A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Palawan vs. Okinawa for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Palawan or Okinawa?

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

Should I visit Palawan or Okinawa? 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: Palawan or Okinawa?

Palawan

Palawan is an archipelagic province of the Philippines, named for its largest island which measures about 450 kilometers (or 280 miles) long. The island is known as an ecological frontier with plenty of beaches and resorts as well as opportunities to see a diverse array of wildlife and their habitats on land and sea.

Okinawa

Okinawa is the southernmost prefecture of Japan and includes hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands. The chain of islands is off the southern mainland portion of the country and is made up of 49 inhabited islands and over one hundred uninhabited islands. Naha is Okinawa's capital, which is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Philippines, The Best 2-Week Tours in Philippines, The Best G Adventures Tours to Japan, and The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Tokyo.


Which place is cheaper, Okinawa or Palawan?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

The average daily cost (per person) in Palawan is $43, while the average daily cost in Okinawa is $125. 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 Palawan and Okinawa in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Palawan $13
    Okinawa $75
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Palawan $26
    Okinawa $150
Compare Hotels in Palawan and Okinawa

Looking for a hotel in Palawan or Okinawa? 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 Palawan


Hotels in Okinawa


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: Palawan Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Palawan $16
    Okinawa $9.66

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Palawan

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

  • Shared Busuanga Airport to Coron Hotel Transfer: $10
  • Coron Airport Shared Hotel Transfers: $10
  • Airport Transfers airport to city center hotel and cruise port: $20
  • El Nido Tour with Lunch and Transfers: $44
  • El Nido Tour C with Lunch and Transfers: $44
  • Coron Ultimate Tour: 7 Destinations with Lunch and Transfer: $47
  • Private Van Transfers: Busuanga Airport to Coron Hotel Vice Versa: $48
  • El Nido (Lio) Airport Transfers: $50
  • PrivateTransfer from Puerto Princesa Port to Puerto Princesa city: $60
  • Private Busuanga Airport to Coron Hotel Transfer: $79
  • Busuanga Palawan Private Airport Transfer to Coron Town: $90
  • Private for your group - transfers Puerto princesa to elnido : $100

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Okinawa

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Okinawa:

  • Private Transfer from Okinawa Airport (OKA) to Nakagusuku Port: $200
  • Private Transfer from Okinawa Airport (OKA) to Nakagusuku Port: $220
  • Private Transfer from Nakagusuku Port to Okinawa Airport (OKA): $200
  • Nakagusuku Cruise Port to Naha - Arrival Private Transfer: $138
  • Airport Transfer! Center of Naha to Naha Airport (OKA): $125

Is it cheaper to fly into Palawan or Okinawa?

Prices for flights to both Okinawa and Palawan 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
    Palawan $19
    Okinawa $41

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Okinawa

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Okinawa.

  • Naha: Airport Food Tour for a Delicious Start or Farewell: $166

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Palawan $5.21
    Okinawa $14

Tours and Activities in Palawan

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

  • Half-day Puerto Princesa City Tour: $15
  • Coron Town Tour with Maquinit Hot Spring: $19
  • City tour of Puerto Princesa Palawan Philippines : $20
  • Coron Island Hopping Tour A with Kayangan Lake: $25
  • 2in1 City tour and museum with pick up at hotel or cruise port: $25
  • Half-Day City Tour from Puerto Princesa: $27
  • Coron Island Hopping Tour B with Skeleton Wreck & Barracuda Lake: $32
  • Fullday Coron Island Hopping Tour : $34
  • City Tour of Puerto Princesa sightseeing excursion: $35
  • Coron Island Tour A (Shared Tour): $37
  • Joiners Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour: $38
  • Puerto Princesa: Honda Bay Tour with Lunch: $38

Tours and Activities in Okinawa

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

  • 1Day BusTour Yanbaru National Park & Cape Hedo,Kouri Island: $91
  • 200m Parasailing Experience in Okinawa depart from Ginowan Marina: $76
  • 2Hour Gorilla Go-Kart Tour in Naha City:(NIGHT SLOTS AVAILABLE): $69
  • 60Min Gorilla Go-Kart Tour in Naha City: (NIGHT SLOTS AVAILABLE): $55
  • Afternoon Adventure: Okinawa Local Cycling with Spectacular Views: $103
  • American Village &Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium Tour from Naha Chatan: $95
  • Beautiful sunset kayak tour in Okinawa: $38
  • E-Bike Nature Tour in Shuri: $103
  • E-Bike Tour with Sushi Making Experience: $171
  • Half Day Naha City Historical Bike Tour: $155
  • Karate History Tour in Okinawa: $112
  • Kerama Islands Okinawa Scuba Diving Adventure: $226

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Palawan $7.44
    Okinawa $15


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

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