A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Yaeyama Islands vs. Whitsundays for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Yaeyama Islands or Whitsundays?

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

Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Yaeyama Islands and Whitsundays. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.

Where Should I go: Yaeyama Islands or Whitsundays?

Yaeyama Islands

The Yaeyama Islands is a cluster of islands located in the southwestern part of Japan, close to Taiwan. There are nine different islands, varying from small islets to large holiday resort islands. The Yaeyama Islands are one of the most popular destination in Japan due to their beautiful beaches and underwater ruins. Yaeyama is also known for having their own language and writing system. For the most part, everyone on the Islands speak Japanese, but you'll often find the Yaeyama writing on T-shirts in souvenir shops or scattered around Yaeyama.

Whitsundays

Just off the coast of Queensland, Australia is a cluster of 74 different islands. These islands, the Whitsunday Islands, welcome over a half a million visitors every year to see one of the Seven Wonders of the World - the Great Barrier Reef.

As one of the most famous destinations in the world, it's not uncommon to see expensive yachts sailing around among the private ferries. Most of the islands are designated as national parks with access to snorkeling and diving in the coral reefs, or just to lay in the sand on the famous Whitehaven Beach.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Tokyo, The Best 10-Day Tours from Tokyo, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Australia, and The Best 10-Day Tours in Australia.

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

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

When is the best time to visit Yaeyama Islands or Whitsundays?

Even though both destinations experience a temperate climate with four distinct seasons, they experience these seasons at different times of the year. Whitsundays is in the southern hemisphere and summer is in January and winter is in July, but Yaeyama Islands has summer in [NORTHERNSUMMERMONTH] and winter in [NORTHERNWINTERMONTH].

Should I visit Yaeyama Islands or Whitsundays in the Summer?

The summer brings many poeple to Yaeyama Islands as well as Whitsundays. The beaches, snorkeling, the hiking, and the family-friendly experiences are the main draw to Yaeyama Islands this time of year.

Yaeyama Islands is a little warmer than Whitsundays in the summer. The daily temperature in Yaeyama Islands averages around 29°C (85°F) in July, and Whitsundays fluctuates around 26°C (79°F)in January.

The sun comes out a lot this time of the year in Whitsundays. People are often attracted to the plentiful sunshine in Yaeyama Islands this time of the year. In the summer, Yaeyama Islands often gets around the same amount of sunshine as Whitsundaysin January. Yaeyama Islands gets 279 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Whitsundays receives 285 hours of full sun.

It's quite rainy in Whitsundays. Yaeyama Islands receives a lot of rain in the summer. Yaeyama Islands usually gets less rain in July than Whitsundaysin January. Yaeyama Islands gets 179 mm (7 in) of rain, while Whitsundays receives 331 mm (13 in) of rain this time of the year.

Should I visit Yaeyama Islands or Whitsundays in the Autumn?

Both Whitsundays and Yaeyama Islands are popular destinations to visit in the autumn with plenty of activities. Many travelers come to Yaeyama Islands for the hiking trails and the natural beauty of the area.

In the autumn, Yaeyama Islands is a little warmer than Whitsundays. Typically, the autumn temperatures in Yaeyama Islands in October average around 26°C (78°F), and Whitsundays averages at about 23°C (73°F)in April.

It's quite sunny in Whitsundays. Yaeyama Islands usually receives less sunshine than Whitsundays during autumn. Yaeyama Islands gets 177 hours of sunny skies, while Whitsundays receives 207 hours of full sun in the autumn.

It rains a lot this time of the year in Whitsundays. It's quite rainy in Yaeyama Islands. In October, Yaeyama Islands usually receives more rain than Whitsundaysin April. Yaeyama Islands gets 173 mm (6.8 in) of rain, while Whitsundays receives 143 mm (5.6 in) of rain each month for the autumn.

Should I visit Yaeyama Islands or Whitsundays in the Winter?

Both Whitsundays and Yaeyama Islands during the winter are popular places to visit. Many visitors come to Yaeyama Islands in the winter for the museums and the cuisine.

In January, Yaeyama Islands is generally around the same temperature as Whitsundaysin July. Daily temperatures in Yaeyama Islands average around 18°C (64°F), and Whitsundays fluctuates around 16°C (62°F).

In Whitsundays, it's very sunny this time of the year. In the winter, Yaeyama Islands often gets less sunshine than Whitsundaysin July. Yaeyama Islands gets 97 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Whitsundays receives 226 hours of full sun.

It rains a lot this time of the year in Yaeyama Islands. Yaeyama Islands usually gets more rain in January than Whitsundaysin July. Yaeyama Islands gets 120 mm (4.7 in) of rain, while Whitsundays receives 40 mm (1.6 in) of rain this time of the year.

Should I visit Yaeyama Islands or Whitsundays in the Spring?

The spring attracts plenty of travelers to both Yaeyama Islands and Whitsundays. Most visitors come to Yaeyama Islands for the beaches and the natural beauty during these months.

Yaeyama Islands is around the same temperature as Whitsundays in the spring. The daily temperature in Yaeyama Islands averages around 23°C (74°F) in April, and Whitsundays fluctuates around 23°C (73°F)in October.

People are often attracted to the plentiful sunshine in Whitsundays this time of the year. Yaeyama Islands usually receives less sunshine than Whitsundays during spring. Yaeyama Islands gets 154 hours of sunny skies, while Whitsundays receives 298 hours of full sun in the spring.

Yaeyama Islands gets a good bit of rain this time of year. In April, Yaeyama Islands usually receives more rain than Whitsundaysin October. Yaeyama Islands gets 147 mm (5.8 in) of rain, while Whitsundays receives 48 mm (1.9 in) of rain each month for the spring. Also, May to June is the rainy season in Yaeyama Islands.

Typical Weather for Whitsundays and Yaeyama Islands