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Budget for traveling to China in 2025
Is it expensive to travel to China? How much do hotels cost? Can you eat cheap street food? All these questions and thousands more crossed our minds when we were planning our 21-day trip to China. In this post of budget for traveling to China in 2025, we will try to answer these questions and many more so that you have a clear idea of how much a trip to this country might cost you.
Some details to clarify before starting with the budget would be:
- We visited China as the first destination of our 7-month trip through Asia and Oceania, so the premise was to go on a tight budget and keep control. Even so, being the first destination and taking it with all our enthusiasm, you always loosen up a little more.
- We only traveled by train, which is the best way to travel in China. Below you will find a section listing all the trains we took.
- We spent 21 days in the country, but you can always extrapolate to the number of days you will be there.
In this post, we’re going to detail ALL the costs we had for flights, internal transportation, accommodation, meals, tickets and visits, eSIM card, travel insurance, and extras.
We hope you find it useful. Let’s get started with the budget for traveling to China!
To complement the information you’ll find in this budget for traveling to China, here are other posts from our blog that will help you plan your trip to China:
Travel insurance
You won’t be surprised to hear that it’s mandatory to have medical insurance when traveling to China, right? After spending 21 days in the country, we want to highlight this point as the first item on your budget for traveling to China.
The reason for this is very clear: it’s difficult to communicate in English in China. One of the things that has helped us most during our months in Asia is knowing that if we had a problem, we would have good insurance that would help us find a hospital where we could be treated in English and where the care for foreigners was good. We were able to verify this in Japan and Malaysia, two countries that are much more open than China, so we know what we’re talking about.
That said, you know that we always travel with IATI Insurance, which has always proven to offer the best travel coverage on the market. In addition, if you book your insurance through the links we provide in this section (all of them work), you will receive a 5% discount on your insurance and help us if you liked or found this post useful 🙂
We can’t give you the cost of our insurance as it was for 7 months and wouldn’t apply, but for traveling to China, we recommend:
- IATI Mochilero:This is one of the best insurance policies for travelers who are going on an adventure. If you are thinking of doing something like this during your trip to China, we recommend this one as it covers any accidents you may have while doing sports and has coverage of up to 600k for medical assistance. It costs approximately €107.07 per traveler for 3 weeks in China (once the discount has been applied).
- IATI Estrella Insurance: This is the best insurance offered by IATI. It provides unlimited medical assistance worldwide and also covers adventure sports. For us, it is the best way to be fully covered and safe on your trip. It costs €134.3 per person for 21 days in China.
Budget for traveling to China: Internet and VPN
Normally when we travel to Asia, we always wait at the airport to find a cheap operator and get a SIM card at the best price.
After having been in China, we DO NOT RECOMMEND doing this, as communication is usually somewhat complicated and, as you probably know, you need to use a VPN to use apps such as WhatsApp or Instagram, which are blocked in China. That’s why we use an option that already includes VPN and worked like a charm: HOLAFLY. We remind you that we have a 5% discount for our readers by applying the code TOMANDOUNRESPIRO at checkout, by purchasing directly from this link, or by clicking on the banner on your right.
The price of each eSIM with VPN included for 21 days in China is €55.95, so we spent €111.90.
Budget for traveling to China: Flights
The cost of flights when planning a budget for traveling to China can vary greatly, as finding cheaper prices depends on how far in advance you book, the city you are flying from and to, and the time of year.
We flew from Barcelona to Beijing with a stopover in Berlin with Hainan Airlines, one of the largest airlines in China, at the end of October, and we only took a one-way flight because, as we have mentioned, it was part of our 7-month trip through Asia and Oceania, so extrapolating this to your case if you are taking a round-trip flight may not be accurate. The one-way flight cost us €368 per person.
To leave the country, we flew from Chongqing to Thailand, which was our next destination, and it cost us €104 per person.
To supplement this information and advise you on how to find cheaper flights to China, we recommend:
- Use the best flight comparison site on the market, Skyscanner. With this, you will be able to filter by date and destination and see all the possible combinations and options. Another good option for finding cheap flights to China is Trip.com.
- We know that it is often difficult to be flexible, but it is the best way to find cheap flights. Trying to travel on days outside the weekend is a great option for saving money.
- Try to fly during the low season. Many Chinese people told us that we had gone at the best time to visit China, as it was not the high season for Chinese tourists. If you can, do the same and you will save money.
- Long layovers: As long as it’s within your means, taking long layovers often helps you find cheaper prices. We took a layover in Berlin.
Budget for traveling to China: Accommodation
We are quite proud of the hotels and prices we found during our time in China. That’s why we want to provide you with a summary table in this budget for traveling to China of all the accommodations we stayed in during these 21 days so that you can check the costs.
To give you an idea, the average cost of accommodation was €41 per night for two people. Obviously, as you can see below, these prices rise considerably in large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, but they fall and become quite affordable for the quality they offer outside these cities.
Before traveling, we booked most of our hotels with Booking.com, which is usually our trusted portal, but in China there is a significant drop in prices for accommodation on the Trip.com portal, so we have been combining both.
Always check if there are options on Trip, as we ended up saving quite a bit of money on reservations. In addition, they now have a promotion with offers of up to 20% off accommodation in China if you sign up using our link (by clicking on the banner below).
That said, as part of the breakdown of this budget for traveling to China, we bring you a summary table with the accommodations we chose in each place and our assessment:
| City | Accommodation | Total Price (€) | Nights | Price per Night (€) | Tomando un Respiro Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Zhong An Hotel | €250 | 4 | €62.50 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (great location and top restaurants) |
| Shanghai | Dayin Hotel | €229 | 3 | €76.33 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (small room, perfect location) |
| Huangshan | Yunshan Villa | €72 | 2 | €36.00 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (best room and food of the trip) |
| Zhangjiajie | Wally House | €30 | 3 | €10.00 | ⭐⭐⭐ (good location, room could be better) |
| Fenghuang | Yifangyan | €59 | 2 | €29.50 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (very good service and facilities) |
| Xingping | Yangshuo Menyuan | €32 | 2 | €16.00 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (no English spoken but good service) |
| Yangshuo | EMOJI Yimuji Su | €16 | 1 | €16.00 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (great location and service) |
| Hong Kong | Hotel Hart | €154 | 2 | €77.00 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Chongqing | K W High Altitude Hotel | €18 | 1 | €18.00 | ⭐⭐⭐ (good facilities, small rooms) |
| Chengdu | Home Inn Yunshang Four Seasons Hotel | €12 | 1 | €12.00 | ⭐⭐⭐ (perfect location, average facilities) |
| Total accommodation | €872 |
Budget in transportation
Intercity train
We mentioned this at the beginning of this budget for traveling to China in 2025, but we’ll say it again: China is one of the best (if not the best) countries in the world for traveling by train. It has an incredible rail network, with even the smallest towns interconnected. It may seem challenging, but once you get started, it’s not that complicated. In addition, the price of traveling by train compared to traveling by plane is considerably lower (although you’ll see that it’s not super cheap).
In this case, to get around and book trains, it’s almost mandatory to use Trip.com, which has all the connections and gives you all the information you need to get around by train without any problems.
Below, we’ve included details of the trips we took during our 21 days in China, as well as how much we paid for them. Keep in mind that we also took a night train, which is a fun experience that we would recommend to anyone who wants a little adventure :D.
| Origin | Destination | Total Price (2 people) | Price per Person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Shanghai | €185.12 | €92.56 |
| Shanghai | Huangshan | €61.00 | €30.50 |
| Huangshan | Guilin | €101.00 | €50.50 |
| Guilin | Hong Kong | €101.00 | €50.50 |
| Hong Kong | Huaihua | €175.00 | €87.50 |
| Huaihua | Fenghuang | €14.00 | €7.00 |
| Fenghuang | Zhangjiajie | €23.52 | €11.76 |
| Zhangjiajie | Chongqing | €21.84 | €10.92 |
| Chongqing | Chengdu | €30.00 | €15.00 |
| Total | €712.48 | €360.74 | |
Transport in cities
We would also like to give you some details about this item in the budget for traveling to China so that you can get an idea of the cost of public transport in cities.
Chinese cities are usually huge and have a very elaborate metro or bus system to reach all parts of the city. We highly recommend using public transport in large cities such as Beijing or Shanghai. What’s more, with the MetroMan app, it’s super easy to find out which combination and which underground lines you need to take.
As you will see, we have noted down what we spent on each item and we will try to give you details so that you have an idea of the costs of each thing. To give you an idea, each metro trip in Beijing or Shanghai costs around €0.35-€0.40, which is very affordable compared to Spanish cities today. We took an average of four metros a day in the cities, but we tried to walk whenever possible.
| City | Days | Transport Item | Price for 2 (€) | Price per Person (€) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing | 4 | Airport train to city center | €7.32 | €3.66 |
| Subway | €15.07 | €7.53 | ||
| Shanghai | 3 | Subway | €10.68 | €5.34 |
| Huangshan | 3 | Taxi to hotel | €10.00 | €5.00 |
| Taxi to station | €10.00 | €5.00 | ||
| Xongqing | 2 | Bus Guilin - Xongqing | €1.30 | €0.65 |
| Private boat | €19.45 | €9.725 | ||
| Bus Xongqing - Yangshuo | €3.90 | €1.95 | ||
| Yangshuo | 1 | Bus hotel - bus station | €0.76 | €0.38 |
| Bus to Guilin | €10.44 | €5.22 | ||
| Hong Kong | 2 | Subway | €23.00 | €11.50 |
| City ferry | €0.60 | €0.30 | ||
| Fenghuang | 2 | Taxi to station | €3.30 | €1.65 |
| Zhangjiajie | 3 | Bus Zhangjiajie - Wulingyuan (Day 1) | €3.40 | €1.70 |
| Bus Wulingyuan - Zhangjiajie (Tianmen Day) | €3.40 | €1.70 | ||
| Bus from Park Exit | €2.62 | €1.31 | ||
| Bus from Park Exit | €2.62 | €1.31 | ||
| Bus Zhangjiajie - Wulingyuan (Tianmen Day) | €3.40 | €1.70 | ||
| Chongqing | 1 | Subway | €3.50 | €1.75 |
| Total | €119.25 | €59.625 | ||
Budget for traveling to China: Food
This section covers another key point from the post on budget for traveling to China: food. Fortunately, we recorded almost all of our food expenses during the trip, so we can provide quite a detailed breakdown.
Eating in China is quite cheap. You have high-quality street food options, decent restaurants at a good price and, of course, luxury places. It is a place where, if you want to eat cheaply and well, you can do so.
Two things to note in this section:
- Coffee in China is VERY EXPENSIVE. To give you an idea, each coffee costs around €4. We decided to detox quite a bit during these 21 days.
- Breakfast is complicated. Outside of hotels in big cities, it was difficult for us to find a more continental breakfast, as they are not used to that. That meant that we often ate at fast food places or bought things from supermarkets.
We have attached two tables:
- The first one shows all the details of what we spent on food during the 21 days.
- The second one shows the totals so you can see a summary of each item.
As you can see, we spent an average of €32 between the two of us per day, a total of €672 on food during the 21 days in China. Please note that there are days when you may see that there is no breakfast, lunch or dinner. This is because we either did not have it, it was included in an activity, or breakfast was included in the hotel, so we counted it as the price of the activity or hotel.
| City | Day | Item | Price for two (€) | Price per person (€) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing | 1 | Starbucks coffees | 10.68€ | 5.34€ |
| Hotpot dinner | 34€ | 17€ | ||
| 2 | Peking duck dinner | 24€ | 12€ | |
| 3 | Street food in hutongs | 11.58€ | 5.79€ | |
| Hotel restaurant dinner | 7.45€ | 3.725€ | ||
| 4 | Street food | 14.14€ | 7.07€ | |
| Fast food dinner | 13.2€ | 6.6€ | ||
| Shanghai | 5 | Xiaolongbao + coffees lunch | 22.29€ | 11.145€ |
| Famous Xiaolongbao dinner | 10.68€ | 5.34€ | ||
| 6 | Lunch + tea in French Concession | 18.84€ | 9.42€ | |
| Dinner at Pizza Hut | 13.05€ | 6.525€ | ||
| 7 | Crab lunch (typical Shanghai) | 14.4€ | 7.2€ | |
| McDonald's dinner | 11.45€ | 5.725€ | ||
| Huangshan | 8 | Hotel dinner | 15€ | 7.5€ |
| 9 | Hotel lunch | 9.7€ | 4.85€ | |
| Hotel dinner | 8€ | 4€ | ||
| 10 | Breakfast at Huangshan Mountain | 6€ | 3€ | |
| Huangshan coffee (1 coffee) | 4.16€ | 2.08€ | ||
| KFC lunch | 7.79€ | 3.895€ | ||
| Dinner | 13€ | 6.5€ | ||
| Xingping | 11 | Coffee (1) | 4€ | 2€ |
| Xingping lunch | 12€ | 6€ | ||
| Xingping dinner | 7.28€ | 3.64€ | ||
| 12 | Breakfast | 16€ | 8€ | |
| Water and chips from supermarket | 2.86€ | 1.43€ | ||
| Dinner | 10€ | 5€ | ||
| Yangshuo | 13 | Breakfast | 13€ | 6.5€ |
| Lunch + coffee | 23.78€ | 11.89€ | ||
| Dinner | 15€ | 7.5€ | ||
| Hong Kong | 14 | Breakfast | 8.5€ | 4.25€ |
| Lunch at train station | 18.44€ | 9.22€ | ||
| Snack at Shenzhen train station | 6.45€ | 3.225€ | ||
| 7-Eleven HK water (2 bottles) | 4€ | 2€ | ||
| 15 | Breakfast | 14.7€ | 7.35€ | |
| Dinner at Coco Ichibanya | 24.7€ | 12.35€ | ||
| Fenghuang | 16 | Train journey lunch | 25.13€ | 12.565€ |
| Fenghuang street food dinner | 6€ | 3€ | ||
| 17 | Full breakfast | 22.41€ | 11.205€ | |
| Dinner | 27.38€ | 13.69€ | ||
| Zhangjiajie | 18 | Train breakfast | 7.69€ | 3.845€ |
| Wulingyuan lunch (typical dish) | 13.31€ | 6.655€ | ||
| Starbucks coffee at Avatar park (1 coffee) | 4.3€ | 2.15€ | ||
| Snacks from park supermarket | 13.81€ | 6.905€ | ||
| Wulingyuan market dinner | 10.8€ | 5.4€ | ||
| 19 | Breakfast | 4.83€ | 2.415€ | |
| Lunch inside Avatar park | 7.18€ | 3.59€ | ||
| Wulingyuan market dinner | 7.57€ | 3.785€ | ||
| 20 | McDonald's breakfast | 5.62€ | 2.81€ | |
| Fries and Coca-Cola at Tianmen | 3.27€ | 1.635€ | ||
| Lunch in Zhangjiajie | 7.58€ | 3.79€ | ||
| Dinner | 6.16€ | 3.08€ | ||
| Chongqing | 21 | Breakfast | 9.41€ | 4.705€ |
| Street food: typical noodles | 7€ | 3.5€ | ||
| Hotpot dinner (we invited a friend we met) | 32.76€ | 16.38€ | ||
| TOTAL | 672.33€ | 336.165€ | ||
| Expense Type | Price for two people (€) | Price per person (€) |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 109.76€ | 54.88€ |
| Lunch | 266.67€ | 133.335€ |
| Dinner | 258.88€ | 129.44€ |
| Others | 36.02€ | 18.01€ |
| TOTAL | 672.33€ | 336.165€ |
Budget for traveling to China: Activities and tickets
China is a country with countless attractions and activities to enjoy. It offers absolutely every kind of entertainment imaginable, so you’ll never get bored. That’s why, if you’re preparing a budget for traveling to China, this is something you should bear in mind.
We always try to reduce group activities as we usually like to do things on our own, but there are times when it is almost mandatory. For example, as we mentioned in our post about our 21-day trip to China, we believe that it is better to visit the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City with a tour rather than on your own.
As you will see, we bought many tickets before going to the sites, as it made us feel more secure due to the language barrier, and the prices were 2-3€ cheaper, so it was worth it. In the case of the Forbidden City, it is almost impossible to get a ticket if you don’t do it this way, so we had to pay extra.
We have summarized everything we spent on activities and tickets in the table below. Please note that some of the prices for the activities may have changed as they are subject to what they want to charge, but we have included what it cost us.
| City | Concept | Tour | Price for two people (€) | Price per person (€) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Great Wall Tour | Entrance ticket to the Mutianyu Great Wall in Beijing, chairlift and slide (GetYourGuide) | 39€ | 19.5€ |
| Summer Palace Building Entrance | Summer Palace Entrance (GetYourGuide) | 14.76€ | 7.38€ | |
| Jingshan Park Entrance | 0.5€ | 0.25€ | ||
| Temple of Heaven Entrance | Beijing: Temple of Heaven Entrance (GetYourGuide) | 8.89€ | 4.44€ | |
| Forbidden City Tour | Guided tour of the Forbidden City (Civitatis) | 67.6€ | 33.8€ | |
| Shanghai | Yuyuan Garden Entrance | 10.4€ | 5.2€ | |
| Shanghai Tower Entrance | Shanghai Tower: Observation Deck Ticket (GetYourGuide) | 87.18€ | 43.59€ | |
| Huangshan | Hongcun Village Entrance | 13.5€ | 6.75€ | |
| Emerald Valley Entrance | 20€ | 10€ | ||
| Huangshan Mountain (entrance + cable cars) | 60€ | 30€ | ||
| Yangshuo | Bicycle Rental | 5.71€ | 2.85€ | |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong Dark Side Tour | Kowloon Tour: The Dark Side of Hong Kong (GetYourGuide) | 59.5€ | 29.75€ |
| Fenghuang | Typical Photos | 6.52€ | 3.26€ | |
| Zhangjiajie | Park Tickets (3 days) | 60.93€ | 30.46€ | |
| Cable Car 1 | 34.89€ | 17.44€ | ||
| Tianmen Ascent | 72.3€ | 36.15€ | ||
| Tianmen Cable Car | 18.76€ | 9.38€ | ||
| TOTAL | 498.08€ | 249.04€ |
Total budget
To conclude this detailed summary of our budget for traveling to China in 2025, here is a summary grouped by totals and final amount for two people to give you an idea.
| Concept | Cost for two people (€) | Cost per person (€) |
|---|---|---|
| Travel insurance with IATI (Backpacker) | 214.17€ | 107.08€ |
| Internet and VPN | 111.9€ | 55.95€ |
| Flights | 944€ | 472€ |
| Accommodation | 872€ | 436€ |
| Trains between cities | 712.48€ | 356.24€ |
| Local transport | 119.25€ | 59.63€ |
| Food | 672.33€ | 336.17€ |
| Activities and tickets | 498.08€ | 249.04€ |
| TOTAL | 4144.21€ | 2072.12€ |
This is our detailed budget for traveling to China for the 21 days we spent in this wonderful country. What do you think? Did you expect it to be more or less expensive?
If you have any questions about any aspect, please feel free to leave us a comment or write to us on social media.
