💸Cost To Visit Palawan: Travel Budget Guide (2026)

In this guide, you’ll find the average cost to visit Palawan, including daily budgets, and what to expect to spend in peak, shoulder, and off-season travel periods.

Is Palawan Cheap To Visit?

Yes—putting flights aside, Palawan is usually cheap to visit compared with many Western beach destinations. Food, local transport, budget hotels, and everyday sightseeing can stay very manageable. What changes the budget quickly is where you base yourself, how many transfers you take between El Nido, Coron, and Puerto Princesa, and how often you add island-hopping tours, diving, and upgraded boat trips.

Overall, Palawan can be cheap on the ground—but the budget rises fast once you build the trip around multiple island transfers, daily tours, and better beach hotels.

For many travelers, Palawan stays more affordable when you:

• Eat at local restaurants, bakeries, and simple cafés instead of leaning on tourist-heavy dining every night
• Keep your route simpler instead of trying to cover El Nido, Coron, and Puerto Princesa too quickly
• Use shared vans, ferries, and standard tours instead of private transfers
• Mix free beach time and town walking with only a few paid excursions
• Go during cheaper times of the year

Prices are converted from Philippine pesos and shown in $ (USD)

Palawan Vacation Costs

Below is a detailed expense breakdown for accommodations, food, transportation, and attractions—followed by day trip costs and realistic daily/weekly budgets.

Avg. Accommodation Cost

Peak Season

• Budget Travelers: $18–$40 per night
• Mid-Range Travelers: $45–$95 per night
• Luxury Travelers: $140–$420+ per night

Shoulder-Season

• Budget Travelers: $14–$32
• Mid-Range Travelers: $35–$80
• Luxury Travelers: $110–$340+

Off-Season

• Budget Travelers: $10–$26
• Mid-Range Travelers: $28–$65
• Luxury Travelers: $85–$260+

Budget Travelers

• Breakfast: $1.50–$4
• Lunch: $2–$6
• Dinner: $3–$8

Mid-Range Travelers

• Breakfast: $4–$8
• Lunch: $6–$14
• Dinner: $10–$28

Luxury Travelers

• Breakfast: $10–$20
• Lunch: $15–$35
• Dinner: $30–$90+

Reality:
Palawan can stay pretty cheap for food if you eat local dishes and keep things simple. Costs rise quickly in beachfront restaurants, higher-end island resorts, and places built around tour traffic.

Transportation Cost

Airport → Your Area

• Puerto Princesa Airport to central hotel: $3–$10
• Puerto Princesa to El Nido by shared van: $12–$20
• El Nido local airport-area transfer: $5–$15
• Coron airport to town: $8–$20
• Private transfer: $25–$80+

Palawan is usually reached through Puerto Princesa (PPS), which works as the main gateway for the province. From there, travelers heading to El Nido typically need a 5 to 6 hour van transfer.

There are also direct domestic flights to El Nido (ENI) and Busuanga/Coron (USU) from major airports in the Philippines, which can save a lot of travel time.

For Coron, the nearest major airport has daily flights from Manila, Cebu, and other domestic hubs, making it one of the easier parts of Palawan to reach by air.

Getting Around Palawan

Vans / Ferries / Intercity Transfers

• Puerto Princesa to El Nido van: $12–$20
• El Nido to Coron ferry: $35–$60
• Shorter local transfer rides: $2–$8

Tricycles / Local Rides

• Short in-town ride: $1–$3
• Longer ride around town or to a nearby beach: $3–$8

Scooter Rental

• Typical daily scooter rental: $5–$10/day
• Weekly scooter rental: $25–$50

Private Transfer / Upgraded Transport

• Private van or upgraded intercity transfer: $40–$120+

Attractions

• El Nido island hopping: $20–$45+
• Coron lake or lagoon day tour: $20–$35+
• Underground River day tour: $25–$45+
• Kayangan Lake entry plus tour costs: $3–$5 entry plus transport/tour
• Honda Bay island hopping: $18–$32+
• Nacpan Beach: free aside from transport
• Beach days and town walking: free
• Diving in Coron: $35–$65+ per dive

Day Trip Costs

Average Daily Travel Cost For Palawan

Weekly Budget (7 Days)