Should you visit Zhangye or Harbin?
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the prices of travel for Zhangye and Harbin. 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. So, let's dig into it.
Zhangye
Zhangye, China is a city in the Gansu Province in the central north part of the country, close to Mongolia. This ancient city has often been used as a military strong hold, having been the headquarters of General Huo among many others. Zhangye is a fabulous day trip city to visit when staying in larger nearby cities.
Zhangye is privy to beautiful summer weather, with lots of sunshine and temperatures in the high 70's Fahrenheit. The best times to visit are between July and September, when temperatures and sunshine are at their highest. Autumn, Winter, and Spring tend to be a little chillier and rainier.
Harbin
Harbin, China is the northernmost major city in the country, with a population of over 10 million. Harbin was founded in 1897 by Russia, which has resulted in a lot of Russian influence throughout the city and many Russian citizens. The city is most famous for their annual International Snow and Ice Festival, a two-month-long festival running from January through February of each year.
Which city is cheaper, Harbin or Zhangye?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Zhangye is $76, while the average daily cost in Harbin is $49. 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 city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Zhangye and Harbin in more detail.
Accommodation
Accommodation prices vary by location and style, but travelers pay on average about $68 for a double occupancy room in Zhangye.
Double occupancy rooms typically run around $36 in Harbin For nicer amenities and a premiere location, you can expect to pay a bit more.
Food
The average traveler spends about $23 per day in Zhangye for food, but obviously this is dependent on the type of restaurant and the amount of food ordered. To save money you can grab a lighter lunch or dinner, or you can try fast food or street food.
On average, meal and food prices in Harbin cost around $12 per person, per day. While this price can vary widely by location, the type of restaurant, and the amount of food ordered, a typical meal often costs around $4.80.
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Food
Meals for one day
Zhangye $23
Harbin $12
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Zhangye
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Zhangye.
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Private Zhangye Danxia Geopark Sunset Tour with Dinner:
$258
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Harbin
For Harbin, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
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3-hour Private Food Tour in Harbin:
$100
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Half-Day Private Harbin Beer Museum and Food Tour Including Harbin Beer1900:
$150
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Harbin Dumpling Cooking Class:
$150
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Hot Spring Experience with Hot Pot Dinner in Harbin:
$160
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4-Hour Private Night Tour to Harbin Ice and Snow World with Dinner Options:
$250
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Private Full Day Tour to Harbin Beifang Forest Zoo and Optional Seafood Dinner:
$250
Local Transportation
The cost of a taxi ride in Zhangye is significantly more than public transportation. On average, past travelers have spent $34 per person, per day, on local transportation in Zhangye.
Public transportation tends to be much less expensive in Harbin than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend $1.34 on transportation in Harbin on average per day.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Zhangye
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Zhangye:
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Private One Way Transfer to Jiayuguan from Zhangye:
$78
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Private Airport Transfer: Zhangye Hotel to Zhangye Airport (YZY):
$52
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Private Airport Transfer: Zhangye Airport (YZY) to Zhangye Hotel:
$52
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Harbin
Also for Harbin, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Private Departure Transfer:City Hotel to Any Harbin Railway Station:
$23
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Harbin Airport Chauffeur Service, Harbin Airport Transfer:
$27
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Private Departure Transfer:Hotel to Harbin Taiping International Airport（HRB）:
$28
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Harbin Airport Chauffeur Service, Harbin Airport Transfer:
$40
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Private Departure Transfer to Harbin Railway Station from Harbin City Hotel:
$49
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Private Departure Transfer to Harbin South Railway Station from Harbin City Hotel:
$55
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Harbin Private Departure Transfer: Hotel to Railway Station:
$56
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Private Round-Trip Transfer:Harbin Taiping International Airport(HRB):
$56
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Private Arrival Transfer from Harbin West Railway Station to Harbin City Hotel:
$59
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Private Departure Transfer to Harbin West Railway Station from Harbin City Hotel:
$59
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Harbin Taiping Airport Chauffeur Service, Harbin Airport Transfer, Pick up.:
$59
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Private Arrival Transfer from Harbin East Railway Station to Harbin City Hotel:
$59
Is it cheaper to fly into Zhangye or Harbin?
Prices for flights to both Harbin and Zhangye 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.
Entertainment
Entertainment and activities in Zhangye typically cost an average of $9.26 per person, per day. This includes fees paid for admission tickets to museums and attractions, day tours, and other sightseeing expenses.
Sightseeing expenses in Harbin, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of $47 per day, per person.
Tours and Activities in Zhangye
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Zhangye are as follows:
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2 Days Zhangye Mati Temple, Pingshan Lake Valley & Rainbow Mountain Tour:
$340
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2-Day Zhangye Private Tour: Binggou Danxia, Zhangye Danxia Geo Park, Mati Temple Grottoes:
$543
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3 Days Zhangye Private Tour with Danxia Landform Geological Park:
$438
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7 Days Hexi Corridor Adventure Tour to Zhangye, Jiayuguan & Dunhuang:
$1,590
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Amazing 6-Day China Silk Road Tour:
$3,500
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Full-Day Private Tour to Jiayuguan and Xuanbi from Zhangye:
$208
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Private Day Tour: Horse Hoof Temple Grottoes and Zhangye Danxia Landform:
$235
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Private Hiking Tour: Binggou Danxia and Zhangye Danxia Geopark from Zhangye:
$255
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Private Hiking Tour: Pingshanhu Grand Canyon and Zhangye Danxia Geopark From Zhangye:
$255
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Private Hiking Tour: Pingshanhu Grand Canyon and the Horse Hoof Temple Grottoes:
$235
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Private Tour of Zhangye Danxia Geopark:
$266
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Private day tour to Zhangye Danxia Landform the Rainbow Mountain:
$114
Tours and Activities in Harbin
For Harbin, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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Hagia Sophia TOURS /Skip The Lines:
$12
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2-Hour Harbin City Tour:
$50
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1-Day Harbin Private Tour:
$70
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Half-Day Private Harbin City Walking Tour to Zhongyang Street and Sophia Church:
$80
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Private Half Day City Tour including Russian Town and Harbin Ropeway Ride:
$90
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Private Customized Harbin City Day Tour by Public Transportation:
$96
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Private 2-hour Winter Local Culture Experience Tour with Ice Swimming Show, Songhua River Ropeway and Walking on Songhua River:
$100
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"Visit Museum of Heilongjiang" - a guide tour.:
$100
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Harbin Ethnic Museum Guided Tour.:
$100
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80-Minute Foot Massage Private Tour in Harbin City:
$100
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4-Hour Tour to Harbin Church,Gogol Street,Hongbo Square and Heilongjiang Museum:
$100
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Half Day Tour for Harbin Guandong Ancient Lane and Wood Sculpture Museum:
$100
Alcohol
The average person spends about $6.17 on alcoholic beverages in Zhangye per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.
Typically, people visiting Harbin spend on average $7.01 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Zhangye and Harbin, we can see that Zhangye is more expensive. And not only is Harbin much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Harbin would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Harbin 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 Zhangye would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Zhangye than you might in Harbin.
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