Beijing Travel Forum

What should I budget per day in Beijing for expenses approximately?

Depends on what your spending habits are like. You're way too vague!

not so expensive was in 2005 since i've been in my China tour. Shanghai was more expensive.
food did not satisfy my needs & taste(even staying in 5* hotel in Shaoxing),if u are not from Asian origin then hard times u will face while staying in China...:)
try to find fast food restaurants like KFC, MacDonald's etc.. there are few..
guud luck!

Basic food, nothing too extravagant. Budget accomodation. Last time I was in Beijing it was 1988 and I was 10 years old. I think it may have changed a bit since then, lol.

Good grief, you come all the way to China just to resort to eating Western fast food? What a shame.
I would say around 250-300 RMB/day for a budget (but not rock-bottom) traveller.

dear ellyse!
sorry if i hurt u... but to say the truth, i cudn't eat properly because lack of fast food restaurants there. i cud find some Indian restaurant but was dissatisfied of dishes served, some staff with chili...
but in support to u, yes, my friends went to Urumqi n they were happy, they liked some local restaurants, prices out there.
i like China with its great history n i wish to visit once more n be on the top of the Great Wall:)... also to visit Hainan Dao, Guangzhou and Kunming.
cheers...... Alexander.

I'm sorry if I sound rude, but I have a feeling that it's sometimes attitude and adaptability of a traveller that's at fault, instead of the taste of the local food.

I have to agree with you Elyse. I cant fathom why someone would go to China and seek out Mcdonalds and KFC! Unless they had young children who were fussy with foreign food. I havent been there yet, but Im pretty sure the variety and quality of food will be endless, plentiful, delicious and well priced. In fact thats one thing I love about going to a new country, and that is sampling all the different cuisine on offer, especially local food. Sure, there will be a few meals that dont tickle your tastebuds, but that is to be expected.

I agree with Elyse as well

I actually know people that travel the world, maintain that they are world travelers, but will only eat Macdonalds, Kfc, Piza hut, where ever they are in the world.

Personally I cannot see the point, the local food is part of the experience and certainly not to be missed. Myself when in Thailand or Malaysia, I virtually survive on street food, and its fantastic.

May be the person has the same attitude as the Chinese travelling abroad, " It's Chinese food or no food". This is freedom of choice. And speaking of attitude, do not insult people seeking advice. The topic is BUDGET, stick to it.Till going to university Ellyse? Doing your Master or PhD now?

Do note that I did not insult the OP.

My advice to you is to not be sacred of eating street food as long as you can see it being cooked and can see that it was cooked at a high temperature and there is nothing raw included with it. I dont know whether it was anything more than just being careful but in 4-1/2 years I lived in China I got food related sickness only twice although I imagine I did build up immunities. With visitors I entertained I always made sure they ate a majority of local food -Chinese food is just so diverse you have to try it. i can remember having a pancake type sweet from a street stall near T-square and it was delicious but i never found out what it was!

True, I agree. Though I usually try to refrain from asking my travellers in Shanghai to try street food -- I'm generally fine with them, but not everyone's stomach has the same level of immunity. Just in case...

There are tons of good restaurants in Beijing now. Even if you don't like Chinese food at all, there are so many places that serve decent and authentic food from all over the world. It'd be around RMB400 or more per day per person just for the food.

McD's and KFC and starbucks and pizzahut and subway is EVERYWHERE as well. (yuck yuck yuck yuck)
You have BurgerKing right in the airport (yuck)

And I agree with ellyse on the street food thing. They are not for everyone, if you are just a traveler instead of a resident, be careful. It's not the way they cook it (yes high temperature kills most of the germs), but rather the stuff they use.

i was in beijing in february, and you can do it very cheaply, indeed. we stayed at wangfujing international youth hostel (ages for travellers are 47, myself, and my parents, ages 73 and 77). location is excellent and price for twin room, ensuite is usd $34. nothing fancy, but certainly very adequate. had a small restaurant and bar attached, and breakfast (2 eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast) was $2 usd. i found beijing overall to be very inexpensive, especially when compared to europe or the uk. hope this helps a bit, susan p.s. book thru hostelworld on-line for best rates.

For that price, I could find also plenty of budget hotels in Beijing, if you don't need English-speaking staff all the time.

don't speak chinese, so guess i need some english-speaking staff!

Seriously though, if you're looking for "how to get around" and "where should I go from here", those questions wouldn't require English-speaking staff, you'd just need to do your own homework before going.
Otherwise, a Mandarin phrasebook could help with most simple queries.