A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Yichang vs. Aoraki Mount Cook for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Yichang or Aoraki Mount Cook?

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

If you're trying to decide where to visit between Yichang or Aoraki Mount Cook, 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: Yichang or Aoraki Mount Cook?

Yichang

Yichang, China is an ancient city situated on the northern bank of the Yangtze River in central China. The city is located just below the famed Three Gorges Dam and is a popular ending point for many Yangtze River cruises. Yichang offers beautiful natural scenery and ancient relics from the Three Kingdom Period.

Yichang experiences cool, rainy, winters and hot, humid, summers. Temperatures tend to stay in the 40's Fahrenheit during winter and the 80's in the summer. Spring, Summer, and Autumn are fantastic times to visit, although if you prefer to beat the heat, stay away during late summer!

Aoraki Mount Cook

Aoraki Mount Cook National Park is located on the South Island of New Zealand. It was declared a national park in 1953 to protect and preserve the landscape. The park is home to the country's highest peak, Aoraki/Mount Cook. In Maori, Aoraki means, "cloud piercer", and the English name, Mt Cook, refers to the navigator James Cook, who discovered New Zealand in the 18th century. Mt Cook was the training location for Sir Edmund Hillary, who was the first person to summit Everest in 1953. Other peaks in the park include Mount Tasman, Mount Sefton, and Mount Hicks. Not only can you find lush greenery all over the park, but also, glaciers cover 40% of the parks area.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Beijing, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Lhasa, The Best Adventure Tours to New Zealand, and The Best Eco Tours in New Zealand.


Which place is cheaper, Aoraki Mount Cook or Yichang?

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

The average daily cost (per person) in Yichang is $58, while the average daily cost in Aoraki Mount Cook is $105. 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 Yichang and Aoraki Mount Cook in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Yichang $24
    Aoraki Mount Cook $59
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Yichang $48
    Aoraki Mount Cook $118
Compare Hotels in Yichang and Aoraki Mount Cook

Looking for a hotel in Yichang or Aoraki Mount Cook? 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 Yichang


Hotels in Aoraki Mount Cook


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.


Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Yichang $14
    Aoraki Mount Cook $27

Is it cheaper to fly into Yichang or Aoraki Mount Cook?

Prices for flights to both Aoraki Mount Cook and Yichang 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
    Yichang $21
    Aoraki Mount Cook $26

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Yichang $18
    Aoraki Mount Cook $23

Tours and Activities in Yichang

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Yichang are as follows:

  • From Yichang to Chongqing: 5-Day Cruise with Meals: $761
  • Private Day Tour in Yichang to Sanyou Cave and Sanxia Waterfall : $239
  • Private Tour: Essence of Yichang Day Tour: $165
  • Yichang Tourist Center to Yichang Sanxia Airport (YIH): $53
  • Yichang hotel/Sanxia Tourist Center/Maoping pier to Zhangjiajie: $290

Tours and Activities in Aoraki Mount Cook

Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Aoraki Mount Cook.

  • Fox Glacier Nature Tour: $54
  • Franz Josef Nature Tour: $54
  • Mt. Cook to Queenstown Small Group Tour (1-way) : $106
  • From Christchurch: Mount Cook One-Way Discovery Tour: $118
  • Mt Cook to Christchurch via Lake Tekapo Small Group Tour 1 way: $120
  • Mount Cook to Queenstown Day Tour: $148
  • Day Tours from Mount Cook: $151
  • Mt Cook Small Group Tour from Queenstown with Optional Activities : $151
  • Mt Cook & Hooker Valley Hike Small Group Tour from Queenstown: $151
  • (MT) Mount Cook & Lake Tekapo Day Tour from Christchurch: $178
  • Gold Hunting Adventures: $223
  • 45-Minute Mount Cook Ski Plane and Helicopter Combo Tour: $289

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Yichang $14
    Aoraki Mount Cook $20

Sample the Local Flavors in Aoraki Mount Cook

Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Aoraki Mount Cook:

  • Kinross Winery: Classic Central Otago Wine Tasting Experience: $15
  • Kinross Winery: Valli Wine Tasting Experience: $27
  • Kinross Winery: Premium Central Otago Wine Tasting Experience: $45


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

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Yichang Expensive? and Is Aoraki Mount Cook Expensive?.