Beijing vs Shanghai
The short answer
They cost about the same day to day — Beijing $50–95, Shanghai $55–105 mid-range per person. Both are at their best in Apr–May, Sep–Oct, so one trip can take in both.
Side by side
Mid-range, per person, in US dollars. Both guides were costed the same way — see how we work these out.
| 🇨🇳 Beijing | 🇨🇳 Shanghai | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily budgetmid-range, per person | $50–95 | $55–105 |
| Cheap meallocal staple | $2–5cheaper | $2.50–5 |
| Mid-range hotelper night | $55–110 | $60–130 |
| Transit ridesingle trip | $0.40–0.85 | $0.40–0.85 |
| Avg. monthly salarylocal, for context | ≈ $1,400 | ≈ $1,550 |
When to go
Filled months are the ones each guide recommends; hollow ones it warns off.
What you'd actually do
A few of each guide's picks, one per category before seconds — the full lists are on the guides themselves.
🇨🇳 Beijing
Imperial China's capital for six centuries: the Forbidden City, the Great Wall a day trip away, and hutong alleys tucked behind glass towers.
- Great Leap Brewing Original #6$$Nightlife
- Da Dong Roast Duck$$Restaurants
- Chaoyang Theatre$$Theater & shows
- 1949 The Hidden City$$$Nightlife
- Bianyifang Roast Duck$$Restaurants
🇨🇳 Shanghai
China's futuristic showcase: a neon-lit skyline across the river from 1920s European facades, and a metro that will out-engineer anything back home.
- Long Bar, Waldorf Astoria on the Bund$$$Nightlife
- Nanxiang Mantou Dian$Restaurants
- ERA – Intersection of Time, Shanghai Circus World$$$Acrobatics & shows
- Wulumuqi Road / Julu Road (French Concession)$$Nightlife
- Old Jesse$$Restaurants
Practicalities
| Beijing | Shanghai | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Mandarin Chinese. English is limited outside hotels and major sights — a translation app is essential, not optional. | Mandarin Chinese (Shanghainese spoken locally). English signage is decent in the center; spoken English is inconsistent — lean on a translation app. |
| Time zone | CST (UTC+8), one zone nationwide, no daylight saving | CST (UTC+8), no daylight saving |
The same in both:
- Currency
- Renminbi / yuan (¥ or RMB). US$1 ≈ ¥7.2
- Power
- Type A/C/I plugs, 220V
- Tap water
- Don't drink it — bottled or boiled water everywhere
- Emergency
- 110 police · 120 ambulance · 119 fire