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

Should you visit Yangshuo or Te Anau?

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

Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Yangshuo and Te Anau can help you decide which place is right for you.

Where Should I go: Yangshuo or Te Anau?

Yangshuo

A county of the city, Guilin, Yangshuo is located in a region famous for its karst topography. Surrounded by jagged mountain peaks and bordered on one side by the Li River, Yangshuo has become a popular home base for tourists looking to explore the region's natural wonders. Backpackers and tourists, both foreign and domestic, come to Yangshuo every year making it a city of many cultures. Most locals are even able to speak English, which is fairly uncommon for Chinese cities.

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 Budget Tours to China, The Best Tours for Seniors to China, The Best G Adventures Tours to New Zealand, and The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Auckland.


Which place is cheaper, Te Anau or Yangshuo?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in Yangshuo is $72, while the average daily cost in Te Anau is $98. 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 Yangshuo and Te Anau in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Yangshuo $25
    Te Anau $44
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Yangshuo $50
    Te Anau $88
Compare Hotels in Yangshuo and Te Anau

Looking for a hotel in Yangshuo 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 Yangshuo


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: Te Anau Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Yangshuo $42
    Te Anau $27

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Yangshuo

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

  • Yangshuo Via Ferrata with Round way private transfer from Yangshuo hotel: $56
  • Visit 100% primitive cave with Transfer: $97
  • Private Transfer from Yangshuo(Xingping) Train Station to Yangshuo Hotel: $21
  • Private Transfer from Yangshuo hotel to Longsheng hotel: $85
  • Private Transfer from Yangshuo hotel to Guilin hotel: $37
  • Private Transfer from Xingping hotel to Yangshuo hotel: $21
  • Private Transfer from Xingping hotel to Longsheng hotel: $107
  • Private Impression Sanjie Liu Evening Show with Hotel Transfer: $88
  • Liusanjie Light Show with Round way private transfer from Xingping hotel: $69

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: $15

Is it cheaper to fly into Yangshuo or Te Anau?

Prices for flights to both Te Anau and Yangshuo 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
    Yangshuo $19
    Te Anau $27

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Yangshuo

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

  • Yangshuo Full Day Tour: Cooking class, River boat, Light Show: $259

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Yangshuo $23
    Te Anau $47

Tours and Activities in Yangshuo

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

  • Longji Rice Terraces Day Tour from Yangshuo hotel: $181
  • Yangshuo Helicopter Tour from Yangshuo hotel: $170
  • 1 Day - Yangshuo Bike Tour: $80
  • 1-Day Guilin City Tour with the Daxu Town and Yao Mountain from Yangshuo: $187
  • 1-Day Longji Rice Terraces hiking tour from Guilin/Yangshuo hotel: $188
  • 1-Day Tour: Yangshuo Yulong Bamboo Boat and Ruyi Peak Cable Car: $149
  • 2 Day - Longji Rice Terraces - Sunrise Hiking Tour: $280
  • Full-day Tour: Longji Rice Terraces & Minority Villages: $146
  • Full/Half-Day Yangshuo Xianggong Hill Sunrise Private Tour: $136
  • Guilin Highlight Sightseeing Private Day City Tour: $139
  • Guilin Tea plantation and Longji Rice Terraces Day Tour from Yangshuo hotel: $181
  • Guilin Yangshuo Day tour from Guangzhou by Round Way Bullet Train: $212

Tours and Activities in Te Anau

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

  • Afternoon Te Anau Cruise on Historic Motor Yacht: $87
  • Champagne Sightseeing Cruise on Lake Te Anau: $87
  • Doubtful Sound Wilderness Cruise from Te Anau: $211
  • Doubtful Sound Wilderness Day Cruise from Manapouri: $229
  • Fiordland: Jet Boat & Nature Walk Experience from Te Anau: $106
  • From 1-Day Milford Sound Coach & Cruise: $136
  • From Milford Sound Coach Tour and Cruise: $110
  • From Milford Sound Coach, Cruise, and Walks: $146
  • From Milford Sound Cruise and Coach Day Trip: $122
  • From Milford Sound Tour with Cruise and Lunch: $154
  • From Premium Doubtful Sound Coach & Cruise: $237
  • Full-Day Milford Sound Extraordinaire Tour from Te Anau: $151

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Yangshuo $33
    Te Anau $14


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Yangshuo and Te Anau, we can see that Te Anau is more expensive. And not only is Yangshuo much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Yangshuo 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 Yangshuo would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Yangshuo 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 Yangshuo.

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


Which is Bigger, Yangshuo or Te Anau?

Yangshuo has a larger population, and is about 140 times larger than the population of Te Anau. When comparing the sizes of Yangshuo 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.