China is one of the most affordable long-haul travel destinations in the world — if you know where to spend and where to save. This guide gives you real numbers, not guesswork.
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What Does China Actually Cost?
Here’s an honest daily budget breakdown (in USD) for different travel styles:
| Style | Daily Budget | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | $20–35 | Dorm bed, street food, local buses, free sights |
| Budget Traveller | $40–60 | Private hotel room, mix of restaurants, some entry fees |
| Comfort Traveller | $70–120 | Mid-range hotel, sit-down meals, occasional taxis |
| Splurge | $150–300+ | 4–5★ hotel, fine dining, private guides |
Reality check: A backpacker can genuinely survive on ¥150–250/day (~$20–35) in second-tier cities. Shanghai and Beijing push the floor up to ¥200–350.
Accommodation: Where to Sleep Cheap
Hostels (¥60–120/night for a dorm)
China has an excellent hostel network, especially in tourist cities. Look for:
- YHA-affiliated hostels — reliably clean, often in great locations
- Booking platforms: Hostelworld, Booking.com, and HostelsCombined all work in China
Budget hotels (¥150–280/night)
Chinese budget chains are fantastic value and wildly consistent:
- 7Days Inn (7天连锁酒店) — clean, wi-fi, AC, private bathroom for ¥150–200
- Hanting Hotel (汉庭酒店) — one step up, very reliable
- Jinjiang Inn (锦江之星) — often near train stations
Book on Trip.com or Ctrip (携程) — prices are 20–40% cheaper than Western sites for the same room.
Guesthouses & Inns (民宿, Mínsu)
In ancient towns (Lijiang, Dali, Fenghuang), a courtyard guesthouse room can cost ¥100–200 and be far more atmospheric than a chain hotel.
Food: Eating Well for Under ¥50 a Day
This is where China absolutely wins. You can eat three full meals for ¥30–50.
Street food & breakfast shops (¥5–20 per meal)
- Baozi (包子) steamed buns: ¥2–5 each
- Jianbing (煎饼) — savoury crepe with egg and chilli sauce: ¥8–12
- Noodle shops (面馆) — a bowl of beef noodles: ¥12–22
- Congee (粥) breakfast sets with sides: ¥10–18
Local restaurants (¥25–50 per meal)
Look for restaurants where workers eat at lunch — these are almost always excellent value. A three-dish meal with rice is typically ¥25–40 per person.
What to avoid (money wasters)
- Tourist-area restaurants with English menus (add 30–50% to prices)
- Hotel breakfasts — skip these and eat at street stalls instead
- Bottled water from hotels — buy at corner shops (¥2 vs ¥15)
Helpful apps for finding cheap food
- Meituan (美团) and Eleme (饿了么) — food delivery that’s often cheaper than eating in
- Dianping (大众点评) — China’s Yelp, shows real prices and reviews
Transport: Getting Around on a Budget
High-speed trains (高铁, Gāotiě)
Counter-intuitive but true: trains are often the best value for money in China, especially for mid-to-long distances.
| Route | Distance | Hard Seat | 2nd Class | 1st Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing → Shanghai | 1,318 km | N/A | ¥553 | ¥933 |
| Beijing → Xi’an | 1,215 km | ¥85 | ¥515 | ¥875 |
| Shanghai → Hangzhou | 175 km | N/A | ¥73 | ¥119 |
| Chengdu → Chongqing | 308 km | N/A | ¥125 | ¥210 |
Budget tip: Book 2nd class (二等座, Èrděng zuò) — perfectly comfortable for trips under 4 hours. For overnight journeys, a hard sleeper (硬卧, Yìng wò) costs 30–40% less than soft sleeper and is entirely adequate.
Regular trains (普快/快车)
Slower than high-speed, but significantly cheaper. A hard sleeper (硬卧) from Beijing to Xi’an costs ¥200–250 vs ¥515 by HSR.
Book on: Trip.com (English interface) or 12306.cn (Chinese, requires setup but cheaper).
Long-distance buses
For routes without train coverage, sleeper buses (卧铺大巴) run between cities and are cheap (¥50–150 for 4–8 hour routes). Comfort varies widely.
City transport
- Metro: ¥3–8 per journey, the only way to travel in big cities
- DiDi (滴滴) — China’s Uber equivalent, safe and cheap (¥15–30 for most city rides)
- Shared bikes (共享单车): Meituan Bike and Hellobike — ¥1.5–2 per 30 mins, essential in tourist areas
Budget airlines
For very long distances (e.g., Beijing to Chengdu), budget carriers can be competitive:
- Spring Airlines (春秋航空) — China’s cheapest
- West Air (重庆航空) and Ruili Airlines also have deals
Check on Skyscanner or Trip.com and book 2–4 weeks ahead.
Free and Low-Cost Attractions
Many of China’s most iconic experiences cost nothing:
Free to visit
- The Bund, Shanghai — riverside promenade, free
- Tiananmen Square, Beijing — the square itself is free (Forbidden City has an entry fee)
- West Lake, Hangzhou — walking the lake perimeter, free
- Nanjing City Wall — some sections free
- Most public parks and temples in smaller cities
- 798 Art District, Beijing — galleries and streets, free to wander
Budget-friendly paid attractions
| Attraction | Entry Fee |
|---|---|
| Forbidden City (Palace Museum) | ¥60 |
| Great Wall (Badaling) | ¥65 |
| Terracotta Army (Xi’an) | ¥75 |
| Jiuzhaigou Valley | ¥169 (peak season) |
| Zhangjiajie National Forest Park | ¥245 (3-day pass) |
| Summer Palace, Beijing | ¥30 |
| West Lake scenic area (paid zones) | ¥30–45 |
Money-saving tip: Buy entry tickets in advance on Trip.com or the official WeChat mini-programmes — many attractions offer small discounts for online booking, plus you skip queues.
SIM Cards and Internet
- Local SIM with 30GB data: ¥100–150/month — buy at any China Mobile/Unicom/Telecom store at the airport or in the city
- China Unicom tourist SIM (47-day): ¥99, widely available at airports, includes calls and data
- International roaming: Convenient but expensive (£5–10/day from UK providers). Use only as backup.
VPN note: If you rely on Google Maps, Instagram, WhatsApp, or similar services, you’ll need a VPN pre-installed before landing. Popular paid options include ExpressVPN and NordVPN. Note that VPN use exists in a legal grey zone in China — tourists generally face no issues with personal use, but download before you arrive.
Money and Payments
Cash vs Digital
China is largely cashless — Alipay and WeChat Pay dominate. You must set these up before relying on them (see our China Payment Guide).
ATMs
- Available everywhere, but international card fees stack up (¥15–25 per withdrawal + your bank’s foreign transaction fee)
- Strategy: Withdraw larger amounts less often to minimise fees
- ICBC, Bank of China, and China Construction Bank ATMs are most reliable for foreign cards
Currency
- Chinese Yuan (CNY/RMB, symbol ¥)
- ¥1 ≈ $0.14 / €0.13 / £0.11 (May 2026 rates)
- Don’t exchange at airports — rates are 5–8% worse than bank rates
Sample Daily Budgets
¥200/day (~$27) Backpacker in Chengdu
- Dorm bed: ¥65
- Breakfast jianbing: ¥10
- Noodle lunch: ¥18
- Street snacks: ¥15
- Dinner at local restaurant: ¥35
- Metro: ¥10
- Panda Base entry: ¥55 (spread over 1 day)
- Total: ¥208
¥350/day (~$48) Budget Traveller in Shanghai
- Private hotel room (budget chain): ¥180
- Congee breakfast: ¥15
- Lunch at food court: ¥35
- Coffee: ¥28
- Dinner (2 dishes + rice): ¥55
- Metro: ¥12
- Bund walk + Yu Garden entry: ¥40
- Total: ¥365
Top 10 Budget Travel Tips for China
- Eat breakfast at street stalls, not hotels — the jianbing alone is worth the trip
- Use the metro in every city that has one — it’s cheap, fast, and air-conditioned
- Book trains early, especially for holiday periods (Spring Festival, Golden Week)
- Travel shoulder season (April–May, September–October) — cheaper flights, smaller crowds
- Learn 10 Mandarin phrases — vendors often charge less when they see you’re making an effort
- Set up Alipay before you arrive — you’ll pay street vendor prices, not tourist prices
- Visit free parks in the morning — locals exercise there and it’s the most authentic slice of daily life
- Check if your passport qualifies for visa-free entry — save the visa fee entirely
- Pack light — luggage storage is cheap (¥10–20/day at stations) but carrying heavy bags on sleeper trains is miserable
- Use DiDi, not hotel-arranged taxis — you’ll pay half the price with a clear meter
Frequently Asked Questions
Is China cheaper than Southeast Asia? For food and local transport, China is very comparable to Thailand or Vietnam. Accommodation tends to be slightly pricier, but the quality is higher. Entry fees for major attractions are where costs differ — China’s iconic sites cost more than equivalent sites in SEA.
Can I travel China comfortably on $50/day? Yes, very comfortably. $50 (¥360) is a solid mid-budget that covers a private room, three decent meals, transport, and one paid attraction per day.
Do I need travel insurance? Strongly recommended. China has excellent hospitals in major cities, but costs for foreigners without insurance can be eye-watering. World Nomads and SafetyWing are popular with China travellers.
How much cash should I carry? Keep ¥300–500 as emergency cash. Most places accept Alipay/WeChat, but rural areas, small markets, and some temples are cash-only.