto Princesa:El Nido – Shared Van Transfer: $14
  • Van Transfers to/from Sabang or Astoria: $116
  • Transfers to/from Port Barton: $14
  • Shared Airport Transfers to/from hotel: $7.11
  • Relaxing Massage with optional transfers: $23
  • Private Airport Transfers to/from hotel: $21
  • One-Way Transfer To/From El Nido: $16
  • Astoria Water Park Day Pass & Transfers: $232
  • Puerto Princesa City Van Transfers: $23

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Te Anau

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

  • Kepler Water Taxi Transfer across Lake Te Anau: $17
  • Te Anau to Invercargill Small Group Transfer: $53
  • Lake Marian Guided Hike with Transfers, Lunch & Morning Tea: $184

Is it cheaper to fly into Puerto Princesa or Te Anau?

Prices for flights to both Te Anau and Puerto Princesa 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
    Puerto Princesa $34
    Te Anau $46

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Puerto Princesa

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

  • Firefly Watching Paddle Boat Tour & Dinner: $27
  • Jungle Firefly Watching Boat Tour & Dinner: $32
  • Firefly Watching Bay Cruise with Dinner: $34
  • Firefly Watching with Dinner: $39
  • Firefly Watching Tour with Dinner: $53
  • Seafood Lunch or Dinner with transfers: $59
  • Underground River with Dinner at Kalui: $80
  • Underground River and Firefly Watching with Dinner: $87
  • Balayong People's Park with Dinner and Show: $116

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Puerto Princesa $6.77
    Te Anau $47

Tours and Activities in Puerto Princesa

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

  • 2in1 City tour and museum with pick up at hotel or cruise port: $25
  • 3D2N El Nido Experience: $250
  • 5D4N Puerto Princesa & El Nido Experience: $299
  • City Tour of Puerto Princesa sightseeing excursion: $35
  • City tour of Puerto Princesa Palawan Philippines : $20
  • El Nido Day Tour: $80
  • From Honda Bay Island Hopping Full-Day Tour: $40
  • Full Day Excursion: UNESCO Underground River Tour: $48
  • Half Day City Joiners Tour | Puerto Princesa: $34
  • Half-Day City Tour from Puerto Princesa: $27
  • Half-Day City Tour | Puerto Princesa: $53
  • Half-day Puerto Princesa City Tour: $15

Tours and Activities in Te Anau

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

  • Award Winning Milford Sound Full Day Tour & Cruise from Te Anau: $128
  • Champagne Sightseeing Cruise on Lake Te Anau: $98
  • Doubtful Sound Wilderness Cruise from Te Anau: $214
  • Doubtful Sound Wilderness Day Cruise from Manapouri: $201
  • Epic Milford Guided Tour from Te Anau: $142
  • Evening Champagne Cruise on Historic 1935 Motor Yacht.: $84
  • Fiordland: Jet Boat & Nature Walk Experience from Te Anau: $119
  • From Doubtful Sound Coach & Cruise: $216
  • From Milford Sound Coach Tour and Cruise: $119
  • From Milford Sound Coach, Cruise, and Walks: $173
  • From Milford Sound Cruise & Scenic Coach Tour: $126
  • From Milford Sound Cruise and Coach Day Trip: $133

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Puerto Princesa $14
    Te Anau $14


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

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Puerto Princesa Expensive? and Is Te Anau Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Puerto Princesa or Te Anau?

Puerto Princesa has a larger population, and is about 80 times larger than the population of Te Anau. When comparing the sizes of Puerto Princesa and Te Anau, 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.