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I've budgeted for a pretty decent hotel and eating out at nice (but not terribly expensive) places and I have about $500 for a week. I'm really only going to be in one city though (and maybe a neighboring town too) so that might lower costs somewhat.
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Mar 11, 2015 00:55
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$500 lasts me two months or so, and I don't really try to live cheaply here.
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Mar 11, 2015 03:04
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it can't possibly be as cheap as you guys are letting on, can it? I know food prices are very low and transportation is reasonable, but what about, I don't know, traveler's insurance or lodgings? That has to add up.
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Mar 11, 2015 03:38
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Zipline posted:it can't possibly be as cheap as you guys are letting on, can it? I know food prices are very low and transportation is reasonable, but what about, I don't know, traveler's insurance or lodgings? That has to add up. I dunno how expensive travelers insurance is, I live fast and loose and never get it. My expat insurance is like 100bux a month, but I bet short term insurance is more expensive. It depends on location, but hostels are generally like 30-60rmb a night in Chengdu and be closer to 70-100+ in Shanghai for a dorm room. In Chengdu it's like 80-100 for a private room in a hostel and closer to 150 in Shanghai. Some business hotels are like 130-180 a night. When I was backpacking around western Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu a lot of hostels were <30 rmb a night.
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Mar 11, 2015 03:53
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You can figure out the hotel costs by looking it up and doing the math. The food really is that cheap, so if you are paranoid you could budget in something higher than you would actually need like 80RMB/day for food (which definitely is more than you need) just to be safe. Insurance is up to you, but figure out something that covers you for accidents and major illnesses to a reasonable amount and figure out the price for three months. It's not really like the US where you are risking a $100,000 dollar hospital bill if you have to suddenly get your appendix out, but it's definitely smart to get insurance. You have to remember that China is less developed, so everything is just cheaper. It makes for really nicely affordable vacations once you cancel out the airfare. When I go to China I usually buy a bunch of clothes too, because they are so much cheaper there. The quality is usually a bit worse, but for the price it's better than the crappy poo poo I get in the US.
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Mar 11, 2015 04:27
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The first time I went to China I only had $800 in my bank account. I spent 3 weeks traveling and hit 3 cities, didn't really think about money much at all, and I still had $150 left in my bank account when I got back home.
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Mar 11, 2015 04:29
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The following prices are all in USD. You can stay in a Hilton or Westin level hotel in tier 1 cities like Guangzhou for less than $100 per night, or a cheap but clean budget hotel for 1/4 to 1/3 of that, and hostels are even cheaper. Tier 2 and other crappy cities like that are also cheaper. Food in a tier 1 city is basically "as much as you want to spend" on both the low and high ends. In Shenzhen, one of the most expensive cities, I can get a pretty good & filling bowl of noodles for about $1. A skewer of spiced, grilled chicken or lamb off the street is about 15 to 30 cents. A bowl of seafood pasta from a nice western restaurant will run you about $15. If you're interested in fancy Cantonese dining you can spend hundreds of dollars per person.
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Mar 11, 2015 04:38
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Zipline posted:it can't possibly be as cheap as you guys are letting on, can it? I know food prices are very low and transportation is reasonable, but what about, I don't know, traveler's insurance or lodgings? That has to add up. My breakfast this morning was dumpling soup with an egg and a fried dough stick. It was about 88 cents. My lunch could be a bowl of noodles that at cheapest could cost about a dollar and fifteen cents. My dinner could be a bunch of skewers and a Qingdao beer. That may cost three to four dollars. Your hostel room could cost you about 8 bucks. Maybe. Probably less. A bus or subway across the city costs 45 cents in Tianjin. Like fart simpson said, if I wanted to I could go to a nice burger place right now and get a 20 dollar burger with fries, and an 8 dollar beer. I could go to a super nice hot pot restaurant tonight and drop another 25 bucks on hot pot and beers. I could stay in the Tianjin Renaissance Hotel, which would probably run me like 150 bucks a night. I could take private taxis around the city which would cost 4-6 bucks for every ride. I could go lounge at a nice spa for 80 bucks for the day. You can make it as cheap to as expensive as you like. But you can make it super, super cheap and get by just dandy in China. It is one of the reasons I love living here, I can live incredibly cheap and still have an excellent style of living. I freakin' love egg dumpling soup with a fried dough stick in the back alley near my apartment, it's perfect.
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Mar 11, 2015 04:46
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Well this is mind boggling. Literally the entire point of doing study abroad instead of just tourism for me was to do it for cheaper. If it's literally the opposite, then  . The only reason I can think of right now to not just tour on my own is that it might look nice in an interview if I could say I studied abroad in China for one month, but it's such a short time and not related to anything outside of Chinese history... But is that worth potentially $5000? I would definitely miss having a Chinese-speaking minder that I could call 24/7 if I got lost in a city though, and it's a huge hassle having to fly to LA or whatever to get my visa first.Man, you guys have totally thrown me for a loop. Zipline fucked around with this message at 05:18 on Mar 11, 2015 |
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Mar 11, 2015 05:14
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You could literally stay in the Hilton and eat at a western steakhouse every night for a month for $5000.
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Mar 11, 2015 05:17
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Keep in mind that "study abroad" is a big industry that makes money, so it's going to basically cost you more no matter what. Usually the benefit of study abroad is that IF you have a scholarship for your tuition, you can get it to cover the tuition costs while abroad and sometimes to cover some of the fees for studying abroad. Another significant disadvantage of many study abroad programs is that you bring your western bubble with you in the form of a big group of students. You will of course have fun with them and potentially make good friends, but the more western people you are with the less "chinese" stuff you will probably experience.
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Mar 11, 2015 05:18
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$5000 is more than 10x what the average person earns per month in Shenzhen.
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Mar 11, 2015 05:21
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What do you think a tour like was mentioned earlier will cost? I'm set to pay $600 for a 4 day trip around Beijing, that seems pretty reasonable, right? I'm assuming it's cheaper to book in China than to do it here early, though. And I need to factor in airfare to the nearest Chinese consulate to get a visa, that's going to set me back.
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Mar 11, 2015 05:27
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$5000 is 142% of Facepalm Ranger's projected annual pre-tax income.
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Mar 11, 2015 05:28
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You can't DHL your passport or whatever?
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Mar 11, 2015 05:29
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fart simpson posted:$5000 is 142% of Facepalm Ranger's projected annual pre-tax income.
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Mar 11, 2015 05:29
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Shnicker posted:I'm in Hong Kong until Saturday. Anyone want to meet up? Don't really have much planned yet. Aferisan posted:If you don't mind my asking what's the difference between wan chai and chai wan? It seems like one is mid island the other is the east side but I mean in the sense of like residential/commercial makeup. PM sent Are you guys free on Thursday or Friday? Think there's a BBQ being set up on Friday but I'm free tomorrow evening for dinner and hanging out. going to send you a pm but it's better off you guys email me or post here Are you up for hanging out tomorrow evening? my wechat caberham. Or just post in thread. I'm thinking either muslim food, but if you guys are tourists we can do Yau Ma Tei night market and then hit my new favourite beer bar caberham fucked around with this message at 05:33 on Mar 11, 2015 |
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Mar 11, 2015 05:30
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fart simpson posted:A skewer of spiced, grilled chicken or "lamb" off the street is about 15 to 30 cents
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Mar 11, 2015 06:12
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I almost did that but took out the quotes.
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Mar 11, 2015 06:29
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Zipline posted:What do you think a tour like was mentioned earlier will cost? I'm set to pay $600 for a 4 day trip around Beijing, that seems pretty reasonable, right? I'm assuming it's cheaper to book in China than to do it here early, though. And I need to factor in airfare to the nearest Chinese consulate to get a visa, that's going to set me back. If that was a typo and you meant 4 weeks then yes that sounds pretty reasonable.
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Mar 11, 2015 06:47
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Might as well make it 2 months with side trips to Japan and Angkor Wat
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Mar 11, 2015 07:20
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peanut posted:Might as well make it 2 months with side trips to Japan and Angkor Wat I didn't know Angkor Wat was Japanese?
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Mar 11, 2015 07:21
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It is
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Mar 11, 2015 07:27
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Actually Angkor is Korean now.
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Mar 11, 2015 07:35
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It was the administrative seat of Genghis Khan's vast empire, which was inherited by the Japanese God-Emperor
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Mar 11, 2015 07:50
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the whole world is dokdo
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Mar 11, 2015 08:05
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All the oceans are connected, it's the same water Therefore
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Mar 11, 2015 09:12
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Zipline posted:What do you think a tour like was mentioned earlier will cost? I'm set to pay $600 for a 4 day trip around Beijing, that seems pretty reasonable, right? I'm assuming it's cheaper to book in China than to do it here early, though. And I need to factor in airfare to the nearest Chinese consulate to get a visa, that's going to set me back. Don't book a tour you will regret it and go to a lot of souvenir shops and crappy restaurants with a bus full of shuffling people. Also get hilariously overcharged apparently. For $600 in 4 days you could live like a. . . business executive?
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Mar 11, 2015 12:22
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Zipline posted:What do you think a tour like was mentioned earlier will cost? I'm set to pay $600 for a 4 day trip around Beijing, that seems pretty reasonable, right? I'm assuming it's cheaper to book in China than to do it here early, though. And I need to factor in airfare to the nearest Chinese consulate to get a visa, that's going to set me back. I just did a quick search and you could stay at a popular 5 star hotel with an "Excellent" user rating, visit probably all the major landmarks you'd want to see, and eat French food for lunch every day and go to steakhouses every night and you could do it all for $600 for 4 days.
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Mar 11, 2015 12:49
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In fact, that's almost exactly the itinerary I'd recommend.
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Mar 11, 2015 12:49
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Zipline posted:What do you think a tour like was mentioned earlier will cost? I'm set to pay $600 for a 4 day trip around Beijing, that seems pretty reasonable, right? I'm assuming it's cheaper to book in China than to do it here early, though. And I need to factor in airfare to the nearest Chinese consulate to get a visa, that's going to set me back. I went out of my way to eat/drink/sleep at fancier places when I took a two week trip with my girlfriend across china and even that, excluding airfare (to get to China), probably cost me 1500$. That's for two weeks, for two people. Traveling across china by sleeper train and plane. The biggest dents in my wallet were hong kong and shanghai, but even those reflect an attempt at a standard of living far beyond what a traveler or adventurous tourist might feel a need for. I'm certain you could hire a minder for 500 bux a month out of the enthusiastic pool of partly sort of bilingual university students who never seem to have classes, but that's my guess
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Mar 11, 2015 13:14
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i spent 500 bucks on everything in the two weeks i was in nanjing / shanghai / hangzhou and that includes high speed trains and decent hotels
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Mar 11, 2015 13:23
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A quick note of caution about costs: The various guidelines people have been giving for how much stuff costs are true, but be aware that there's a whole other level of stuff available that essentially costs a lot more in order to cost more, ststus-symbol-style. So, until you get a feel for how things work, be very careful to check exactly what it is you're buying or you could end up with an extra zero on your bill. Not that a couple of instances of this will cripple you, since you're coming from the US (I guess?), but it could disrupt your plans.
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Mar 11, 2015 14:31
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As a voice of dissent I'd just like to warn you that in China you absolutely get what you pay for. If you are eating a 45-cent bowl of noodles and staying in a hostel for $4/night, keep in mind that you are literally eating industrial waste and you are living in absolute squalor. You'll be submitting yourself to the worst China has to offer just to save a few dollars. I mean yes there are people in China that live on salaries of $200/month, but they are not healthy or happy.
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Mar 11, 2015 15:50
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I would add a corollary to LentThem's statement that you don't necessarily get what you pay for and should never ever trust something because it is expensive. Doubt poo poo because it's cheap, but also doubt the expensive poo poo because Chinese people sure do. Actually just don't go to China, it's easier.
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Mar 11, 2015 21:43
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Zipline, I've done a lot of thinking, and I've decided to help you out, out of the goodness of my own heart. For the low, affordable price of $4,995 USD, I will get you a one month internship at a Real, Authentic Chinese Cram School where you can have a great experience working with little kids and teaching them to scream "Open the window!" You will earn 500 USD in this internship, so actually your price is only $4,495 USD. I'm practically giving this experience away, free of charge! This will also include one month rent at an expat friendly apartment, travel to and from work everyday and toilet paper. I will personally arrange a one day trip for you to see the Tianjin section of the Great Wall as well, all expenses paid. I will also try to find you a local boyfriend/girlfriend, but no promises on how that goes. I will set you up with a personal tour guide of Beijing who will take you to all of the places you want to go, whenever you want to go there, over a weekend. That person may or may not be me, pending what is going on in my life at the time. After your one month internship is done, I will arrange your travel for you in China wherever you want to go over the next month. You will stay at quality places and travel in luxury and style. You may choose three places in China* that you would like to visit and I will personally set up your travel for you. This is a once in a lifetime experience to see what working in China is like, living a day to day life in China, and traveling in China free of any type of stress you may run in to. And you'll be saving a significant amount of money from your original plan. I highly recommend you act now and snag this great offer! *Hong Kong, Macau, Diaoyu Islands and Taiwan are not included in this deal. Tibet available pending visa laws at the time (don't get your hopes up)
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Mar 11, 2015 22:55
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Bloodnose posted:Actually just don't go to China, it's easier.
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Mar 12, 2015 01:27
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Something I forgot to mention: If you're after cheap dorm rooms but still having a nice atmosphere / facilities, foreign-style hostels are the way to go. But, if you're after nice single/double rooms, it's actually often cheaper to go for a standard hotel. Hostels have this weird price-jump thing going on, where the cheap rooms are 30Y (50-70Y in Shanghai, Beijing, major cities) but the expensive rooms are 150-200Y. Meanwhile, nearby random whoretel has rooms at 100Y (150-200Y in Shanghai, Beijing, major cities). You can go megacheap (lower than the prices above) in out-of-the-way places and it'll still be rustic or charming or whatever, as long as you're not picky about the shape of your toilet, but don't try to go megacheap in big cities. There are some depressing places out there...
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Mar 12, 2015 03:30
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Look for reviews though. I got a perfectly nice private room at a hostel basically right next to the Forbidden City for $10 a night four years ago. Things are likely more expensive now but good deals exist everywhere.
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Mar 12, 2015 03:33
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Prices in China have gone up quite a bit in the last 5 years, so adjust accordingly. Most of the goons here went on Chinese vacations years ago.
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Mar 12, 2015 03:35
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