What's the cost of living in china for 3/4 weeks?

[TheMale]

hey guys

i'm goind to china maybe this september for almost a month
i always wanted to go there to discover, shopping, and i heard something about the suits ... low cost
and last month i started to learn Wing Chun so it's the opportunity

i'm wondering how much could it cost ?
i don't know yet where i'll stay and how many time per location (for the location i think it'll be shanghai, hong kong, foshan and else) but the main idea is not to expend a lot of money so i have to find some motels by the way the motels are safe there ? cause i don't wanna wake up the morning and discover that all my stuff disappear or come back from shopping and find nothing ...
i think i'll take with me 3000$
is that enough ?

 

[Tortendieb]

I've only been to Hong Kong but yeah, even small shabbier Hotels are usually safe. Don't know if you can find something like a "motel" though. I mean all these are huge cities, it's not like in America where you just have 500 motels on the outskirts. You'd more likely just stay at a hotel/hostel in central...

ok at least in Hong Kong living isn't much cheaper than in western countries. Food might be cheap but accommodation is expensive.

 

[TheMale]

oh i always thought it's like thailand ... not really expensive !
thx tortendieb
but how many time you were there ?
and how much money i'll spend for basic things like hostel/hotel food ans transport ?

 

[Tortendieb]

Don't really know but think that prices in Mainland China are a lot lower... Hongkong is kinda famous for ridiculous rents. Been only to HK and only for a couple of days.

Can't give you good info but look at wikitravel.com, you should find alot there

 

[foomee]

so i've lived her for 2 years. i'm here now in china.

basically it depends where you want to go. in the bigger cities and tourist cities sometimes its hard as a foreigner to get a hotel. there is some law where you need to stay in at minimum like a 3star hotel, so those cost upwards of 300rmb a night. the hotels are fairly safe. just keep everything in a bag, keep it next to you. there are some hostels you can find that are ridiculously cheap, but the conditions aren't too good. if you have friends in china, it'd be very helpful to travel with them and they can speak some chinese, or find a girl.

besides hotels, when traveling, as a foreigner you're an easy target for pick pockets, so keep your valuable **** close to you, never put your wallet in your front pocket. watch your bags when you get on buses. taxis are cheap, but if you use them everyday it gets expensive. buses are a good bet. take the train, some trains you can sleep on them over night, they're actually decently comfortable and safe if you get a bed. that also saves you money from buying a hotel for one night.

$3000 is more than enough if you're traveling by train. food is cheap, shopping is cheap if you don't shop at "tourist markets", and if you can, always haggle. its tough as a foreigner because they see you and try to get as much money as they can. but don't just buy the first thing you see, check other shops so you can figure out the average price.

 

[SharinganUser]

Foshan is an industrial city now, there really isn't anything to see there anymore. I think you'll be very disappointed if you go there.

If I were you, since you are interested in martial arts, you should hit up shaolin temple, and Wudang mountain. I also think Beijing is far more interesting than Shanghai. There is also much cheaper shopping in Beijing. Also most Chinese cities have a backpackers hostel that you can stay at for really cheap. Depending on the hostel, the conditions are actually quite good. Not to mention you will also get service in English.

Also you have to be very open minded about trying the different kind of foods there.

 

[dj_china]

going out in shanghai and hk can be expensive
think like $5-$15/drink for most places

food is cheap. if you eat at small restaurants it can be as cheap as $1-$5 for a lot of tasty (MSG) food. beware of sanitation issues with places that are far out of the way, but most places that are on big roads are ok now due to government regulations

I'm in Shanghai now, for about a week if you're interested in meeting up

 

[TheMale]

thank you guys for all the information

DJ china i suppose to come in September i would like to meet up with actually a DJ and not a PUA ... it'll be first experience and also know some people in china
for this week it's impossible but where you from ?

what about the sleeping how much can it cost per night ???
i'm just trying to calculate

oh and about food ... i eat only kosher food so do you know any kosher restaurant or anything like this ??

 

[SharinganUser]

thank you guys for all the information

DJ china i suppose to come in September i would like to meet up with actually a DJ and not a PUA ... it'll be first experience and also know some people in china
for this week it's impossible but where you from ?

what about the sleeping how much can it cost per night ???
i'm just trying to calculate

oh and about food ... i eat only kosher food so do you know any kosher restaurant or anything like this ??

You won't have to worry to much about kosher food as there is a billion muslim restaurants in China. Just ask around for a "uyghur" restaurant.


Sleeping can range from 60-120rmb for a dorm room, or 200-400rmb for private room depending where you are and such. If you go to western China, then you can get a dorm room for about 30-50rmb or a private room for about 200rmb.

I usually book through this site: http://www.hostelworld.com/


EDIT: Also I should add, the Uyghur restaurants are usually really cheap. You can get a really filling meal for less than $5, and believe me I am a big guy, lol.

 

[TheMale]

lol sharingan
BTW i said shanghai for shopping cause i heard from a friend of mine that the suits over there cost only 50$ and you design your suits ...
so it's really interesting
oh and where's the price of the hotel on the link you gave me ?

but if you guys have some good address to visit (beautiful place etc..) or to do shopping it'll be welcome !

 

[SharinganUser]

lol sharingan
BTW i said shanghai for shopping cause i heard from a friend of mine that the suits over there cost only 50$ and you design your suits ...
so it's really interesting
oh and where's the price of the hotel on the link you gave me ?

but if you guys have some good address to visit (beautiful place etc..) or to do shopping it'll be welcome !

The link is a listing for different hostels in the world, just click on it and look up China.

I visited Shanghai about 4 years ago, I must say I didn't really like it there. There wasn't much to see besides the French Quarter and the Bund. I think if you are set on going to Shanghai then you can do it in a day or two. There are also some really beautiful cities near Shanghai. I highly recommend going to Hangzhou and Suzhou.


EDIT: If you want anything cheap, you have to go to a market. If you go to a regular mall you'll end up paying two or three times the amount of what you would pay back home. Also you have to get good at haggling the price down otherwise you'll get ripped off no matter what.

 

[TheMale]

don't worry about market i'm not an ordinary tourist ! ;p