How Much Does a Beijing Trip Cost? A Real 5-Day Budget
Beijing is not an expensive city by the standards of London, Paris or New York — but the cost gap between a planned trip and an improvised one is enormous, mostly because of three things: when you come, where you sleep, and how much you pay middlemen for things you could have booked directly.
Here is a line-by-line budget for two people, five days, using ranges observed in the market. Prices move; treat every figure as a planning number and confirm on official sites. Information current as of October 2026.
Getting in from the airport
| Option | From Capital (PEK) | From Daxing (PKX) |
|---|---|---|
| Airport express train | ~¥25/person, 20–30 min to the network | ~¥35/person, ~20 min to Caoqiao |
| Taxi / ride-hail (per car) | ~¥100–150 | ~¥180–240 |
| Airport shuttle bus | ~¥20–40/person, slower | similar, check current routes |
The express trains are the best value for one or two travelers; a taxi starts making sense for three-plus people with luggage, or arrivals after the last train.
City transport (five days)
- Metro: fares start at ¥3 and rise with distance. Foreign contactless cards (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex, UnionPay) now tap directly at the gates — no app needed.
- Realistic total for two people, five days of metro riding: roughly ¥260–380.
- Taxis/Didi: short hops of 5 km run about ¥18–25; a 10 km cross-city ride ¥40–60.
- Great Wall day: the high-speed rail from Qinghe station to Badaling is the cheapest fast option (a few tens of yuan per person each way); dedicated tourist buses to Mutianyu run around ¥80/person round trip; a private car for the day costs several hundred yuan and is worth it for families.
Transport subtotal for the trip: roughly ¥700–1,100 for two, including one Great Wall day.
Accommodation (four nights)
This is your biggest variable. Beijing prices stretch by ring road:
- Budget chain hotels (Qianmen, Chongwenmen areas): ~¥250–450/room/night
- Comfortable mid-range (Dongzhimen, Yonghegong corridors): ~¥300–900
- Four-star quality: ~¥900–1,500+
Four nights for two people sharing one room: budget tier ≈ ¥1,000–1,800; comfort tier ≈ ¥2,000–3,600. Location is the real lever — a slightly pricier hotel next to a subway interchange routinely saves an hour a day.
Attraction tickets
Beijing's headline sites are strikingly cheap; the cost is in the add-ons:
- Forbidden City: ¥60 peak (Apr 1–Oct 31) / ¥40 off-season (Nov 1–Mar 31); Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery +¥10 each
- Badaling Great Wall: ¥40 peak / ¥35 off-season; cable car extra (roughly ¥100–140 each way/round — check official)
- Mutianyu: ~¥40–45; cable car/toboggan combos extra
- Temple of Heaven: combo ticket ~¥34 (peak; park-only cheaper)
- Summer Palace: ¥30 gate (Apr–Oct) / ¥20 (Nov–Mar); combo ¥60/¥50
- National Museum: free (reservation required)
- Universal Studios Beijing: date-based pricing, roughly ¥400–700+
Two people hitting the classic five (Forbidden City, Great Wall, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, National Museum) with one cable-car ride: around ¥400–600 total.
Food and drink
This is where Beijing quietly rewards you:
- Peking duck: ¥150–350/person at famous houses; excellent neighborhood roasteries from ~¥100
- Hotpot, noodles, dumplings: ¥30–80/person per meal
- Street snacks (jianbing, tanghulu): ¥5–20
- Coffee: ¥25–40 at chains; local cafés similar
Realistic food budget: ¥150–250/person/day covers one memorable meal plus ordinary ones. Two people, five days: ¥1,500–2,500.
The total, honestly
| Category | Range (2 people, 5 days) |
|---|---|
| Transport (airport + city + Wall day) | ¥700–1,100 |
| Hotels (4 nights) | ¥1,000–3,600 |
| Tickets | ¥400–600 |
| Food | ¥1,500–2,500 |
| Subtotal (excl. flights) | ≈ ¥3,600–7,800 (≈ $500–1,100) |
Add flights, insurance, shopping and any performance/show tickets on top.
The three levers that actually move the number
- Dates. Avoid the Golden Week (Oct 1–7) and Chinese New Year: hotel prices jump, trains sell out, and top attractions are at capacity. Late September and mid-to-late October (after the holiday) give you the best weather-to-price ratio.
- Booking direct. Tickets at official prices are cheap. Every "ticket + tour" package that bundles a scalper's margin is where budgets quietly double.
- Where you sleep. One subway stop closer to the center is usually worth more than one hotel star higher.
Practical notes
- Daily planning figure: ¥700–1,500/day for two, mid-range, excluding flights.
- Payment: set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card before flying (see our payments guide); carry ¥300–500 cash as backup.
- Tax refund: purchases over ¥200 at tax-refund stores qualify — see our payments guide for the paperless 2.0 process.
- Confirm everything: entrance fees and opening hours change between peak/off-season (typically around Nov 1 and Apr 1). Check each site's official website the week you travel.