How much does it cost to travel to Shanghai? (2026)
Budget, mid-range and luxury daily estimates for Shanghai, in USD and CNY.
Daily and weekly costs
| Tier | Per day (USD) | Per day (CNY) | 7 days (USD) | 7 days (CNY) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BudgetHostel bed, cheap meals, public transport | $55 | CN¥400 | $385 | CN¥2,800 |
| Mid-rangeThree-star hotel, restaurants, some taxis | $125 | CN¥900 | $875 | CN¥6,300 |
| LuxuryFour- or five-star hotel, dining out | $265 | CN¥1,900 | $1,855 | CN¥13,000 |
Every amount in this table is an estimateestimate, derived from the World Bank price level for China rather than quoted by any seller.
How this is calculated
A US baseline of 90, 210 and 450 USD a day for the three tiers is multiplied by the price level of China (0.472567178053175, World Bank 2025) and by a city-size factor of 1.25, then rounded to the nearest 5 dollars. Local amounts use the World Bank exchange rate of 7.18984737402171 CNY to the dollar, rounded to two significant digits.
These are modeled estimates, not quoted prices. Read the full formula on the methodology page.
Sample prices in Shanghai
Typical prices, every one an estimateestimate rather than a quoted price.
Budget hotel room, per night
estimate for a simple private room
$40
Mid-range hotel room, per night
estimate for a standard tourist-class hotel
$90
Cheap meal, street food or noodle shop
estimate for a single-dish meal
$5
Mid-range restaurant meal
estimate for a sit-down dinner for one
$20
Local transport, single subway ride
estimate for a standard metro fare
$1
Coffee, café-style
estimate for a latte or similar drink
$4
Attraction ticket, museum or tower
estimate for a mid-range paid sight
$15
Tourist SIM card with data
estimate for a short-stay data package
$10
Where the money goes
Across the three tiers, spending mostly shifts with lodging quality and dining choices. The budget tier of $55 a day, or $385 over a week, leans on simple rooms and cheap meals, while the mid-range tier of $125 a day, or $875 over a week, allows for better hotels and sit-down restaurants. The luxury tier of $265 a day, or $1,855 over a week, covers higher-end lodging, dining, and more frequent paid attractions or private transport.
January, February, and July are the cheapest months to visit, since they fall in the off season with lower demand for lodging and fewer crowds at sights. All the dollar figures above, including the daily and weekly tiers and the individual cost items, are estimates rather than fixed prices, and actual spending will vary by traveler habits and season.
Cheapest months by climate demand: Jan, Feb and Jul.
Keep reading
More on Shanghai
Sources
- GeoNames city database — CC BY 4.0, fetched September 14, 2026
- World Bank price level and exchange rate — CC BY 4.0, data year 2025
AI-written interpretation reviewed against the data above — claude-sonnet-5, generated September 21, 2026. Every number on this page comes from a dataset named here; the formulas are public.