Short answer: On the ground in China, plan on roughly ¥150–330 (about $20–50) per person per day on a hostel-and-noodles budget, ¥430–660 (about $65–100) in a mid-range hotel shared by two, and from about ¥1,120–1,540 (about $165–230) for a big-city hotel room of your own, restaurant dinners and taxis. A week costs roughly ¥1,050–2,310 ($155–345) on a budget, ¥3,010–4,620 ($450–690) mid-range and from about ¥7,840 ($1,170) in comfort, before flights, high-speed trains and any visa fee.
China is one of the best-value big destinations in the world. Food is cheap and excellent, city metros cost a few yuan a ride, and the famous sights charge modest entry fees. The main costs are hotels in Beijing and Shanghai, long-distance high-speed trains and, for some travelers, the visa. This guide breaks it all down with official figures where they exist, so you can build a realistic budget for your trip to China. Prices in dollars are rounded at about ¥6.70 (yuan) to the US dollar, the Federal Reserve’s rate in early October 2026; use our Money exchange tool for today’s rate.
China daily costs at a glance
These example days are built from the sourced prices further down this page: one person, one day in a big city such as Beijing, Shanghai or Xi’an. They leave out flights, high-speed trains, the visa and shopping. Smaller cities cost less.
| Per person, per day | Budget | Mid-range | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed | Hostel dorm bed: ¥80–150 | Half of a hotel room at ¥370–600: ¥185–300 | A big-city hotel room to yourself: from about ¥600–740 |
| Food | Three simple meals: ¥60–100 | Café, simple lunch, half of a ¥200 dinner for two: ¥155–180 | Café, lunch, half of a ¥450 dinner for two, drinks: ¥300–400 |
| Local transport | Metro rides: ¥10–20 | Metro plus one taxi: ¥30–60 | Taxis or ride-hailing: ¥100–150 |
| Sights | Free parks and streets, one ticket: ¥0–60 | One or two tickets: ¥60–120 | Top sights and cable cars: ¥120–250 |
| Total | About ¥150–330 ($20–50) | About ¥430–660 ($65–100) | From about ¥1,120–1,540 ($165–230) |
Hotel ranges come from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s star-rated hotel survey and a 2026 sample of online hotel prices; hostel and meal prices are typical 2026 figures from hostel guides and the crowd-sourced Numbeo index for Beijing and Shanghai. Treat them as typical ranges, not quotes.
What visitors actually spend in China
China does not publish an official per-visitor spending figure for foreign tourists, but the national totals give a sense of scale. In 2025, China recorded 154.5 million inbound visits, of which 35.17 million were by foreign nationals and the rest by residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and inbound spending reached about $131.1 billion, according to official data; the Minister of Culture and Tourism put it at “over 130 billion US dollars” in March 2026. That works out to roughly $850 per visit, but the average mixes long trips with many short hops across the border, so it says little about a typical vacation. Visitors spent about ¥80 billion through mobile payment apps.
On our Travel costs by country scale, China scores 47 for travel prices (hotels, restaurants and transport) against 100 for the United States: in plain words, a day in China costs less than half of a similar day at home. Expect a big gap between top hotels in Shanghai and simple guesthouses in places like Yangshuo or Dali.
Accommodation costs
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s survey of 7,245 star-rated hotels put the national average room rate at ¥370.83 a night in 2023, the latest full year we could find, with Shanghai the most expensive region at ¥737.36. A 2026 sample of online hotel prices for an August weekend night found median rates of about ¥595 in Shanghai, ¥373 in Dali and ¥192 in Kashgar, which shows how much location matters. Industry data also shows China’s hotel rates slipping slightly in mid-2026, about 1% below a year earlier in July.
Hostels are the budget choice: 2026 hostel guides put a dorm bed in Beijing and Shanghai at roughly ¥80–150, a little more for small or women-only rooms. Two practical points: every foreign guest must be registered with the police, which hotels do for you when you check in with your passport, and not every budget hotel is set up to take foreign guests, so confirm before booking. If you stay in a private home, you must register yourself within 24 hours, which can now be done online.
Food and drink costs
Eating is where China shines. Numbeo’s October 2026 figures for both Beijing and Shanghai show a meal at an inexpensive restaurant at about ¥30 (range ¥20–50) and a three-course dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant at about ¥200 (range ¥150–450 in Beijing). A local draft beer costs about ¥8 and a bottle of water under ¥2, while Western-style coffee is relatively pricey at ¥22–24 for a cappuccino and a fast-food combo costs about ¥35.
Noodle shops, dumpling houses, night markets and food courts are cheaper still, and regional specialties such as Peking duck in Beijing, hot pot in Chengdu and Chongqing or soup dumplings in Shanghai are worth a splurge. Many small places have picture menus or QR-code ordering through your phone.
Getting around: metro, high-speed trains and taxis
- City metros: a one-way ride costs about ¥3–5 in Beijing and Shanghai (Numbeo), and you can pay with a QR code in Alipay or WeChat.
- Taxis and ride-hailing: Numbeo puts the flag-down at about ¥13 in Beijing and ¥14 in Shanghai, plus ¥2.30–3 per kilometer. DiDi ride-hailing works inside the Alipay and WeChat apps. From Pudong airport, Shanghai’s city government quotes about ¥180 for a taxi to the center, against about ¥7 on metro Line 2.
- Shanghai Maglev: ¥50 for a standard one-way ticket between Pudong airport and Longyang Road.
- High-speed trains: the biggest transport cost. Fares vary by train and time; travel guides put a second-class seat at roughly ¥550–700 from Beijing to Shanghai and ¥515–590 from Beijing to Xi’an. Tickets are sold under your real name with your passport on the official China Railway 12306 website and app, which has an English version, and refunds are free eight or more days before departure.
Our China itinerary links Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai and other highlights by train, which is usually the best way to see the country. Book train tickets early around public holidays.
Sightseeing fees and free things to do
China’s sights charge modest fees, and almost all now need real-name booking in advance with your passport number. Official adult prices as of October 2026:
| Sight | Adult ticket |
|---|---|
| Forbidden City (Palace Museum), Beijing | ¥60 April–October, ¥40 November–March; closed Mondays except national holidays |
| Terracotta Army, Xi’an | ¥120 |
| Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding | ¥55 |
| Wulingyuan scenic area, Zhangjiajie | ¥165, valid 4 consecutive days (park transport extra) |
| Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) | ¥190, valid 3 consecutive days; cable cars ¥80–90 |
| Lijiang Old Town maintenance fee | ¥50, valid 365 days |
Plenty is free: walking the Bund and old lanes in Shanghai, the lakeside paths around West Lake in Hangzhou, Beijing’s hutongs and parks, and the riverside villages near Guilin by bike. Some major museums are free with advance booking. Our top places to visit in China helps you pick where to spend your sightseeing money.
Visa fees, entry and tax refunds
- Visa-free stays: citizens of about 50 countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia and most of Europe, can visit for up to 30 days without a visa under a scheme that runs, for most of them, until 31 December 2026. That saves the visa fee entirely.
- US citizens: need a visa for a normal vacation. The reduced fee for US citizens at China’s embassy and consulates in the US is $140 for a single-entry visa until 31 December 2026; expedited service costs $25 more. Alternatively, travelers from 57 countries, including the US, can use the 240-hour visa-free transit if they fly in and out to different countries or regions (Hong Kong counts) with a confirmed onward ticket.
- Arrival card: free, online or on arrival; ignore sites that charge for it.
- Tax refund for visitors: overseas visitors can get value-added tax back on goods from registered tax-refund shops when they spend at least ¥200 in one shop on one day, the minimum since April 2025. Many shops now refund on the spot at the time of purchase, and refunds can go to a bank card or mobile payment account, with cash refunds of up to ¥20,000.
Paying in China and tipping
Daily life in China runs on phone payments. Alipay and WeChat Pay both let visitors link a foreign Visa, Mastercard or other international card, and then pay by scanning a QR code almost anywhere, from street stalls to train ticket machines. UnionPay cards work at all card terminals, and ATMs that take international cards are found at airports and in city centers. Carry some cash as a backup.
Tipping is not part of everyday life in mainland China. Restaurants, taxis and shops do not expect it, and some upscale hotels and restaurants add a service charge to the bill instead. Private tour guides and drivers are the main exception, where a tip for good service is appreciated; our tip calculator helps if you decide to leave one.
Money-saving tips for China
- Avoid national holidays. Hotel prices, train demand and crowds peak around Chinese New Year (6 February 2027) and Golden Week (1–7 October). November to mid-January and March are usually the cheapest times; see our best time to visit China guide.
- Check whether you qualify for visa-free entry or the 240-hour transit before paying for a visa.
- Take the metro, not taxis. A metro ride costs a few yuan; Shanghai’s airport taxi costs about 25 times the metro fare.
- Book trains early and compare departure times, as fares on busy routes change with demand.
- Eat local. A noodle-shop lunch costs about the same as one cappuccino in a Western-style café.
- Use multi-day tickets. Zhangjiajie and Huangshan tickets cover several days, so plan two or three days there instead of rushing.
To compare China with other countries, see Travel costs by country.
Plan your trip: our free trip planner can build a day-by-day plan for China from our guides, including Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guilin. Then use the Money exchange tool to turn yuan into your own currency, and our phrase cards for ordering and getting around.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need for a week in China?
Using the example days above, seven days on the ground cost roughly ¥1,050–2,310 (about $155–345) per person on a tight budget, ¥3,010–4,620 (about $450–690) mid-range, and from about ¥7,840–10,780 (about $1,170–1,610) in comfort. Add high-speed trains between cities, flights and, for US citizens, the $140 visa.
Is China expensive?
No. China scores 47 for travel prices on our scale, against 100 for the US. Simple restaurant meals cost about ¥30 (under $5), metro rides a few yuan and top sights like the Forbidden City ¥40–60. Hotels in Shanghai and Beijing and long train trips are the main costs.
Do I need cash in China?
Very little, but set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with your foreign card before you go, because many places expect QR-code payment. Carry some cash for backup; you can change money at banks and withdraw yuan from ATMs that accept international cards.
How much does a Chinese visa cost?
For US citizens applying in the US, a single-entry visa costs $140 until 31 December 2026, plus $25 for expedited service. Citizens of about 50 countries, including the UK, Canada and Australia, can currently visit for up to 30 days without a visa, and travelers from 57 countries can use the 240-hour visa-free transit.
What is the cheapest month to visit China?
November to mid-January (outside New Year) and March are usually the cheapest and quietest times. Avoid Chinese New Year and the October Golden Week, China’s busiest travel periods, when hotels and trains fill up and prices rise.
Can I get a tax refund on shopping in China?
Yes. Overseas visitors can claim value-added tax back on goods bought at registered tax-refund shops when they spend at least ¥200 in one shop on one day. Many shops now refund at the time of purchase; keep your passport handy.