How much cash should I carry in Shanghai?

Less than you think. Many vendors refuse cash entirely. You need Alipay or WeChat Pay set up before arrival. Carry 100 to 200 CNY in small bills for street food stalls and small shops that still take cash, but do not rely on it for taxis, metro tickets, or restaurants. If you do not have a Chinese payment app installed, you will be stuck.

Is the Shanghai Museum really free?

Yes, admission is free, but you need a reservation. Book your time slot on WeChat ahead of time. Walk ups without a reservation are turned away during peak hours. The museum is closed on Mondays except for public holidays.

How much does a metro ride cost?

3 to 9 CNY depending on distance. 0 to 6 km costs 3 CNY, 6 to 16 km costs 4 CNY, 16 to 26 km costs 5 CNY, 26 to 36 km costs 6 CNY, 36 to 46 km costs 7 CNY, 46 to 56 km costs 8 CNY, and over 56 km costs 9 CNY. These 2025 rates are published by Shanghai Shentong Metro Group and revised annually.

What is the cheapest day in Shanghai?

A genuinely cheap day totals 150 CNY. Hostel dorm bed 80 CNY, shengjianbao breakfast 10 CNY, metro day travel 15 CNY, Shanghai Museum 0 CNY, Bund walk 0 CNY, noodle lunch 20 CNY, Power Station of Art 0 CNY, dumpling dinner 25 CNY. That leaves 0 CNY for coffee or extras.

Can I use an Uber or ride-hail app?

No. Uber does not operate in China. Use DiDi, the dominant ride-hail app. You need a Chinese phone number to set up an account, and you will need Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to pay. Without a local SIM or eSIM, DiDi does not work. Have your destinations written in Chinese characters for taxi drivers as a backup.

Shanghai Travel Costs: A Realistic Daily Budget

What a Day in Shanghai Costs

Shanghai is not Tokyo or Hong Kong. It is the most expensive city in mainland China and still cheap by the standards of those two. A hostel bed costs 70 CNY. A four-piece order of shengjianbao costs 10 CNY. The Shanghai Museum is free. Your day total can drop below 150 CNY and still feel full.

At the other end, a Bund-view room at the Peninsula starts at 2,500 CNY per night, a tasting menu at Fu He Hui runs 1,200 to 6,000 CNY per person, and a rooftop cocktail at the Bund adds a 15 percent service charge. The gap between budget and luxury is wider here than in most Asian capitals because the city serves two separate economies: one built on 3 CNY metro rides and 20 CNY noodle shops, the other on 1,800 CNY observation decks and 600 CNY main courses with a river view.

Below are real yuan figures for three daily ledgers. The exchange rate used is 1 USD = 7.25 CNY, the approximate midpoint on 2026-08-27. Prices are from 2025 data unless noted. The Shanghai Shentong Metro Group publishes the official metro fare table every year; check their site for the current rate if you need precision. For everything else, the numbers here are what you will pay at the door or the counter.

Shanghai budget — Bartec666 at German Wikipedia , CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Three Personas, Three Daily Ledgers

The three levels below are built around real travel styles. Each includes accommodation, three meals, metro rides, one paid attraction, and one splurge item. The failure case is noted for each: what you do when the normal option is closed, sold out, or it is 1am.

Budget Traveller: Hostel, Street Food, Free Sights

Total: 150 to 250 CNY.

Accommodation: a dorm bed in a hostel near People's Square costs 70 to 120 CNY per night. Breakfast: four pieces of shengjianbao from Da Hu Chun for 10 CNY, or a jianbing from a street stall for 6 to 12 CNY. Lunch: a bowl of scallion oil noodles at a hole-in-the-wall shop for 15 to 30 CNY. Dinner: dumplings at a small restaurant for 20 to 40 CNY. Metro: you ride four to six times covering 16 to 26 km total, which costs 3 to 5 CNY per trip, roughly 15 CNY for the day. Attraction: the Shanghai Museum is free with a reservation booked ahead on WeChat. Splurge: entry to the Power Station of Art costs 0 CNY for permanent exhibitions or 20 to 100 CNY for a special show.

Failure case: It is 1am and the metro stops running at 22:30 to 23:00 depending on the line. You do not want a 50 to 80 CNY taxi from Hongqiao or a 180 to 250 CNY taxi from Pudong. Check the last train time for your line before you go out. Carry a transport card or Alipay QR code; single-journey ticket machines have queues that slow you down. If you miss the last train, a DiDi ride-hail costs roughly double the taxi flagfall of 14 CNY for the first 3 km plus 2.50 CNY per km after that. Budget 30 to 60 CNY for a short ride home.

Mid-Range Traveller: French Concession Hotel, Local Restaurants, One Paid Sight

Total: 600 to 1,200 CNY.

Accommodation: a 3 to 4 star international hotel in the French Concession or Jing'an costs 500 to 1,000 CNY per night. Breakfast: western brunch at a French Concession café costs 120 to 250 CNY per person. You can also eat local for less: a 40 CNY congee shop saves 80 CNY. Lunch: a dish plus rice at a local restaurant costs 40 to 80 CNY. Dinner: hot pot at a mid-range chain like Haidilao costs 100 to 180 CNY per person. Metro: you take two taxis today (flagfall 14 CNY for the first 3 km, then 2.50 CNY per km) and two metro rides at 4 to 6 CNY each. Total transport around 50 CNY. Attraction: Yu Garden costs 40 CNY, book ahead. Splurge: a cocktail at a French Concession speakeasy costs 80 to 120 CNY, or a Bund-facing rooftop cocktail costs 120 to 180 CNY plus 10 to 15 percent service charge.

Failure case: Taxi drivers rarely speak English. Have every destination written in Chinese characters on your phone. During rain or shift change (16:00 to 18:00), hailing on the street is nearly impossible. Use DiDi instead with the destination already typed in Chinese. If the Bund-facing restaurant you wanted is full, its main courses run 200 to 600 CNY with a view premium. Eat inland for half the price and walk to the Bund after.

Luxury Visitor: Bund River-View Room, Fine Dining, Private Car

Total: 3,500 to 8,000+ CNY.

Accommodation: a 5 star Bund view hotel such as the Peninsula or Waldorf Astoria costs 2,500 to 6,000 CNY per night. A Pudong 5 star like the Park Hyatt or Ritz-Carlton runs 1,800 to 4,500 CNY. Breakfast: included in the room rate at most luxury properties. Lunch: a tasting menu at a high-end restaurant costs 1,200 to 6,000 CNY per person. Dinner: fine dining with a Bund view, main courses 200 to 600 CNY, plus wine. Transport: private car hire or taxis. A taxi from Pudong Airport to the Bund costs 180 to 250 CNY, versus 54 CNY on the Maglev and metro. A taxi from Hongqiao costs 50 to 100 CNY. Attraction: Shanghai Tower observation deck costs 180 CNY, book ahead. Splurge: a cocktail at a Bund-facing rooftop bar at 120 to 180 CNY plus service charge, or a bottle of wine with dinner.

Failure case: The 23:00 to 05:00 taxi flagfall is 18 CNY instead of 14 CNY. The meter runs on time when speed drops below 12 km/h: 2.50 CNY per 5 minutes idle. Rush hour traffic on the Bund can add 20 to 30 CNY to a short ride. Book your restaurant and observation deck tickets at least three days ahead. The high-end tasting menus at Ultraviolet and Fu He Hui sell out weeks in advance.

Daily Cost Comparison at Three Levels

Item	Budget (CNY)	Mid-Range (CNY)	Luxury (CNY)
Accommodation (per night)	70-120 (hostel dorm)	500-1,000 (3-4 star hotel)	2,500-6,000 (5 star Bund view)
Breakfast	6-12 (jianbing)	40 (local congee) or 120-250 (western brunch)	Included or 120-250 (brunch)
Lunch	15-30 (noodle soup)	40-80 (dish + rice)	200-600 (Bund restaurant main course)
Dinner	20-40 (dumplings)	100-180 (hot pot per person)	1,200-6,000 (tasting menu)
Transport (one day)	15 (metro rides)	50 (two taxis + two metro)	180-250 (airport taxi) or private car
Attraction	0 (free museum with reservation)	10-50 (temple or garden)	180 (Shanghai Tower)
Splurge	0-20 (coffee or free gallery)	80-120 (speakeasy cocktail)	120-180 + 15% (rooftop cocktail)
Daily Total	150-250	600-1,200	3,500-8,000+

Where Your Yuan Goes and Where it Leaks

The Airport Transfer

A taxi from Pudong Airport to the city centre costs 180 to 250 CNY. The Maglev to Longyang Road costs 50 CNY one way (40 CNY with a same day flight ticket), then you transfer to Metro Line 2 for 3 to 5 CNY. Total: 54 CNY. That saves more than half. From Hongqiao Airport, the metro costs 4 to 6 CNY versus a taxi at 50 to 100 CNY.

Rush Hour Taxi Meter

The meter runs on time when speed drops below 12 km/h, charging 2.50 CNY per 5 minutes. A 20 minute crawl across the Bund at 5pm adds 10 CNY you did not budget for. Use the metro for east-west crossings between Pudong and Puxi between 16:00 and 19:00.

The Bund View Premium

A main course at a Bund-facing restaurant costs 200 to 600 CNY. That is roughly double the price of the same quality food three blocks inland. Eat inland, walk to the Bund for the view. That saves 100 to 300 CNY per meal.

Small Costs That Stack Up

An espresso based coffee at a French Concession specialty café costs 28 to 45 CNY. A flat white at Starbucks costs 33 to 42 CNY. A craft beer at a local brewery taproom costs 40 to 70 CNY per pint. These are not leaks, they are choices, but they add up faster than a 10 CNY scallion oil noodle breakfast.

Shanghai street scene — Brakeet , CC0 via Wikimedia Commons

The Real Trap: Cashlessness and the Last Train

The single thing that most often goes wrong on a Shanghai budget day is a cashless economy you cannot access and a metro system that shuts down at 22:30. You land without a Chinese payment app. You cannot buy a transport card. The metro ticket machine has a queue. The taxi drivers refuse cash. You are stranded.

Solve this before you fly. Install Alipay and link an international credit card. Load the Shanghai Public Transportation Card into Alipay, or buy a physical transport card at any metro station with your newly activated app. Without a Chinese phone number, free public Wi Fi is blocked because it requires SMS verification. Buy a local SIM or eSIM with a Chinese number at the airport. That one purchase unlocks DiDi, museum bookings, and payment apps. Without it, you cannot spend your money.

The last metro train varies by line, but every line stops between 22:30 and 23:00. Check the final departure time for your station before you go to dinner or a bar. If you miss it, a short taxi ride costs 30 to 60 CNY, a longer one from Pudong to the Bund costs 180 to 250 CNY. The failure case is an expensive lesson in Shanghai's scale: crossing a district can swallow half a day, and the metro is the only cheap way to do it.