A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Sihanoukville vs. Fraser Island for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Sihanoukville or Fraser Island?

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

Should I visit Sihanoukville or Fraser Island? 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: Sihanoukville or Fraser Island?

Sihanoukville

Sihanoukville, also known by locals as Kompong Som, was named after King Sihanouk. Also Cambodia's youngest city, construction started in 1955 to build Cambodia's first and only deep water port so that ships would no longer have to go through the Mekong Delta in order to trade with Cambodia. Today, many visit Sihanoukville as a hub to visit Cambodia's islands.

Fraser Island

Fraser Island, located off Australia's eastern Queensland coast, is the world's largest sand island. It is best known as a camping and ecotourism destination, with a number of panoramic viewpoints, beaches, lakes, and freshwater pools. Hervey Bay, a beachside city on the nearby mainland, is a primary gateway to the island.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Bicycle Tours in Cambodia, The Best Adventure Tours to Cambodia, The Best Romantic Tours for Couples in Australia, and The Best Honeymoon Tours in Australia.


Which place is cheaper, Fraser Island or Sihanoukville?

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 Sihanoukville is $65, while the average daily cost in Fraser Island is $243. 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 Sihanoukville and Fraser Island in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Sihanoukville $23
    Fraser Island $102
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Sihanoukville $46
    Fraser Island $204
Compare Hotels in Sihanoukville and Fraser Island

Looking for a hotel in Sihanoukville or Fraser Island? 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 Sihanoukville


Hotels in Fraser Island


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.
    Sihanoukville $14
    Fraser Island $93

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Sihanoukville

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Sihanoukville:

  • Transfer: Between Airport and Shihanouk ville: $20
  • Sihanoukville International Airport Transfers: $23
  • Sihanoukville Airport Transfers: $25
  • Private Transfer From Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh: $35
  • Convenient Taxi Transfers from Sihanoukville to Kampot: $36
  • Private Taxi Transfer From Kampot - Phnom Penh City: $46
  • Private Shuttle Transfer From Sihanoukville - Phnom Penh: $57
  • Sihanoukville To Phnom Penh Private Transfer Mini-Van-Car: $65
  • Private Taxi Transfer Sihanoukville - Battambang Car - Mini-Van: $107
  • Private Transfer to/from Battambang - Sihanoukville: $115
  • Private Transfer in Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh by Alphard 2010: $180
  • Private Taxi Transfer to Kampot: $224

Is it cheaper to fly into Sihanoukville or Fraser Island?

Prices for flights to both Fraser Island and Sihanoukville 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
    Sihanoukville $32
    Fraser Island $83

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Sihanoukville

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

  • Cooking class in Kampot: $20
  • Sihanoukville - Khmer Traditional Cooking Class: $110

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Sihanoukville $5.37
    Fraser Island $45

Tours and Activities in Sihanoukville

Here are a few actual costs in Sihanoukville for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • Tuktuk Countryside tour: Pepper farm, Salt field & Secret lake: $18
  • Kampot Tour Pepper Plantation, Salt Field, Cave, Secret Lake: $21
  • La Plantation tour (discovering Kampot Pepper) + Lunch: $21
  • Half day tour with countryside include Pepper farm Kampot : $22
  • Kampot Countryside Tour - Pepper Farm, Salt Lake, Caves, and more: $25
  • Full day Tour, Countryside, Pepper farm & Kep, crab market...: $25
  • SUP Tour in Mangrove Forest of Koh Rong Sanloem: $28
  • Bokor Mountain Adventure - History, Sights and Waterfalls: $29
  • Kampot Day Tour "Bokor National Park": $29
  • Half-Day Adventure to the Pepper Farm by Scooter: $30
  • Full Day Pepper Farm Adventure by Scooter: $45
  • Kampot Countryside & Kayak Tour, Pepper Farm include lunch : $46

Tours and Activities in Fraser Island

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

  • 2 Hours Hervey Bay Funset Cruise: $53
  • Hervey Bay: Best Value Half Day Whale Watching Cruise: $80
  • Hervey Bay Ultimate Whale Watching Cruise: $80
  • Hervey Bay Whale Watching Cruise: $104
  • Hervey Bay: Half Day Whale watching & Island Stop Tour: $111
  • Remote K'gari (Fraser Island) & Whale Experience: $173
  • Remote Fraser Island Experience: $173
  • K'gari (Fraser Island) All Inclusive Day Tour: $174
  • K'gari (Fraser Island) Small Group Day Tour - From Rainbow Beach: $186
  • K'gari (Fraser Island) Small Group 4WD Adventure - From Noosa: $201
  • Fraser Experience Shared Full Day Guided Tour: $208
  • Hervey Bay to K'gari/Fraser Island 2-Day Tour (Beach House): $370

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Sihanoukville $4.42
    Fraser Island $21


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

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