Average Total Cost for Trip

[shaun]

Since the Newbie section has threads about costs I though it might be interesting to see some posts about total costs considered to those of us who have not traveled to China yet and do not know what to expect.

From all that I have seen there will be costs like meeting her family and you will more than likely pay the food bill for that.  There will be the translator fees, park fees, transportation, meals, for the both of you (all three if translator is there or there is a child with you), gifts (and I am guessing but for your girl, her child, her parents).

I am hoping to be there about 10 days the first time and right now I am budgeting about $3000.00 (US Dollars) for it.  This includes flight and motel.  Am I high or low?  Am I missing anything that I will be expected to pay for?

[Ed W]

That's a low budget trip like mine at 3000. Overall my trip was 2.5 weeks, only spending the first week in the hotel and the rest at her dorm. Our wedding was very small and she's quite frugal with money so sometimes when I felt like taking the taxi she'd have us take the bus instead. With the hotel we got the buffet breakfast in the morning for two and she didn't let us miss that free meal.

That's certainly duable on that ammount but she's gonna have to be on the same page knowing full well how much you both have to work with on the trip. I always told my wife how much I had in RMB, doing the x6 conversion in my head, and it seemed to keep her more aware of how much we had.

Overall this is a low budget trip but doable. She'll just have to be fully aware how much money you have for the budget. You'll need her cooperation.

[David5o]

Shaun,

God Shaun, ...how long is a piece of string?  Totally depends on what your going to do while your there.
If your just going to meet your lady and staying in the same city, then your costs remain pretty low. Unless of course you start buying computers, and accessories for your lady that is. We have a bank account in China, that we keep topped-up so that we just use our cards on a day to day basis.

I don't know how your relationship is with your lady there, and whether your going there with the intention of getting engaged if everything goes to plan for you. If you are, then obviously you need to build in a contingency for the the ring, and other bits and bobs that go with getting engaged.

What i will suggest, is that whatever you decide on taking with you, add a bit more .....just in case!!  hahaha!! That can be anything cash or a credit card, ....just so long as it's one that's recognised in China, and that you inform the company that you'll be Traveling to China, so they won't block it's use. This dam fraud thing

I'm sure you'll get others here, telling you how much they budgeted on there trip, just remember all of us are different. We all have our own ways of enjoying ourselves, so for some that will cost them more...
Your budget is on the low side of things, but as ED said , completely do-able with your ladies co-operation....

David.....

[Ed W]

Oh, that's a good point I'd forgotten about. Thanks David!

I kept 500 usd hidden in my suitcase just for that unforseen emergency that might come near the end. She knew nothing about it and we did have to use it in the last few days.

[Jadams79]

Shaun you should be fine with $3000 over 10 days. I would personally allow $3000 for expenses after your plane ticket just my 2 cents of advice.

You will be buying food, probably for her and her friends, and most definatly the family if that is in her arrangements (Most expensive meal I paid for was 400RMB and that was for 10 people! Damn worth the money too!) just for my girl, her friends and I meals were around 30rmb-160rmb depending. Paying for any trips you take, for example my LONG tour of China for her, a friend and I cost right around 5500RMB that was with 6 (18) flights, (75) every meal, 10 parks (most parks were 50-100rmb entrance fee included in tour price), bus rides, tour guides.  This was all covered in the tour package. Sometimes I would have to pay an additional fee here and there say the spare bed fee at some of the hotels but it was 100rmb and it was reimbursed daily. There were a couple of parks not included on the tour some we went on others we didnt.

I highly suggest having her make your hotel arrangements, otherwise you will pay tourist prices, around $100+ to $65 a night, she can get them down lower, $55-30 and even cheaper. You can take advantage of most of the hotels breakfast, personally the breakfasts always sucked so I insisted we go somewhere else. Noodles and Dumplings for the win!

The translators through the agency I used, I asked how much I owed them, when it was an all day thing I paid around $10 an hour because I thought it was fair.  Then again Nanning is a lot cheaper than say Beijing. An electronic translator is about $300 here in the states, have your girl take you to an electronics store and barter one down got the newest Besta for almost $200.

Then trave expenses, taxi's typically start on 6rmb or 7rmb +1 additional rmb fuel surcharge.  This gets you a kilometer or two so after that its a time and miles +1 RMB fuel charge. Then there is traveling by bus for 1 rmb, there you can learn Chinese surfing, cheap entertainment.  I seriously recomend learning how to ride the bus without holding onto anything ^_^

KTV if you go varies on cost and time spent in KTV, a lot of chinese people drinking like a fish (or one irish american drinking a bunch of chinese people under the table) havent quite figured that night out. 300ish rmb for food and drinks for all

Mostly though let you girl know what your budget will be for  when you arrive, before you arrive so she can plan things accordingly ^_^

[JimB]

Shaun, I agree with the others, if it were me, I would take another $1000 or a total of $3,000 plus airfare. As the others have also said, you can do it on what you are budgeting.  And absolutely let her make your reservations for everything you want to do there, including any airfare inside of China. She will get it cheaper.
Jim

[Tiztom]

I have no set budget but I'm looking at around $5,000 Aus for the 4 weeks I'm staying from next month, Flight $920 return, Travel ins $220, Talking translating machine from eBay $170, 2 entry visa $60, Hotel .. I've picked a cheapo that looks pretty good at $18 per night my price, she may save a bit on that so about $630 for the 4weeks......that comes to roughly $2000 which leaves me $3,000 or roughly 16,600cny for 28 days...........or about 600cny per day, pretty sure there will be quiet days & expensive ones so I should make it..........I hope.

[Neil]

Jadams, can you tell us about KTV?  My girl wants to take me.

[China Shark]

I spent around $3,000 and splurged quite a bit in the beginning of my trip. Add on another $900. for gifts taken over, plus the roundtrip $1,050. airfare, $400. electronic translator, $629. labtop.  Had the time of my life the first three weeks in country. Also, guys keep in mind taxis cost different amounts in different cities. Shenzhen cabs start at 12.50 rmbs on regular hours and 17.50 rmbs after 11:00 pm. Noodles and other cheap foods do fluctuate from city to city but are generally really cheap. If you really want save money buy the steamed filled dumpling off the street for .50 rmb. Friggen amazing and fill you up. Are those the one's you guys are always busting on Martin about. I used to eat 8 of those a day when I lived with Mei before catching the bus to work. If you need to buy almost any type of clothing you can get them really cheap in some parts of the city. A pair of nylon Nike or Addias pants 25 rmbs and shorts 15 - 18 rmbs. Granted they are knockoffs yet pretty good quality. Buy a bus pass for 130 rmbs and reload as you use it. If you have a bus pass card you save an additional 10% by using it. I've become so penny pinching and downright cheap since I moved here. I brag to my students all the time about how I get the Chinese price all the time now. I've been living off of 300 rmbs for a week and I'm talking about buying my once a day buns and my daily Red Bull first thing in the morning. Scrimp when you can so when you want to go out on the town to say KTV you don't have to worry about money. Try to stay away from theme parks and very touristy spots because they are the pricey things. I went to a few and watched my money vanish very quickly. My suggestion is to also only use the translator for 2 - 3 days at the most. After three days you will do fine utilizing the electronic translator. I own a top of the line Besta and it was truely quite helpful in the beginning. Pace yourself in the beginning so you don't run close to being short later on. Take Ed's suggestion about hiding about $500. in the lugguage somewhere and only use if it is really necessary which I'm pretty sure it will be by the end of the trip.
Have fun I know I had the time of my life when I first arrived.
Expatriot China Shark Mike

[Rhonald]

I thought the standard traveller plan was take twice as much money as you think you need, but pack 1/2 as much clothing you think you need.

This would be after airplane ticket purchase.

[David5o]

Mike,

This is laid back Shaun, were talking with  here. ..... not Jack The-Lad,  China Shark Mike ...hahahaha!!

Your right about the theme parks and touristy spots, they can very quickly make biggish holes in the finances. But it is his first trip, and will probably want to see some of these places that he's read or heard so much about.....

Yes, completely forgot all about the cheap clothes available in China, so yes, i would definitely leave some room in my case, and some extra money to purchase them.  Really, ....you would be a fool, not take advantage of the cheap clobber there. They maybe knock-offs, but then China is the capital of Knock-off land, and as Mike say's, most have a pretty good quality value too....

David....

[Irishman]

Jadams, can you tell us about KTV?  My girl wants to take me.

KTV is surreal to a westerner.
I went to the "best" KTV place in Guangzhou when i was there last time.
There is a buffet area where you pick out food, it not bad by western standards but by Chinese very sub par - these places run 247 as does the food i think.

If you are thinking of booze filled raucous behaviour aka karaoke western style..forgetabout it!
Above the buffet floor is privately reserved room after room of earnest folk singing their very best to a screen, this is serious business. The songs mainly seem to be ballads and if you dont understand the words they all sound exactly the same!
Your girl as a result may have the voice of an angel and even if she doesnt she'll sign anyhow..just not as much as her friends. make no mistake..KTV is about the singing..do not try out signing funny..it wont be appreciated..give it your best.

I found the whole thing very strange, as i went out from our little reserved room to the public toilets i passed room after room of sincere looking kids singing their heart out.

To give you an idea how big this stuff is there, Ling and i got  a lift in a car from a friend of a friend to a wedding. The driver was obviously well off with a big 4x4 and gps and dvd player..he played KTV ballads all the way down!!, my manliness suffered severely during that trip, but the rest of the passengers seemed unscathed. To maxx, I think that trip might have been terminal!

Expect to feel slightly pink after ktv haha

[China Shark]

Nothing better than some serious karoake. It was just starting to become the big thing when I was living there in 93 - 94. Probably went at least about 6-7 times in Tokyo and 2-3 times in Shanghai. Hell, first time I went I was petrified yet quickly got over that. Irish you like those over the top KTV. Also this is something the brotherhood might not know about. I'm sure the seasoned vets know of the secret liasons with the local girls at some of the seedier KTV. Yes, you got it prostitution is real big in many parts of Shenzhen's KTV circuit. Never went in one of those yet have been told about what some of the extras on the menu are, lol. Everybody can have a happy ending when you frequent those establishments. Sorry, way off topic. If you want to save your relationship and your money go to one like Irish suggests.
China Shark Mike

[shaun]

Mike your last post is too funny.  You may have just stopped my jaw from hitting the floor if I wound up at a place like that. I am sure with Huaping being in the restaurant business she will know the places to go in Changsha

Really men this thread has been extremely valuable to me and I thank you for your information.  I may have to start delivering pizza to get to the $4000. mark.  Looks like I will have to work extra hard.  I am considering taking my 10 weeks off next summer in China if all goes well in December.  I am going to have to figure all of this out so all the comments you can give WILL be appreciated.

[Neil]

Only time I ever sing is in the car, alone, with the music blasting loud so I can't hear my terrible voice.

I'm sure we'll go, my girl has said time and again, she can't wait to sing to me.  I don't know if I have it in me to sing, especially in front of a crowd of people I don't know (or maybe that will be better?) but I have a feeling, no, I'm pretty sure my girl wants to hear me sing.  Nervous?  Yeah.  More nervous about singing than meeting her for the first time I think.  lol