My budget for the China trip – revealed!

 Our trip:

We flew from Singapore to Shanghai on 24 December 2025 and spent 5 days in Shanghai. (Check out my Shanghai post!) Then, we took the high-speed train to Hangzhou on 29 December 2025 and returned back to Singapore on 1 January 2026. (P.S: Will be posting on Hangzhou soon!)

Flights:

Singapore to Shanghai on Air China (late afternoon flight): SGD 415 per person (equivalent of USD 308)

• Includes one meal + checkin baggage of 25kg

• Tip: Air China is part of Star Alliance, so we linked our Singapore Airlines frequent flyer number

Hangzhou to Singapore on Xiamen Air (early morning flight): SGD 620 per person (equivalent of USD 479)

• Includes one meal + checkin baggage of 25kg

• Tip: Xiamen Air is part of Skyteam, so I linked my KLM frequent flyer number

Total per person: SGD 1,035

Accommodations:

Shanghai (5 nights) apartment: SGD 366 per night (equivalent of CNY 3,550)

• Booked via Trip.com

• 3 bedrooms + 1 living room + 1 kitchen + 1 toilet

• Conveniently located at Fengyang Road (nearest metro station: People’s Square)

Hangzhou (3 nights) hotel: SGD 60 per night (equivalent of USD 45)

• Booked via Trip.com

• 3 queen beds + 1 toilet + 24-hour concierge

• Conveniently located at Zhongshan North Road (nearest metro station: Fengqi Road)

Total per person: SGD 700

Transport:

Airport shuttle from Shanghai Pudong Airport to city center: SGD 23 per person (equivalent of USD 30)

• Our flight landed in Shanghai around midnight on the 25^th and most public transport options were no longer available

• Had 3 big luggages and 3 hand-carries

• Alternative option: Book an 8-seater ride-hailing car (Didi)

High-speed train from Shanghai to Hangzhou: SGD 45 per person (equivalent of CNY 245)

• Business class carriage (i.e. the “best” class on the high-speed trains)

• Comes with complimentary lounge access and fast check-ins

• Seats configured in a 1-2 format with ample legroom

Metro rides in Shanghai: Cumulative of SGD 8 per person across 5 days (equivalent of CNY 47)

• Fare varies based on the number of stops of your trip

• As you can see, it’s a very cheap and convenient way of travelling around Shanghai

Didi (ride hailing) rides in Shanghai: Cumulative of SGD 21 per person across 5 days (equivalent of CNY 115)

• Main expense was the late-night rides back to the apartment and the 6-seater ride to the Shanghai railway station on the last day

Didi (ride hailing) rides in Hangzhou: Cumulative of SGD 20 per person across 5 days (equivalent of CNY 105)

• Main expense was the 6-seater ride to the Hangzhou airport on the last day

Boat rides in Hangzhou: Cumulative of SGD 35 per person across 3 days (equivalent of CNY 193)

• We took a few boat rides around the West Lake – that’s the main attraction of Hangzhou, after all

Total per person: SGD 152

Food:

Restaurants in Shanghai: Cumulative of SGD 105 per person across 5 days (equivalent of CNY 580)

• We ate at one high-end restaurant that serves hairy crabs and the rest of the eating places were localised/casual restaurants

Snacks/street food in Shanghai: Cumulative of approx. SGD 20 per person across 5 days (equivalent of CNY 110)

• Did not manage to keep track of all snack/street food expenses so this is an estimate

Restaurants in Hangzhou: Cumulative of SGD 45 across 3 days (equivalent of CNY 230)

• All the restaurants we ate at are localised places

Snacks/street food in Shanghai: Cumulative of approx. SGD 10 per person across 3 days (equivalent of CNY 55)

• Did not manage to keep track of all snack/street food expenses so this is an estimate

Total per person: SGD 180

Souvenirs/other shopping items:

Miscellaneous items in Shanghai: Cumulative of SGD 28 per person (equivalent of CNY 150)

Miscellaneous items in Hangzhou: Cumulative of SGD 13 per person (equivalent of CNY 75)

Total per person: SGD 41

Total expenses per person for the whole trip: SGD 2,108