Should you visit Beijing or Edinburgh?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel cost comparison between Beijing and Edinburgh can help. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.
Beijing
Beijing is the capital of China and, with 21.5 million people, it is the second most populated city in the world after Shanghai. It is a city that keeps pockets of its history hidden in old neighborhoods or back alleys, despite the constant change and modernization that goes on around it. As the capital city of China, there is plenty of history and culture. You can still get yourself lost in one of the last remaining hutongs, which are old neighborhoods that remain untouched by the city's modernization. The alleys that weave between the old homes are lined with drying clothes, corner markets, and people going about their daily lives the way they have for centuries. Surrounding these hutongs you'll find modern buildings and a booming economy, all threatening to destroying these last bits of Beijing's history. Beijing offers a glimpse into a microcosm that represents the entire country of China. Make sure you give yourself enough time in China to truly experience Beijing. You can pass a lot of time soaking up life in the city, which remains as diverse as the country it resides within.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the moderately sized capital of Scotland. It is a medieval city that has managed to perfect the combination of Georgian architecture and medieval relics with a cosmopolitan population and avant-garde atmosphere. The city's population is quite young, in large part because of the University of Edinburgh. This youthful vibe gives this city a lot of vitality. There's a thriving nightlife, many restaurants, theatres, galleries and museums.
Which city is cheaper, Edinburgh or Beijing?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Beijing is $70, while the average daily cost in Edinburgh is $154. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Beijing and Edinburgh in more detail.
Accommodation
The average price for accommodation for two people in Beijing is $72. This is for two people sharing a typical double occupancy hotel room.
Travelers usually pay around $162 for a double occupancy room in Edinburgh If you want to be in a premiere location or have high end amenities, you can expect to pay a bit more.
Food
In Beijing travelers spend around $19 a day on food. You can save money by choosing casual restaurants or food stalls, or you can spend plenty more by dining in nicer restaurants at every meal.
Food in Edinburgh costs travelers about $42 per day on average. Restaurants can vary significantly in price, so choose wisely if you're trying to save money. Fast food and street stalls are typically your cheapest options, which sit down restaurants can be significantly more expensive.
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Food
Meals for one day
Beijing $19
Edinburgh $42
Typical Food prices in Beijing
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Beijing:
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Beijing
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Beijing.
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Online Cooking Class:
$25
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Path Hutong Food Tour:
$30
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Chengdu Private Food Tour (With Visit to Kuanzhai Alley and Hotpot Experience):
$32
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Kung fu Show and Peking Roasted Duck Dinner:
$58
-
Private Temple of Heaven Walking Tour with Peking Duck Dinner or Kung Fu Show:
$62
-
Acrobatic Show w/ Peking Duck Dinner Private:
$68
-
Beijing Historical Center with Peking Opera and Duck Dinner:
$69
-
3 hours Morning or Afternoon Tea Tasting on Maliandao Street and Tea Restaurant Lunch or Dinner Tour:
$69
-
Beijing Hutong Breakfast Food Tour:
$69
-
Chengdu Jinsha Site Museum and Sanxingdui Museum Private Day Tour with Hotpot Dinner:
$76
-
Dim Sum Cooking Class and Wet Market Visit in Shanghai:
$78
-
Old Beijing Dinner Tour:
$80
Typical Food prices in Edinburgh
For Edinburgh, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Edinburgh
For Edinburgh, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
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Scottish Classic Desserts private cooking class with professional chef:
$66
-
Discover Royal Mile-Old Town & ENJOY Indian Dinner ~ Walking Tour!:
$79
-
3-Hour Guided Secret Food Tour:
$82
-
Vegetarian/Vegan Curry Cooking Class – pure comfort food for the soul!:
$97
-
Curry Around The World Cooking Class:
$97
-
Scottish Storytelling 3 Course Dinner and Whisky:
$104
-
Private Tour: Secret Food Tours Edinburgh:
$106
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Relaxing Handmade Pasta with meal and wine - Safe Cooking Class:
$110
-
Vegetarian/Vegan Curry Private Cooking Class with professional chef:
$116
-
"Curry Around The World" Private Cooking Class with professional chef:
$116
-
Private Food Tour with a Local Expert including 10 Tastings in Edinburgh:
$136
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Handmade Pasta Cooking Class & Dinner with professional chef for private groups:
$137
Local Transportation
While taxis and private drivers typically cost much more than public transportation, people usually spend around $6.94 per day to get around in Beijing.
Public transportation tends to be much less expensive in Edinburgh than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend $18 on transportation in Edinburgh on average per day.
Typical Local Transportation prices in Beijing
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Beijing:
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Beijing
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Beijing:
-
[Up to 20% Off] Private City Transfers for Mutianyu Great Wall in Beijing :
$23
-
[Up to 15% Off for Round Trip Transfers] Private Beijing Capital Airport Transfers (PEK) for Beijing :
$37
-
Zhoukoudian Peking Man and Marco Polo Bridge Private Transfer from Beijing:
$88
-
Yangshuo and Li River Highlights Day Tour with Transfers:
$111
-
Ultimate Forbidden City and Mutianyu Great Wall Discovery with Airport Transfer:
$186
-
Transfer in Private Vehicle from Pekin-Beijing City to Airport:
$29
-
Transfer in Private Vehicle from Pekin-Beijing Airport to Pekin-Beijing City:
$29
-
Transfer from Beijing hotel downtown to Beijing International Airport:
$21
-
Transfer from Beijing Capital (PEK) - Beijing:
$50
-
Tradtional Chinese Massage with Transfer in Beijing:
$68
-
Tour of Beijing Opera at Liyuan Theater with Transfer:
$59
-
Tour Combo Package: 4-Day Beijing with 2-way airport to hotel transfer:
$441
Typical Local Transportation prices in Edinburgh
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Edinburgh:
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Edinburgh
Also for Edinburgh, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Airport Transfer:
$70
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Airport Transfers:
$75
-
Airport Transfers , Edinburgh to Aberdeen , or Aberdeen to Edinburgh:
$538
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Arrival Private Transfer Edinburgh Airport EDI to Edinburgh City by Luxury Car:
$84
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Arrival Private Transfer Edinburgh Airport EDI to Edinburgh by Business Car:
$77
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Arrival Private Transfer Edinburgh Airport EDI to Edinburgh by Luxury Van:
$84
-
Arrival Private Transfers from Edinburgh Airport EDI to Edinburgh City:
$93
-
Arrival Private Transfers from Edinburgh Airport EDI to Edinburgh City:
$80
-
Central Edinburgh Hotels to Edinburgh Airport Transfers 1-3 pax:
$105
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Departure Private Transfer Edinburg City to Glasgow GLA Airport by Business Car:
$154
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Departure Private Transfer Edinburgh City to Edinburgh Airport EDI by Luxury Van:
$84
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Departure Private Transfer Edinburgh City to Glasgow GLA Airport by Luxury Car:
$196
Is it cheaper to fly into Beijing or Edinburgh?
Prices for flights to both Edinburgh and Beijing change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Entertainment
Activities, things to do, and other forms of entertainment usually cost around $22 per person, per day in Beijing. This cost includes the price of admission tickets to attractions and museums as well as daily tours.
Sightseeing expenses in Edinburgh, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of $21 per day, per person.
Typical Entertainment prices in Beijing
Here are a few typical costs in Beijing for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
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Entry to Summer Palace for Two
$9.41
-
Two Opera Tickets
$67
-
Temple of Heaven Park Entrance (for 2)
$11
-
Forbidden City (for 2)
$19
-
Forbidden City Tickets
$19
-
Audio Guides at Forbidden City
$13
Tours and Activities in Beijing
Here are a few actual costs in Beijing for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
-
Lionsgate Entertainment World Ticket in Henqin Zhuhai :
$31
-
1 Day Beijing Badaling Great Wall with 30-Minute Helicopter Tour:
$614
-
1 Day Beijing No Shopping Tour with Peking Roast Duck:
$226
-
1 Day Mutianyu Great Wall Bus Tour:
$29
-
1 Day Old Beijing City Tour .Forbidden City,Hutong,Temple of Heaven:
$163
-
1 Day Romantic Tour in Oriental Provence Lavender Manor and Mutianyu Great Wall:
$208
-
1 Day Tour : Simatai Great Wall and Gubei Water Town:
$239
-
1 Day Tour Badaling Great Wall and Badaling Ski Resort:
$249
-
1 Day Tour Mutianyu Great Wall & Chunhuiyuan Hot Springs:
$224
-
1 Day Tour: Badaling Great Wall and Jiuhua Hot Spring:
$167
-
1 day Mutianyu Great Wall Nonshopping bus tour:
$51
-
1-Day Badaling Great Wall Helicopter Tour with Sacred Way & Bird's Nest:
$714
Typical Entertainment prices in Edinburgh
Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for Edinburgh's activities, tours, and tickets:
Tours and Activities in Edinburgh
For Edinburgh, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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Harry Potter’s Explore the magic of the city on an audio walking tour:
$5.99
-
John Knox House Museum Ticket:
$6.91
-
Edinburgh Audio Tour: Discover its History and Secrets:
$8.26
-
Edinburgh Royal Mile (New Self Guided Tour):
$8.26
-
Edinburgh Queen's Gallery Holyroodhouse Entrance Ticket:
$9.95
-
Gilmerton Cove Guided Tour:
$10
-
Early Evening Underground Ghost Tour:
$12
-
Self-Guided City Experience:
$12
-
Afternoon Underground Ghost Tour:
$12
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Edinburgh Secrets of the Royal Mile Walking Tour:
$13
-
Murder and Mystery Walking Tour of Edinburgh:
$14
-
Ghost and Gore Walking Tour of Edinburgh:
$14
Alcohol
While the amount that someone spends on alcohol while visiting Beijing may vary from person to person, on average a person spends $11 per day on alcoholic beverages.
Typically, people visiting Edinburgh spend on average $16 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
Sample the Local Flavors in Beijing
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Beijing:
-
Evening Food Private Tour with Brewery Taproom Hopping at Slow Boat in Beijing:
$138
-
5-Hour Private Changyu Chateau Wine Tasting Tour from Beijing:
$178
-
Private Wonderful Beijing Bar Crawl Tour:
$195
-
Private Changyu Chateau Wine Tasting Tour and Mutianyu Great Wall Visit:
$228
Typical Alcohol prices in Edinburgh
Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Edinburgh from other travelers:
Sample the Local Flavors in Edinburgh
Also in Edinburgh, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
-
4-Hour Pub Crawl with Free Shots & Discounts:
$9.68
-
3-Hour Alternative Pub Crawl:
$11
-
4-Hour Pub Crawl with Free Drinks & Specials:
$17
-
The Orange Pub Crawl - Edinburgh:
$18
-
Edinburgh Brewery Tour:
$22
-
Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour:
$24
-
Rosslyn Chapel, Scottish Borders & Glenkinchie Distillery:
$51
-
Loch Lomond, Stirling, and Glengoyne Distillery Tour from Edinburgh:
$52
-
Rosslyn Chapel, Scottish Borders & Glenkinchie Distillery from Edinburgh:
$54
-
Stirling, Distillery, St.Andrews & Italian Tour Guide:
$62
-
Loch Ness, Highlands & Whisky Distillery Tour from Edinburgh:
$63
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Loch Ness, Highlands and Whisky Distillery Day Tour from Edinburgh:
$66
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Beijing and Edinburgh, we can see that Edinburgh is more expensive. And not only is Beijing much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Beijing is in Asia and Edinburgh is in Europe, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Beijing would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Beijing and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Edinburgh would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Edinburgh than you might in Beijing.
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