A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Sihanoukville vs. Noosa Heads for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Sihanoukville or Noosa Heads?

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

Should I visit Sihanoukville or Noosa Heads? 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: Sihanoukville or Noosa Heads?

Sihanoukville

Sihanoukville, also known by locals as Kompong Som, was named after King Sihanouk. Also Cambodia's youngest city, construction started in 1955 to build Cambodia's first and only deep water port so that ships would no longer have to go through the Mekong Delta in order to trade with Cambodia. Today, many visit Sihanoukville as a hub to visit Cambodia's islands.

Noosa Heads

A town and suburb located on Queensland, Australia's Sunshine Coast, Noosa is best known as a destination of pleasant weather, beautiful beachside scenery, shopping, dining, and outdoor adventure. Some of the top attractions of the area include Noosa National Park and Sunshine Beach.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Bicycle Tours in Cambodia, The Best Adventure Tours to Cambodia, The Best Romantic Tours for Couples in Australia, and The Best Contiki Tours to Australia.


Which place is cheaper, Noosa Heads or Sihanoukville?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in Sihanoukville is $51, while the average daily cost in Noosa Heads is $110. 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 Sihanoukville and Noosa Heads in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Sihanoukville $23
    Noosa Heads $58
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Sihanoukville $46
    Noosa Heads $116
Compare Hotels in Sihanoukville and Noosa Heads

Looking for a hotel in Sihanoukville or Noosa Heads? 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 Sihanoukville


Hotels in Noosa Heads


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: Noosa Heads Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Sihanoukville $14
    Noosa Heads $17

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Sihanoukville

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Sihanoukville:

  • Private taxi transfer from Sihanoukville to Battambang: $290
  • Private Transfer in Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh by Alphard 2010: $180
  • Private Taxi transfer from Sihanoukvile to Battambang City: $145
  • Private Taxi transfer from Sihanoukvile to Battambang City: $145
  • Private Taxi transfer from Sihanoukvile to Battambang City: $145
  • Private Taxi Transfer From Sihanoukville To Koh Kong : $73
  • Private Shuttle Transfer From Sihanoukville - Phnom Penh: $57
  • Private Transfer between Sihanoukville Airport and Hotels or Port: $25
  • Private Transfer From Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh: $24

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Noosa Heads

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

  • Australia Zoo Transfer from Noosa, Coolum, Marcoola & Twin Waters: $79
  • Brisbane Airport Departure shuttle Transfer from Sunshine Coast Hotels/addresses: $55
  • Eumundi Markets Bus Transfer from Noosa, Noosaville & Mooloolaba: $32
  • Premium Airport/ Cruise Terminal Transfers: $234
  • Private Morning Transfer From Noosa to Rainbow Beach: $89
  • Private Transfer from Noosa to Sunshine Coast Airport up to 3 pax: $102
  • Private Transfer from Sunshine Coast Airport to Hotels 11 pax: $218
  • Private Transfers from Sunshine Coast Airport to Noosa (4pax): $99
  • Private Transfers from Sunshine Coast Airport to Noosa (6pax): $116
  • Private Transfers from Sunshine Coast Airport to Noosa (8pax): $129
  • Sunshine Coast Airport Departure Transfer from Hotels: $18
  • Sunshine Coast and Noosa Eumundi Markets Bus Transfer: $32

Is it cheaper to fly into Sihanoukville or Noosa Heads?

Prices for flights to both Noosa Heads and Sihanoukville 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
    Sihanoukville $18
    Noosa Heads $33

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Sihanoukville

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Sihanoukville.

  • Cooking class in Kampot: $20
  • Cooking Class at La Plantation: $35
  • Sihanoukville - Khmer Traditional Cooking Class: $110

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Noosa Heads

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

  • Cooking Classes on Witta Maleny Sunshine Coast: $119

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Sihanoukville $5.37
    Noosa Heads $40

Tours and Activities in Sihanoukville

Here are a few actual costs in Sihanoukville for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • Afternoon tours: Pepper Farm , Secret Lake & Salt fields: $18
  • Best Sihanoukville Day Tours from Cruise Port or Hotel: $79
  • Best of Sihanoukville City Tour from Cruise Port: $79
  • Bokor Mountain Adventure - History, Sights and Waterfalls: $29
  • Bokor Mountain Hill Station Tour: $75
  • Discovery Tour: Caving, Climbing, Via Ferrata and Abseiling in Kampot: $45
  • Explore Sihanoukville Dirt Bike Tour: $140
  • Exploring Bokor National Park Full-Day Tour from Sihanoukville: $99
  • Exploring Kampot: A Memorable Tour from Sihanoukville: $63
  • Exploring the Best of Kampot and Kep in a Full-Day Tour: $55
  • Full Day Pepper Farm Adventure by Scooter: $45
  • Full-Day Kampot & Kep with a local Tuk Tuk Tours : $65

Typical Entertainment Prices in Noosa Heads

For Noosa Heads, here are some examples of average entertainment and activity prices from previous travelers:


  • Surf Lesson
    $42
  • Sea Kayak Tour (for 2)
    $84
  • Sunset Cruise (for 2)
    $13

Tours and Activities in Noosa Heads

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

  • 2 Hours Sunset Experience on Noosa River: $21
  • The Original 1-Hour Mooloolaba Canal Cruise: $23
  • Maleny Botanic Gardens Bird Aviary Experience Ticket: $28
  • Sunset Cruise Mooloolaba: $30
  • River Cruise on Historical Vessel: $32
  • Aquaduck Sunshine Coast - 1hr Mooloolaba Amphibious Tour: $33
  • 1 Hour Self Guided Water Bike Tour of the Noosa River: $33
  • Seafood Lunch Cruise: $43
  • River to River, Land and Sea E-bike Tour in Brisbane: $46
  • Bushtucker Cruise: $50
  • Sunset Tour with Live Music: $50
  • Noosa Oceanrider - Adventure Tour: $52

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Sihanoukville $4.42
    Noosa Heads $10

Sample the Local Flavors in Noosa Heads

Also in Noosa Heads, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:

  • Eumundi Market and Distillery Experience Market Days Wednesday & Saturday: $92
  • Sunshine Coast Brewery Tour with Lunch: $162
  • Hinterland Cheese & Wine Tasting Tour - with 2 course lunch included: $165
  • Sunshine Coast & Noosa Scenic Food & Wine Tour Inc. Lunch: $182
  • Noosa Hinterland Tour with Gourmet Lunch, Wine Tasting & Everglades Lake: $191
  • Noosa Hinterland Drinks Tour- visit 2 distilleries, a winery and a brewery : $195
  • Noosa Hinterland Drinks Private Tour with Gin, Beer, Mead & Wine Tastings: $277


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

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Sihanoukville Expensive? and Is Noosa Heads Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Sihanoukville or Noosa Heads?

Sihanoukville has a larger population, and is about 20 times larger than the population of Noosa Heads. When comparing the sizes of Sihanoukville and Noosa Heads, 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.