A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Zhangye vs. Melbourne for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Zhangye or Melbourne?

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

Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Zhangye and Melbourne. 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, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.

Where Should I go: Zhangye or Melbourne?

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.

Melbourne

Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia, after Sydney. It is also the capital city of the state of Victoria, in southeastern Australia. Melbourne is arguably the best city to experience culture and the arts in Australia. There is a friendly rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney over livability and popularity and Melbourne is definitely the city to visit for its parks, shopping, restaurants, galleries and theaters. Like Sydney, it is situated on the water, at the head of Port Phillip Bay. It's a beautiful city, and although it lacks the major sights that you'll find in Sydney such as the Sydney Opera House or the Harbour Bridge, you will never find yourself lacking for entertainment. It is also a wonderful base for exploring many of the nearby highlights, including Grampians National Park, The Great Ocean Road, and Phillip Island where you can view the penguin parade.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Historical Tours in China, The Best 10-Day Tours in China, The Best Scuba Diving Tours in Australia, and The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Australia.


Which place is cheaper, Melbourne or Zhangye?

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 Zhangye is $105, while the average daily cost in Melbourne is $195. 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 Zhangye and Melbourne in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Zhangye $39
    Melbourne $119
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Zhangye $78
    Melbourne $238
Compare Hotels in Zhangye and Melbourne

Looking for a hotel in Zhangye or Melbourne? 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 Zhangye


Hotels in Melbourne


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: Melbourne Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Zhangye $39
    Melbourne $20

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Zhangye

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Zhangye:

  • Private Airport Transfer: Zhangye Hotel to Zhangye Airport (YZY): $59
  • Private Airport Transfer: Zhangye Airport (YZY) to Zhangye Hotel: $59

Typical Local Transportation Prices in Melbourne

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Melbourne:


  • Airport Bus
    $10
  • Tram Ride
    $2.49

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Melbourne

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

  • Melbourne Airport: Express Bus Transfer to/from City Center: $16
  • Express Bus Transfer to or from Melbourne City Center: $19
  • Melbourne CBD to Melbourne Airport Private Transfer 4 or more: $32
  • Melbourne Airport(Tullamarine): Shared Transfer to Melbourne: $32
  • Melbourne (Tullamarine) Airport: Shared Transfer to Melbourne: $33
  • MEL Airport to CBD Private transfers 4 or more: $33
  • MEL Airport to City Centre Private Transfer: $40
  • Melbourne Airport Private Transfer to City: $44
  • Transfer Melbourne Airport MEL to City Centre/St Kilda/Hawthorne: $45
  • Private Transfer from Melbourne hotels to Melbourne Cruise Port: $61
  • Airport to City Private Transfer (One-way): $66
  • Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service Melbourne HTL-APT (MEL): $69

Is it cheaper to fly into Zhangye or Melbourne?

Prices for flights to both Melbourne 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.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Zhangye $45
    Melbourne $53

Typical Food Prices in Melbourne

For Melbourne, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:


  • Coffee
    $2.62
  • Pizza
    $4.58

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Melbourne

For Melbourne, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Melbourne Flavors: Queen Victoria Market Food Tour: $40
  • Multicultural Markets Food Tour – Melbourne’s Global Tastes: $51
  • Queen Victoria Market: 'Flavours of Australia' Food Tour: $52
  • Queen Victoria Market Early Access Food Tour: $53
  • Eynesbury Homestead Dinner and Ghost Tour: $54
  • Inner North Street Food Tour: $72
  • Sunset Kayak Tour with Dinner: $79
  • Melbourne Sunset Kayaking Experience with Dinner: $81
  • Melbourne Private Multicultural Markets Food Tour: $86
  • Street Food Tour in Melbourne's Inner North: $87
  • Best of Little Italy Dinner Tour: $92
  • Carlton a Little Italy Dinner Tour: $93

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Zhangye $11
    Melbourne $27

Tours and Activities in Zhangye

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

  • Private day tour to Zhangye Danxia Landform the Rainbow Mountain: $150
  • From 6-Day Private Photography Tour to Dunhuang: $1,099
  • Private Day Tour: Horse Hoof Temple Grottoes and Zhangye Danxia Landform: $299
  • Private Hiking Tour: Binggou Danxia and Zhangye Danxia Geopark from Zhangye: $299
  • Private Hiking Tour: Pingshanhu Grand Canyon and the Horse Hoof Temple Grottoes: $235
  • Private day tour to Zhangye Mati temple & Giant Buddha Temple start from Zhangye: $155
  • Zhangye Danxia Half Day tour: $195
  • Zhangye One Day City Tour: $77
  • Zhangye Rainbow Danxia Private Day Tour: $214
  • Danxia Geopark & Giant Buddha Private Day Tour: $246
  • Mati Temple Grottoes & Giant Buddha Temple Tour: $257

Tours and Activities in Melbourne

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

  • Melbourne Scavenger Hunt and Highlights Self-Guided Tour: $4.81
  • Melbourne City Centre Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $6.45
  • Melbourne Vampire Quest: Self-Guided Gothic Adventure: $7.20
  • Live like a Local: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $8.99
  • Melbourne Self Guided Audio Experience: $9.00
  • Melbourne Walking Tour from Flinders Street Station: $9.75
  • Melbourne Gardens Explorer Minibus Tour: $9.92
  • Immigration Museum Entry Ticket: $9.92
  • Scienceworks Entry Ticket: $9.92
  • Questo Self-guided Haunted Melbourne Walking Tour: $11
  • Melbourne Museum Entry Ticket: $12
  • Upside Down House Photo Experience in Australia: $13

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Zhangye $7.01
    Melbourne $17

Typical Alcohol Prices in Melbourne

Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Melbourne from other travelers:


  • Bottle of Wine
    $5.07

Sample the Local Flavors in Melbourne

Also in Melbourne, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:

  • Melbourne Christmas Bar Crawl: $15
  • Melbourne Pub Crawl (Batmania Tours): $19
  • Weekly Bar Crawl: 5 Free shots, Club Entry: $20
  • Melbourne Halloween Bar Crawl: $24
  • Spirits and Ales Haunted Pub Walking Tour: $26
  • MELBOURNE Spirits and Ales Haunted Pub Tour: $26
  • Melbourne Music Venue Pub Crawl with History + 2 Free Drinks: $26
  • Rock'n'roll venues pub crawl including 2 free drinks and history: $27
  • Laid back, Yarra Valley Wine Tour: Wine, Cider, Gin, Beer + Choc: $87
  • New Chocolate and wine tasting tour in the Yarra Valley: $89
  • Cruise Ship Friendly Yarra Valley Wine Tour with Port Pickup: $114
  • Yarra Valley: Bus Wine Tour with Lunch and a Glass of Wine: $116


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

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


Which is Bigger, Zhangye or Melbourne?

Melbourne has a larger population, and is about 40 times larger than the population of Zhangye. When comparing the sizes of Zhangye and Melbourne, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.