Travel Budget for Tibet Visit Tibet on a Budget or Travel in Style

Tibet, China

How much does it cost to travel to Tibet?

Budget-Friendly Travel Planning

How much money will you need for your trip to Tibet? You should plan to spend around ¥502 ($71) per day on your vacation in Tibet, which is the average daily price based on the expenses of other visitors. Past travelers have spent, on average, ¥180 ($25) on meals for one day and ¥129 ($18) on local transportation. Also, the average hotel price in Tibet for a couple is ¥459 ($65). So, a trip to Tibet for two people for one week costs on average ¥7,030 ($994). All of these average travel prices have been collected from other travelers to help you plan your own travel budget.

  • Average Daily Cost Per person, per day
    ¥502
  • One Week Per person
    ¥3,515
  • 2 Weeks Per person
    ¥7,030
  • One Month Per person
    ¥15,064
  • One Week For a couple
    ¥7,030
  • 2 Weeks For a couple
    ¥14,059
  • One Month For a couple
    ¥30,127
This data comes from the travel budgets of real travelers - How it works. Put these numbers on your website.

A vacation to Tibet for one week usually costs around ¥3,515 for one person. So, a trip to Tibet for two people costs around ¥7,030 for one week. A trip for two weeks for two people costs ¥14,059 in Tibet. If you're traveling as a family of three or four people, the price person often goes down because kid's tickets are cheaper and hotel rooms can be shared. If you travel slower over a longer period of time then your daily budget will also go down. Two people traveling together for one month in Tibet can often have a lower daily budget per person than one person traveling alone for one week.



How expensive is Tibet? How much money do I need for Tibet?

How much does a trip to Tibet cost? Is Tibet cheap or expensive? The average Tibet trip cost is broken down by category here. All of these Tibet prices are calculated from the budgets of real travelers to find the price of travel in the area.

Accommodation Budget in Tibet
Average Daily Costs

Calculated from travelers like you

The average price paid for one person for accommodation in Tibet is ¥230. For two people sharing a typical double-occupancy hotel room, the average price paid for a hotel room in Tibet is ¥459. This cost is from the reported spending of actual travelers.


  • Accommodation1 Hotel or hostel for one person
    ¥230
  • Accommodation1 Typical double-occupancy room
    ¥459

Hotel Prices in Tibet

Looking for a hotel in Tibet? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options.

Find the best hotel for your travel style.

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Transportation Budget in Tibet
Average Daily Costs

Calculated from travelers like you

  • The cost of a taxi ride in Tibet is significantly more than public transportation. On average, past travelers have spent ¥129 per person, per day, on local transportation in Tibet.


  • Transportation1 Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    ¥129


Flights to Tibet
How much does it cost to go to Tibet? Naturally, it depends on the dates. We recommend Kayak because they can find the best deals across all airlines.

Rental Cars in Tibet
The price of renting a car in Tibet will depends on dates, the type of car, the location, and your age. We recommend Kayak because they can find the best deals across all car rental companies.



Food Budget in Tibet
Average Daily Costs

Calculated from travelers like you

  • While meal prices in Tibet can vary, the average cost of food in Tibet is ¥180 per day. Based on the spending habits of previous travelers, when dining out an average meal in Tibet should cost around ¥72 per person. Breakfast prices are usually a little cheaper than lunch or dinner. The price of food in sit-down restaurants in Tibet is often higher than fast food prices or street food prices.


  • Food2 Meals for one day
    ¥180


Entertainment Budget in Tibet
Average Daily Costs

Calculated from travelers like you

  • Entertainment and activities in Tibet typically cost an average of ¥111 per person, per day based on the spending of previous travelers. This includes fees paid for admission tickets to museums and attractions, day tours, and other sightseeing expenses.


  • Entertainment1 Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    ¥111


Alcohol Budget in Tibet
Average Daily Costs

Calculated from travelers like you

  • The average person spends about ¥33 on alcoholic beverages in Tibet per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.


  • Alcohol2 Drinks for one day
    ¥33


Tibet On a Budget
Tibet Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet
An autonomous region of China, Tibet is known to be the highest place on Earth with the Himalayas and Mount Everest located right along its western border. The area has long been inhabited by Tibetans, whose culture remains strong and central to the place itself, deeply embedded in religion. Most visitors come to Tibet to trek the mountains and see its holy places, monasteries, and temples dedicated to Tibetan Buddhism.
Sights
The countryside of Tibet is at the highest elevation in the world. The Himalayas gracefully sweep down its western border, while winding rivers snake through vast open plains. You can see a good sampling of Tibet's natural beauty at a place like Namtso Lake, the highest salt water lake in the world. Here, visitors and nomads enjoy the great plateau appeal of the lake with views of the snow-capped Thangula range in the north. While the natural sights of Tibet are an undeniable treasure, the region is most known for its holy places. Most of its cities, towns, and villages are centered on religion, with historic temples and monasteries being the focal point for all. Lhasa especially has many traditional buildings like Potala Palace which was home to the Dalai Lamas, Jokhang Temple built in 647 AD, the Summer Palace of the Dalai Lama, and Barkhor Street which is lined with traditional Tibetan architecture.

Samye Monastery, located in the Shannan prefecture, is also an important site as the first Buddhist Monastery in Tibet, while Tashilhunpo Monastery in Xigatse is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lamas. And then there is Rongbuk Monastery, one of the highest monasteries in the world, from which there are stunning views of Mount Everest.
Regions
Tibet is divided into seven prefectures which include its capital of Lhasa as well as Xigatse, Ngari, Qamdo, Nagqu, Nyingchi, and Shannan. Lhasa remains Tibet's holiest city, home to many successive Dalai Lamas at Potala Palace and a good number of monasteries and temples. Over 1,300 years old situated next to a river, the city's name, Lhasa, translates as "Land of the Gods." Tibetan culture still thrives here, and you will often see locals engaged in prayer in traditional dress at the city's temples. Lhasa also has a bustling market where you will find locals and visitors alike bartering for items like Tibetan rugs, oil paintings, carved goods, woolen clothing, and other authentic handicrafts. In general most tourist activity is concentrated in five areas: Lhasa, Eastern Tibet, Western Tibet, Northern Tibet, and Yalong Valley.

Activities
Most people come to Tibet to experience its old world aura of traditional culture, devout religion, beautiful temples and monasteries, and bustling markets. One could spend days admiring the grandeur of the surrounding mountains, or getting lost in the sights and sounds of everyday life in the villages. With the entirety of Tibet being the highest place on earth, one truly feels closer to the heavens, rising above everything else and experiencing new ways of seeing the world.

If you seek a more guided understanding during your travels, there are many tour companies as well as local tour guides more than willing to share the world of Tibet with foreigners. Some offer tours of the region's hot spots, cultural sites and monasteries, while others cater to the surrounding countryside.
Food and Dining
Traditional Tibetan cuisine is largely limited to barley, meat (usually mutton or yak), and dairy products. Very few spices and vegetables are used in the cooking, though most dishes are served with a very hot chili sauce on the side. Tibetan restaurants also usually serve westernized food options, and there are an abundance of good Chinese restaurants as well. Tea houses, too, can be found just about everywhere, being a place where many locals come to sit down with friends. While larger towns and cities serve both sweet and salted teas, smaller villages only serve salted. As far as food and drink go, some Tibetan staples include:

Momos: dumplings filled with meat or vegetables, steamed or fried

Tingmo: bland, nearly tasteless steamed bread

Thukpa: a hearty noodle soup with vegetables or meat

Thenthuk: thukpa with handmade noodles

Yak butter tea: salty tea churned with butter, a Tibetan staple and usually an acquired taste for most Westerners

Chang: a Tibetan beer made of barley, light in flavor

Transportation
Lhasa Gonggar Airport is the airport serving Lhasa, the capital city of the Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is located about 61 miles south of the city. Domestic airlines using the airport can operate flights to Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Chongqing, Xian, Xining, Kunming, Diqing, and Chamdo Region. One international airline connects Lhasa to Kathmandu, Nepal. Buses at the airport can shuttle visitors to downtown Lhasa, taking about 40-60 minutes.

Tibet is also connected to other parts of China via railways lines. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway runs from Qinghai to Tibet with many stations in between including Delhi, Golmud, Amdo, Tanggula, Nagqu, and Damxung. The ride is very scenic, traversing plains, mountain ranges, rivers and lakes, grasslands, and densely populated cities.

As far as roads go, there are four leading into Tibet which roughly correspond to the cardinal directions.

All foreign visitors do need one or more permits to visit Tibet, so be sure to do your research on the necessary paperwork before setting out on your trip.


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1 Categories averaged on a per-item basis.
2 Categories averaged on a per-day basis.
For example, the Food2 daily average is for all meals for an entire day, while Entertainment1 is for each individual purchase.


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