Which place is cheaper, Royal Chitwan National Park or Koh Samui?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Koh Samui or Royal Chitwan National Park?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Koh Samui or Royal Chitwan National Park? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Koh Samui or Royal Chitwan National Park?
Koh Samui
The largest island on the east coast of southern Thailand, Ko Samui (or Koh Samui) sees a good number of visitors every year who come for its lush rainforest, beautiful shores, and undersea wildlife. The size of the island is still small enough to allow visitors to circumnavigate it with a taxi or motorbike in a day, while hikers and outdoor enthusiasts can find plenty of inland activities in the hills and jungle.
Royal Chitwan National Park
The majestic elephant, the silly monkey and dozens of soaring birds call the Royal Chitwan National Park home. At the foot of the Himalayas, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is 932 square kilometers of animal and plant life preservation in Nepal.
Once the favorite hunting ground for Nepal's ruling class, the area began seeing the endangerment of all the area animals. So in 1957, Nepal passed its first conservation law to protect the rhinos and their habitat. At the end of the 1960s, however, DDT had cleared 70% of Royal Chitwan National Park jungles, thousands of people had created moved in on the land and only 95 rhinos were left. By 1977 the park was under complete protection, enlarged to the present-day size and is one of the last refuges of the Bengal tiger.
This park, also known as "the heart of the jungle," provides over 70,000 annual visitors with opportunities to get close and personal with animals they've only seen in movies. Fair warning, however, the weather is quite hot and humid for most of the year.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Tours Under $1000 in Thailand, The Best Budget Tours to Thailand, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Pokhara, and The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Nepal.
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Koh Samui Prices
Thailand PricesRoyal Chitwan National Park Prices
Nepal Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayKoh Samui $79Royal Chitwan National Park $40
The average daily cost (per person) in Koh Samui is $79, while the average daily cost in Royal Chitwan National Park is $40. 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 Koh Samui and Royal Chitwan National Park in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personKoh Samui $26Royal Chitwan National Park $11
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomKoh Samui $52Royal Chitwan National Park $22
Compare Hotels in Koh Samui and Royal Chitwan National Park
Looking for a hotel in Koh Samui or Royal Chitwan National Park? 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.
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: Koh Samui Hotel Prices and Royal Chitwan National Park Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Koh Samui $19Royal Chitwan National Park $21
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Koh Samui
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Koh Samui:
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Scooter Rental$2.36
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Gas for Scooter$1.26
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Airport Taxi$14
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Taxi- Na Thon Pier to Lamai Beach$13
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Minibus- Airport to Chaweng$3.77
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Koh Samui
Also for Koh Samui, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- The Red Baron Luxury Yacht Cruise from Koh Samui with Return Transfer: $171
- Smooth Koh Phangan to Phuket Transfer by Catamaran and Bus : $54
- Samui Zipline Adventure with Transfer service: $54
- Private round trip Transfers from Samui Airport : $38
- Private Transfer from Taling Ngam to Samui (USM) Airport: $70
- Private Transfer from Samui (USM) Airport to Mae Nam: $69
- Private Transfer from Samui (USM) Airport to Lamai : $39
- Private Transfer from Mae Nam to Samui (USM) Airport: $69
- Private Transfer from Ko Samui to Ko Samui Airport (USM): $18
- Private Transfer from Ko Samui hotels to Ko Samui Cruise Port: $19
- Private Transfer from Ko Samui Port to Ko Samui Airport (USM): $19
- Private Transfer from Ko Samui Port to Ko Samui Airport (USM): $19
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Royal Chitwan National Park
Also for Royal Chitwan National Park, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Chitwan to Kathmandu One Way Transfer by Private AC Car : $75
Is it cheaper to fly into Koh Samui or Royal Chitwan National Park?
Prices for flights to both Royal Chitwan National Park and Koh Samui 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
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Food Meals for one dayKoh Samui $39Royal Chitwan National Park $15
Typical Food Prices in Koh Samui
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Koh Samui:
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Casual Lunch (for Two)$6.75
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Koh Samui
For Koh Samui, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Sunset Dinner Cruise: $77
- Thai Cooking Class with Local Market Tour in Koh Samui: $79
- Cooking Class by Samui Native Instructor Geng and O Family: $79
- Thai Cooking Class with Local Market Tour in Koh Samui: $79
- Thai Cooking Masterclass by the Sea on Koh Samui: $82
- Koh Samui Sunset Dinner Cruise: $82
- Thai Cooking Class | Since 2012 | Farm to Table: $82
- Cooking Class in Ko Samui for Small Group : $82
- Romantic Evening on Koh Samui’s Sunset Dinner Cruise: $108
- Red Baron : A Sunset Dinner Cruise from Koh Samui with Return Transfer: $113
- Red Baron Sunset Dinner Cruise from Koh Samui with Transfer: $122
- Red Baron Sunset Dinner Cruise from Koh Samui with Return Transfer: $122
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Koh Samui $12Royal Chitwan National Park $9.09
Tours and Activities in Koh Samui
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Koh Samui.
- Koh Madsum (Pig island) and Koh Tan Day Tour from Koh Samui: $101
- Koh Samui Island ATV Quad Bike Adventure: $99
- Koh Tan and Pig Island Half-Day Tour by Speed Catamaran : $64
- Pig Island Experience By Speed Boat, Snorkeling, Kayaking Relaxing on the Beach: $46
- Private Tour in Koh Samui Waterfall And Mummified Monk Temple: $198
- Speedboat Tour to Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan: $83
- koh samui island and water fall tour: $50
- 2 Hour ATV Jungle Tour In Koh Samui : $89
- 2 Islands Sightseeing and Snorkeling Trip From Koh Samui: $48
- 2-Hour Koh Samui ATV Quad Tour: $59
- 2.5-Hours ATV Jungle Adventure Experience from Koh Phangan: $123
- 4-Hour Day Tour in Koh Samui: $30
Tours and Activities in Royal Chitwan National Park
For Royal Chitwan National Park, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- 1 Night 2 Days Chitwan Safari Tour: $118
- 2 Nights 3 Days Chitwan Jungle Safari Tour : $154
- 3 Nights 4 Days Comfortable Chitwan Safari Tour: $195
- 3-Day Chitwan Jungle Safari from Kathmandu – All-Inclusive Tour: $250
- Chitwan Jungle Safari Tour: $140
- Experience the ride in Lowlands of Nepal: $62
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayKoh Samui $5.33Royal Chitwan National Park $6.13
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Koh Samui and Royal Chitwan National Park, we can see that Koh Samui is more expensive. And not only is Royal Chitwan National Park much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Royal Chitwan National Park would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Royal Chitwan National Park 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 Koh Samui would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Koh Samui than you might in Royal Chitwan National Park.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Koh Samui Expensive? and Is Royal Chitwan National Park Expensive?.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.