A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Surfers Paradise vs. Khao Yai National Park for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Surfers Paradise or Khao Yai National Park?

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

If you're trying to decide where to visit between Surfers Paradise or Khao Yai 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: Surfers Paradise or Khao Yai National Park?

Surfers Paradise

A tourist mecca, Surfers Paradise is one of the most popular travel destinations along Australia's famed Gold Coast. The beach stretches for miles and there is an endless supply of almost constant parties. You'll find high rise apartments lined up along the shore and plenty of shopping areas, restaurants, nightclubs, and bars. Travelers from around the world visit the area, and it's a right of passage for Australia's teens to vacation in or near Surfers Paradise. For many travelers, Surfers Paradise comes across as little more than a mass marketed, over commercialized, party destination, but for others it is a vacation dream. Prices are highly inflated so you have to keep your whits about you to avoid being ripped off. Surfers Paradise is a destination of extremes and it conjures up extreme emotions in many travelers, be it positive or negative.

Khao Yai National Park

Adventurous travelers are always in search of new terrain to conquer. At over 2,000 square kilometers, Khao Yai National Park is Thailand's second largest national park, and just full of jungles to trek through. In the southwest of Thailand is a sanctuary of mountains and waterfalls.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Contiki Tours to Australia, The Best G Adventures Tours to Australia, The Best Adventure Tours to Thailand, and The Best Eco Tours in Thailand.

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

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Surfers Paradise Expensive? and Is Khao Yai National Park Expensive?.

When is the best time to visit Surfers Paradise or Khao Yai National Park?

Surfers Paradise has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons, but Khao Yai National Park experiences a warm climate with fairly sunny weather most of the year.

Should I visit Surfers Paradise or Khao Yai National Park in the Summer?

Both Khao Yai National Park and Surfers Paradise are popular destinations to visit in the summer with plenty of activities. The summer months attract visitors to Surfers Paradise because of the beaches, snorkeling, the hiking, and the family-friendly experiences. Plenty of visitors come to Khao Yai National Park because of the warm climate and sunshine that lasts throughout the year.

In the summer, Surfers Paradise is cooler than Khao Yai National Park. Typically, the summer temperatures in Surfers Paradise in January average around 25°C (77°F), and Khao Yai National Park averages at about 28°C (83°F)in July.

The sun comes out a lot this time of the year in Surfers Paradise. Surfers Paradise usually receives more sunshine than Khao Yai National Park during summer. Surfers Paradise gets 256 hours of sunny skies, while Khao Yai National Park receives 176 hours of full sun in the summer.

It rains a lot this time of the year in Khao Yai National Park. It's quite rainy in Surfers Paradise. In January, Surfers Paradise usually receives less rain than Khao Yai National Parkin July. Surfers Paradise gets 167 mm (6.6 in) of rain, while Khao Yai National Park receives 315 mm (12.4 in) of rain each month for the summer.

Should I visit Surfers Paradise or Khao Yai National Park in the Autumn?

Both Khao Yai National Park and Surfers Paradise during the autumn are popular places to visit. The hiking trails and the shopping scene are the main draw to Surfers Paradise this time of year. Warm weather and sunshine bring visitors to Khao Yai National Park year-round.

In April, Surfers Paradise is generally cooler than Khao Yai National Parkin October. Daily temperatures in Surfers Paradise average around 22°C (71°F), and Khao Yai National Park fluctuates around 28°C (82°F).

In Khao Yai National Park, it's very sunny this time of the year. It's quite sunny in Surfers Paradise. In the autumn, Surfers Paradise often gets around the same amount of sunshine as Khao Yai National Parkin October. Surfers Paradise gets 214 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Khao Yai National Park receives 206 hours of full sun.

Khao Yai National Park gets a good bit of rain this time of year. It rains a lot this time of the year in Surfers Paradise. Surfers Paradise usually gets less rain in April than Khao Yai National Parkin October. Surfers Paradise gets 101 mm (4 in) of rain, while Khao Yai National Park receives 173 mm (6.8 in) of rain this time of the year.

Should I visit Surfers Paradise or Khao Yai National Park in the Winter?

The winter attracts plenty of travelers to both Surfers Paradise and Khao Yai National Park. Many travelers come to Surfers Paradise for the museums, the shopping scene, and the cuisine. Khao Yai National Park attracts visitors year-round for its warm weather and sunny climate.

Surfers Paradise is much colder than Khao Yai National Park in the winter. The daily temperature in Surfers Paradise averages around 15°C (59°F) in July, and Khao Yai National Park fluctuates around 26°C (78°F)in January.

People are often attracted to the plentiful sunshine in Khao Yai National Park this time of the year. In Surfers Paradise, it's very sunny this time of the year. Surfers Paradise usually receives less sunshine than Khao Yai National Park during winter. Surfers Paradise gets 226 hours of sunny skies, while Khao Yai National Park receives 276 hours of full sun in the winter.

In July, Surfers Paradise usually receives more rain than Khao Yai National Parkin January. Surfers Paradise gets 70 mm (2.8 in) of rain, while Khao Yai National Park receives 9 mm (0.4 in) of rain each month for the winter.

Should I visit Surfers Paradise or Khao Yai National Park in the Spring?

The spring brings many poeple to Surfers Paradise as well as Khao Yai National Park. Many visitors come to Surfers Paradise in the spring for the beaches. The warm climate attracts visitors to Khao Yai National Park throughout the year.

In the spring, Surfers Paradise is cooler than Khao Yai National Park. Typically, the spring temperatures in Surfers Paradise in October average around 21°C (69°F), and Khao Yai National Park averages at about 30°C (87°F)in April.

The sun comes out a lot this time of the year in Khao Yai National Park. People are often attracted to the plentiful sunshine in Surfers Paradise this time of the year. In the spring, Surfers Paradise often gets around the same amount of sunshine as Khao Yai National Parkin April. Surfers Paradise gets 259 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Khao Yai National Park receives 262 hours of full sun.

It's quite rainy in Khao Yai National Park. Surfers Paradise receives a lot of rain in the spring. Surfers Paradise usually gets less rain in October than Khao Yai National Parkin April. Surfers Paradise gets 103 mm (4 in) of rain, while Khao Yai National Park receives 128 mm (5.1 in) of rain this time of the year.

Typical Weather for Khao Yai National Park and Surfers Paradise