How much does two weeks in China really cost?
The cost of two weeks in China is harder to research than almost any country in Asia, because the honest answer has a wide floor and a very high ceiling and most of the internet quotes one or the other. So here is the version our consultants actually price against, in US dollars, with the arithmetic
Everything below is land only, per person, based on two people sharing a room. It excludes international flights, which depend entirely on where you fly from. It includes accommodation, food, ground transport, entries and the guiding we would normally build in.
Daily cost by traveller type
These are the four anchors used in our complete China guide, because the guide and the magazine should not contradict each other.
| Style | What it looks like | Per person, per day |
|---|---|---|
| Careful | Good local three star hotels, mostly independent days, second class rail, eating where local people eat | $130 |
| Comfortable | Strong four star hotels, guides on the days that need them, first class on the long rail legs | $215 |
| Boutique | Design hotels and heritage courtyards, private guiding on several days, a country property or two | $360 |
| Luxury | Top-tier city hotels, private guiding and vehicles throughout | $620 |
Two things worth noticing. The gap between careful and comfortable is almost entirely hotels in Beijing and Shanghai. The gap between boutique and luxury is guiding and cars rather than rooms.
Over fourteen days that gives you roughly $1,820, $3,010, $5,040 and $8,680 per person.
Why the range is so wide
China is not one price level. Beijing and Shanghai hotel rates behave like New York and London. A room of the same standard in Chengdu, Kunming or Xi’an costs a fraction of the Shanghai rate, and a guesthouse in a Yunnan valley costs less again.
The second reason is guiding. Everything you can do independently in China is cheap. Everything that needs a licensed English-speaking guide and a car in a province where nobody speaks English is a real line in the budget, and on four days of a two-week trip it is the best money you will spend.
Accommodation, night by night
Rates are per room per night for two sharing, as planning guidance rather than a quote. Chinese hotel pricing moves with the season, the day of the week and the domestic holiday calendar, so we confirm live rates for your dates before anything is booked.
| Type | What you get | Per room, per night |
|---|---|---|
| Good local three star | A domestic chain property, clean, functional, breakfast of congee and eggs | $45 to $80 |
| Four star, second-tier city | Space, a proper bathroom, English at reception | $90 to $150 |
| Four star, Beijing or Shanghai | The same standard, at capital city rates | $150 to $260 |
| Courtyard hotel, Beijing hutong | Six to twenty rooms around an open courtyard, a grey brick lane outside | $200 to $400 |
| Design hotel, Shanghai | Small, particular, usually in the former concession streets | $220 to $420 |
| Luxury city hotel | The international names, on the river or off the park | $450 and up |
| Country guesthouse, Yunnan or Guizhou | Converted farmhouse or courtyard, ten rooms, good food | $50 to $120 |
| Trail guesthouse, Tiger Leaping Gorge | A clean bed, hot water most of the time, the best view on the trip | $20 to $40 |
One warning that costs people money: hotels in China must be licensed to accept foreign guests. The cheapest room on a booking site in a small town will sometimes turn you away at the desk, which is a bad hour to spend after a five hour drive. We book properties we know will take you.
Food, which is the good news
China is one of the cheapest countries in Asia to eat extremely well in, and the best meals are rarely the expensive ones.
- Street breakfast, fried dough sticks and soy milk or a griddled jianbing: $1.50 to $3
- Bowl of noodles at a neighbourhood shop: $2 to $5
- Dumpling lunch for two: $8 to $14
- Sichuan restaurant dinner for two, six dishes and beer: $25 to $45
- Hotpot dinner, per person: $12 to $20
- Peking duck at a proper duck house, per person: $25 to $50
- Contemporary restaurant in Shanghai, per person: $60 to $150
A realistic daily food budget for someone eating widely and well is $25 to $40 per person. You can eat superbly at $20. Above $70 a day you are eating in Shanghai restaurants that would be expensive anywhere, which is a decision rather than a default.
Getting around
High-speed rail is the largest transport line in a China budget and it is cheap for what it is. Fares as planning guidance, one way, per person:
| Leg | Second class | First class |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing to Xi’an, about 700 miles (1,130 km) | $75 to $95 | $120 to $155 |
| Beijing to Shanghai, 819 miles (1,318 km) | $80 to $95 | $130 to $165 |
| Xi’an to Chengdu | $35 to $60 | $60 to $95 |
| Shanghai to Hangzhou | $10 to $15 | $15 to $25 |
| Guangzhou to Guilin | $25 to $45 | $40 to $70 |
Fares are set nationally and move infrequently, but they do move, and seat availability on popular legs is the real constraint rather than price. We price and hold your actual legs at the time of booking. First class is worth the difference on anything over three hours and business class rarely is. There is more on how the network works in how Chinese high-speed rail actually works.
Domestic flights, needed for the long jumps to Kunming, Urumqi or Kashgar, run about $70 to $200 one way when booked in advance. City metro rides cost well under a dollar and taxis are inexpensive, although both need a working payment app, which is covered in paying for things in China.
Guiding, with a licensed English-speaking guide and a private car, runs about $150 to $260 a day in the cities and more in remote provinces where the driving distances are long.
Entries are modest by international standards. The Forbidden City is around $8 to $10, the Terracotta Army around $18 to $25, a Great Wall section with the cable car around $25. The exception is the Mogao caves at Dunhuang, which are capped, timed and closer to $35 to $45, and which sell out in the good months. All of these are set by the sites and adjusted from time to time, so we confirm the current figure with your quote.
Three complete two-week budgets
Each is fourteen days, per person, two sharing, land only.
The careful trip, about $1,820
Good local three star hotels, second class rail, one guided day at the Terracotta Army, and eating at noodle shops, dumpling houses and markets.
| Line | Total |
|---|---|
| Accommodation, 13 nights | $620 |
| Food | $420 |
| Rail, one flight and local transport | $480 |
| Entries, one guided day, incidentals | $300 |
| Total | $1,820 |
The compromises here are in room size and in how much context you get, not in what you eat or see.
The comfortable trip, about $3,010
Strong four star hotels in a good district, first class on the long rail legs, three guided days with a car, and a mix of street eating and booked restaurants.
| Line | Total |
|---|---|
| Accommodation, 13 nights | $1,430 |
| Food | $560 |
| Rail, one flight and local transport | $560 |
| Guiding, three days with a car | $330 |
| Entries and incidentals | $130 |
| Total | $3,010 |
This is the most common shape of China trip we build and it maps closely onto classic China in 12 days with two days added.
The boutique trip, about $5,040
A hutong courtyard hotel in Beijing, a design hotel in Shanghai, a country property in the bamboo hills or the karst, private guiding on four days and private transfers where they save an hour that matters.
| Line | Total |
|---|---|
| Accommodation, 13 nights | $2,900 |
| Food | $840 |
| Rail, flights and private transfers | $700 |
| Guiding, four days | $480 |
| Entries and incidentals | $120 |
| Total | $5,040 |
See boutique China in 12 days for what that looks like day by day.
What actually moves the number
- How many nights are in Beijing and Shanghai. Shifting two nights from Shanghai to Chengdu or Kunming can save more than changing hotel category.
- The month. The two national holiday weeks, the first week of May and the first week of October, push rates up across the country. Our article on when to go sets out the calendar.
- Guided days. Each one is real money and each one changes what you understand. Four in fourteen days is our usual answer.
- The number of cities. Every extra stop adds a rail leg, a hotel change and a lost half day.
Plan this trip
Tell us your dates, your rough budget and the shape of trip you have in mind, and Asaf will build you a first outline with real hotels, real train numbers and real numbers. Free, and with no obligation.
Keep reading
- China: the complete guide to planning your trip
- China month by month
- How Chinese high-speed rail actually works
- Paying for things in China
- How many days do you need in China?
- All our China trips
Frequently asked questions
Is China cheaper than Japan?
How much cash should we carry?
Do these figures include international flights?
Who is on the ground?
When do you confirm the actual prices?
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