A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Xi'an vs. Montreal for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Xi'an or Montreal?

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

Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Xi'an and Montreal 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: Xi'an or Montreal?

Xi'an

Xi'an is an ancient city in the Shaanxi Province in China. Today it is most notable as the location of the Terracotta Warriors, but for visitors who choose to linger, there is so much more to see and do in the area. The city itself is more than 3,000 years old and for about one thousand years, through 13 dynasties and 73 emperors, it was the capital. Because of its rich history there are many historical ruins and a strong culture in the city. Today the city is a pleasant place to visit, although much of it's influence and power has dwindled. The city has both cosmopolitan and modern areas as well as historic and culturally rich areas. The neighborhoods are diverse and by exploring the city in depth you can learn a little more about what China really has to offer.

Montreal

While Quebec City is the political capital of Quebec Province, Montreal is the economic and cultural capital. It's also the second largest city in Canada, with a population of about 1.9 million and 4 million in the metropolitan area. It's the second largest French speaking city in the world behind Paris.

Montreal is a very trendy and vibrant city with an active nightlife and countless activities to enjoy. It's located on an island in the St. Lawrence River and has a humid continental climate. There are four distinct seasons. Summers are warm or hot and humid. Spring and fall are mild and winters are cold and snowy. You can expect about 2 meters of snow every year, but there are also more than 2,000 hours of sunshine annually.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 10-Day Tours in China, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in China, The Best Train & Rail Tours in Canada, and The Best Sightseeing Tours in Canada.


Which place is cheaper, Montreal or Xi'an?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in Xi'an is $94, while the average daily cost in Montreal is $210. 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 Xi'an and Montreal in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Xi'an $60
    Montreal $132
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Xi'an $120
    Montreal $264
Compare Hotels in Xi'an and Montreal

Looking for a hotel in Xi'an or Montreal? 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 Xian


Hotels in Montreal


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: Montreal Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Xi'an $12
    Montreal $21

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Xi'an

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Xi'an:

  • Xi'an Airport to Hotel: Private Transfer for up to 40 pax: $300
  • Private Round-trip Airport Transfer to Terracotta Army & City Wall with A Guide: $259
  • 2-Day Customized Private Tour With Transfer in Historical Xi'an: $231
  • Xian Terracotta Warriors and City Wall Tour with Airport Transfer: $224
  • Mt. Hua Entrance Ticket w/ Shuttle Bus&Cable Car&Private Transfer: $224
  • Xi'an Airport to Hotel: Private Transfer for up to 15 pax: $200
  • Full-Day Layover Private Tour: Essence of Xi'an With Airport Transfer: $197
  • Xian Private Day Tour with Airport Transfer: Terracotta Warriors and City Wall: $186
  • Xian Terracotta Warriors Tour with Airport Transfer: $176
  • One Day Private Xian Tour to Terracotta Warriors with Airport Transfers: $170
  • Terracotta Warriors Museum Tour with Airport Pickup or Drop-off Transfer: $162
  • Xi'an Layover: Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum With Airport Transfer: $162

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Montreal

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

  • 8 Passengers Transfer from or to Montreal Airport YUL to Montreal City Center : $223
  • Departure Private Transfer: Montreal to Montreal Airport YUL in Business Car: $117
  • Departure Private Transfer: Montreal to Montreal Airport YUL in Luxury SUV: $163
  • Departure Transfer Montreal to Montreal Airport by Limos or Bus: $153
  • Downtown Direct: Montreal's Exclusive Airport Transfer: $79
  • Le Terminal Cruise Port to Québec Airport YQB Departure Transfer: $57
  • Montreal Best Private Transfer services : $82
  • Montreal Private Transfer to Montreal Airport YUL in Business Car: $117
  • Montreal Private Transfer to Montreal Airport YUL in Luxury SUV: $163
  • Arrival Transfer from International Airport: $65
  • Private Departure Transfer to Montreal Airport YUL: $116
  • Private One-way Montreal Airport Transfer To/From Montreal: $58

Is it cheaper to fly into Xi'an or Montreal?

Prices for flights to both Montreal and Xi'an 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
    Xi'an $12
    Montreal $36

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Xi'an

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Xi'an.

  • Skip the Line: Xi'an Tang Dynasty Show Ticket & Dumpling Dinner or Royal Banquet: $32
  • Dinner and Show of Tang Dynasty Palace in Xian: $40
  • Private Home Cooking Class:Dumpling Cooking Class Tour in Xi'an: $50
  • Xi'an Twilight Sightseeing and Food Tour: $51
  • Tang Dynasty Dinner Show: $55
  • Xi'an Vegetarian Food Tour: $60
  • Xi'an Food Tour by Tuk Tuk: $62
  • Private Xi'an Food Tour: $65
  • Private Xi’an Night & Food Tour by Tuk Tuk and Public Transportation: $67
  • Xi'an Evening Food Tour by TukTuk: $69
  • 4 Hours Food Tours in Xi'an: $72
  • 3-Hour Biang Biang Noodles Cooking Class in Xi'an: $75

Typical Food Prices in Montreal

Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Montreal:


  • Tim Hortons breakfast and coffee
    $9.04

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Montreal

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

  • Le Bateau-Mouche À La Carte Menu Dinner Cruise: $59
  • No Diet Club: Walking food Tour with many tastings: $59
  • Beyond the Market Food Tour by Spade & Palacio: $74
  • Montreal Walking Food Tour With Secret Food Tours: $74
  • Old Montreal Food & Drink Tour by Local Montreal Food Tours: $103
  • Cooking Class and Tasting Menu with Michelin Chef: $130
  • Montréal: 5-Course Dinner Cruise with Music & VIP Option: $160
  • Personalized Private Food Tour with a Local Foodie: $207
  • Cooking Class in Montreal with a Michelin-Star Trained Chef: $224

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Xi'an $35
    Montreal $21

Tours and Activities in Xi'an

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

  • Group Tour to the Terra-cotta Warriors Museum & Lunch : $65
  • Private Half Day Tour to See The Big Wild Goose Pagoda&City Wall:: $185
  • Xi'an Morning Food & Market Tour by TukTuk: $55
  • #1 Bestselling Private Terracotta Army Tours + Customized Xian Tours: $109
  • 1 Day Xian City Highlights Private Tour: $148
  • 1 Day Xian Group Tour: Terracotta Warriors & City Wall: $138
  • 1 day The Terracotta Army+Xi'an City Wall+Yongxing Square Mini Group Tour: $106
  • 1 day Xi'an Culture and History Discovery Mini Group tour: $112
  • 1 day private tour to Xi'an Terra Cotta Warriors by Metro/Subway: $110
  • 1-Day Xi'an City Highlights and Hanyangling Museum Private Tour: $100
  • 1-Day Xi'an Terracotta Warriors Museum and Banpo Neolithic Village Museum Tour: $100
  • 1-Day Xi'an Terracotta Warriors,Wild Goose Pagoda and Banpo Village Museum Tour: $100

Typical Entertainment Prices in Montreal

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


  • Botanical Gardens (family of 4)
    $54

Tours and Activities in Montreal

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

  • First Discovery Walk and Reading Walking Tour: $3.23
  • Montreal self-guided tour App - multilingual AudioGuide: $4.31
  • Montréal's Mile End to Outremont: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $5.20
  • Highlights Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt & Tour: $7.54
  • Escape Game and Tour: $8.61
  • APP Self-Guided Tours Montreal with Audioguide: $8.74
  • Montreal Art Center & Museum Audio Guided Tour: $10
  • Self-Guided Audio Tour: $11
  • McCord Stewart Museum : Entry Ticket: $15
  • Montreal Zipline Adventure: $15
  • Self-Guided Old Town Scavenger Hunt Walking Tour: $15
  • Montreal Old Port: Urban Zipline Ticket: $16

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Xi'an $7.23
    Montreal $16

Typical Alcohol Prices in Montreal

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Montreal:


  • Vodka
    $18

Sample the Local Flavors in Montreal

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

  • Haunted Montreal Pub Crawl: $22
  • Guided Bar Crawl with Free Shots and Club Entry: $42


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

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


Which is Bigger, Xi'an or Montreal?

Montreal has a larger population, and is about 1% larger than the population of Xi'an. When comparing the sizes of Xi'an and Montreal, 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.