Daily costs, flights and what each travel tier actually spends. The calculators below use route-tested numbers rather than averages.
China's daily budget math is friendlier than its skyline suggests: backpackers report $50-70 days, mid-range trips land at $100-160 including high-speed rail between cities, and the real cost drivers are trains and hotels — food and metro rides are cheap everywhere.
The calculators below use route-tested numbers rather than averages, and the real-trip-budget library breaks down what travelers from 40+ nationalities actually spent, day by day. Start with the calculator, then compare against a trip shaped like yours.