Is China Expensive For Tourists? Full Breakdown For First Time Visitors (2026)
Please Note 👦🏻
✅ All numbers are approximate values based on personal expenses in December 2025.
✅ Prices in local RMB. Please use a currency converter. RMB:USD conversion is approx. 7 : 1 as of 2025/12/30. Divide all numbers by 7 to get the rough cost in US Dollars.
✅ Prices can vary considerably depending on the city, business, time of year, and multiple other factors.
Categories Covered
Hotels
Flights to China
Transport
Eating Out
Attractions + Activities
Grocery Shopping
🛏️ HOTELS
Cost for 1 room per night in a Tier 1 city (based on personal experience)
Budget: 100-300rmb - see this example
Mid-range: 300-500rmb - see this example
High-end: 600rmb-1000rmb - see this example
Luxury: 1000rmb+ - see this example
Tip from me: In major cities, there is a huge range of hotels across all price ranges. More likely to get English speaking staff at higher end hotels.
Note: Prices fluctuate depending on day. Prices for the examples were taken on 2025/12/24.
👉 Start looking at MORE hotels HERE
✈️ FLIGHTS TO CHINA
These are typical price ranges for flights in 2025.
From Asia = 1,000-4,000rmb (typical range)
From Europe = 5,000rmb-8,000rmb (typical range)
From Oceania = 4,000rmb-8,000rmb (typical range)
From other continents = 6,000-10,000rmb (typical range)
👉 To get the best deals, check out the latest prices on both Trip and at least 1 other comparison site.
🛤️ TRANSPORT
🚇 Metro + Tram - typically 2-6 rmb for inner city routes. Up to 10rmb for long distance.
🚅 Train
Prices are for economy 2nd class seats. First class and business class seats are higher, which you can check HERE
Popular routes
Beijing-Shanghai - 500-600rmb (check latest prices and availability HERE)
Beijing-Xian - 500-600rmb (check latest prices and availability HERE)
Chengdu-Chongqing - 100-200rmb (check latest prices and availability HERE)
Hong Kong-Guangzhou - 180rmb (check latest prices and availability HERE)
🚖 Taxi
10-20 rmb typical range for the first 3km. So, around 50-75rmb for 20km.
Prices vary by city, vehicle type, time of day.
If you use DiDi or any other ride hailing service, the price can be significantly higher during peak hours and public holidays.
✈️ Flights within China - examples for popular routes during off-season
Beijing-Shanghai - 400-600rmb (check latest prices and availability HERE)
Beijing-Chengdu - 400-600rmb (check latest prices and availability HERE)
Hong Kong-Shanghai - 500-700rmb (check latest prices and availability HERE)
🚲 Bike - 2rmb for first 15 min, 5rmb for 1 hr
🚌 Bus - typically 2-5rmb for journeys around the city
🥢 EATING OUT
🍜 Meals
Note: Approximate cost for 1 person
10-30rmb - regular fast food chains, small independent restaurants, or food stalls
30-100rmb - chains with a large menu or mid-market restaurants
100-300rmb - restaurants offering higher quality ingredients and service
300rmb+ - premium ingredients, specialty dishes, and exceptional service
☕ Drinks
10-20rmb - milk tea, lemon tea, fruit tea, fruit juice
10-40rmb - latte, cappuccino
Note: International cuisine is generally more expensive unless you’re eating from a local pizza chain.
🥡 Food Delivery
Starting from ~15-20rmb including delivery fee
Depends on what you order of course. If you ask the average person, they’ll probably order somewhere between 20-50rmb per person.
I recommend you order at least 30rmb for a regular meal to get decent quality.
👉 Check out my article How To Order Food Delivery In China
My Tip: You can eat very well on a budget. I recommend you try different price ranges for different meals of the day.
🎟️ ATTRACTIONS + ACTIVITIES
Museums and gardens - 10-50rmb typical range, some offer free entry.
Scenic areas - 10-80rmb typical range, can be as much as 250rmb for the most popular sights like Zhangjiajie and Jiuzhaigou
Amusement parks - varies significantly between parks. Can be up to 600-700rmb for the international branded parks.
Remember to look up the ticket prices for all attractions, as they change from time to time.
👉 Start looking at ticket prices HERE
🛒 GROCERY SHOPPING
Fruit bowl (1 portion) - 15-20rmb
Sweetcorn (2 cobs) - 8rmb
Green vegetable (200g) - 2-8rmb
Tomatoes (500g) - 10rmb
Garlic (200g) - 6rmb
Ginger (200g) - 6rmb
Beef (200g) - 25rmb
Chicken wings (500g) - 15rmb
Pork ribs (500g) - 20rmb
Shrimp peeled (200g) - 20rmb
Rice (1.5kg) - 10rmb
Noodles (200g) - 2rmb
Soy sauce (500ml) - 10rmb
Bottled water (x12) - 10rmb
START PREPARING FOR YOUR TRIP NOW! 🐼
✈️ Book your flights to China here
🛏️ Book your hotel in China here (promo code for new users)
🚅 Book your train for China here (promo code for new users)
🎫 Book your tickets for China here (promo code for new users)
🎫 Purchase your China eSIM here
SIMILAR ARTICLES BY ME:
How Much Does It Cost Me For 3 Days in Shanghai + 2 Days in Suzhou and Hangzhou? My Real Spend
How Much Does A Trip To China Cost - My Budget Breakdown for 2025
