A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Beijing vs. La Paz for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Beijing or La Paz?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Beijing and La Paz can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.

Where Should I go: Beijing or La Paz?

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.

La Paz

La Paz, the administrative capital of Bolivia, has a breathtaking setting. The city is the highest national capital in the world, with an altitude ranging from about 4,058 m (13,313 ft) above sea level in El Alto, where the airport is located, to 3,100 m (10,170 ft) in the lower residential area. The dynamic and chaotic city was built in a canyon created by the Choqueyapu River. La Paz is now a fusion of architectural styles, cultures and beliefs, welcoming everyday new boutique hotels, modern shops, delicious restaurants and reinventing standing establishments. However, generally speaking, Bolivia remains more a backpacker hit than a mainstream tourist destination.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Beijing, The Best 2-Week Tours from Beijing, The Best Budget Tours to Bolivia, and The Best 10-Day Tours in Bolivia.


Which place is cheaper, La Paz or Beijing?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

The average daily cost (per person) in Beijing is $89, while the average daily cost in La Paz is $56. 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 destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Beijing and La Paz in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Beijing $39
    La Paz $16
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Beijing $78
    La Paz $32
Compare Hotels in Beijing and La Paz

Looking for a hotel in Beijing or La Paz? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Beijing


Hotels in La Paz


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: La Paz Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Beijing $7.62
    La Paz $9.42
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Beijing

Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Beijing:


  • Taxi
    $4.66
  • Train from Airport for Two
    $6.82
  • Taxi to Hotel
    $8.19
  • 2 Metro Passes
    $2.18
  • Metro
    $0.55

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Beijing

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Beijing:

  • Visit Great Wall With Beijing Capital Airport Round-Way Transfer : $233
  • Ultimate Forbidden City and Mutianyu Great Wall Discovery with Airport Transfer: $186
  • Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Beijing HTL-APT (PEK): $41
  • Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Beijing APT-HTL (PEK): $41
  • Transfer: Beijing City Center to Beijing Airport (PEK): $37
  • Transfer: Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) to Beijing City: $34
  • Tianjin International Cruise Port to Beijing Capital Airport by private transfer: $148
  • Tianjin International Cruise Port Transfer from Beijing: $130
  • Tianjin Cruise Port to Beijing Daxing Airport by Private Transfer: $148
  • Tianjin Cruise Port Private Transfer to Beijing International Airport: $153
  • The Great Wall Jinshanling PRIVATE TRANSFER From Beijing : $105
  • Shared Shuttle Bus Transfer Between Tianjin Cruise Port And Downtown Beijing : $120

Typical Local Transportation Prices in La Paz

Some typical examples of transportation costs in La Paz are as follows:


  • Taxi Ride
    $0.58

Hired Cars and Shuttles in La Paz

Also for La Paz, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Airport Transfer In_night: $47
  • Bus Station Transfer Out_day: $25
  • Bus Station Transfer Out_night : $25
  • From 3-Day Uyuni Salt Flats Tour with Bus Transfers: $190
  • From Uyuni Salt Flats 2-Day Tour with Bus Transfers: $140
  • From Uyuni Salt Flats 3-Day Tour with Bus Transfers: $170
  • From Uyuni Salt Flats 5-Day Tour with Bus Transfers: $345
  • Cholitas Wrestling Tickets and Transfer: $25
  • Private Transfer Airport to Hotels Service 24/7: $19
  • Transfer from El Alto International Airport - Hotel: $23
  • La Paz:Private transfer from La Paz Hotels to El Alto Aiport: $19
  • Private Departure Transfer: La Paz Hotels to El Alto International Airport: $37

Is it cheaper to fly into Beijing or La Paz?

Prices for flights to both La Paz 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.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Beijing $33
    La Paz $29
Typical Food Prices in Beijing

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Beijing:


  • Popcorn
    $0.82
  • Hot Pot Dinner
    $6.82
  • Dumpling Breakfast for Two
    $2.73
  • Watermelon
    $1.91
  • Peking Duck Dinner for 2
    $16
  • Two Popsicles
    $0.82

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Beijing

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Beijing.

  • Beijing Hutong Food Tour: 3-hour,4 Hutongs & 4 Hidden Restaurants: $5.00
  • Online Cooking Class Orange Chicken by Sunflower Li: $20
  • Online Cooking Class Handmade Noodles by Sunflower Li: $20
  • Online Cooking Class Kungpao Chicken: $20
  • Beijing Acrobatic Show Tickets w/ Optional Dinner or Transfer: $48
  • 3.5-Hour Walking Food Tour: A Bite of History at Beijing Niujie Street: $49
  • Temple of Heaven Private Tour w/Option Show &Dinner: $51
  • Hutong Breakfast Food Tour: $55
  • Beijing Hutong Breakfast Food Tour: $55
  • China's Favourite Street Food Cooking Workshop: $55
  • Old Beijing Dinner Tour: $75
  • Hidden Gems Guided Food Tour with Beer and Tastings: $75

Typical Food Prices in La Paz

For La Paz, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:


  • Fruit
    $0.72

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in La Paz

For La Paz, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Bolivian Cooking Class: $28
  • Bolivian Cooking Class: $30
  • La Paz Cultural Food Tour : $65
  • La Paz : Best Street Food Tour With A Local Guide: $68
  • Real Street Food Tour La Paz: $100

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Beijing $24
    La Paz $16
Typical Entertainment Prices in Beijing

Here are a few typical costs in Beijing for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:


  • Entry to Summer Palace for Two
    $8.19
  • Two Opera Tickets
    $58
  • Temple of Heaven Park Entrance (for 2)
    $9.55
  • Forbidden City (for 2)
    $16
  • Forbidden City Tickets
    $16
  • Audio Guides at Forbidden City
    $11

Tours and Activities in Beijing

Here are a few actual costs in Beijing for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • 2-Day Small-Group Tour of Beijing Highlights, No Shopping: $179
  • All Inclusive Mutianyu Great Wall & Summer Palace Private Tour: $188
  • All Inclusive Private Tour: Juyongguan Greatwall, Sacred Road, MingTombs : $180
  • Beijing 2 Summer Palace Private Garden Tour: $140
  • Beijing Art Tour: Seeing Fantastic Ming Murals at Fa Hai Temple : $220
  • Beijing Layover Tour: Mutianyu Great Wall with English Driver : $121
  • Beijing Private Tour of Ming Tombs, Summer Palace, Bird's Nest and Water Cube: $297
  • Full Day Private Tour Incredible Beijing City Highlights: $179
  • Lama temple -Confucius temple - DongYue temple Private Cultural Tour: $156
  • Mutianyu Great Wall And Ming Tomb Private One Day Tour: $205
  • Mutianyu Great Wall Entrance Ticket Booking: $16
  • Mutianyu Great Wall and Ming Tomb Private Tour: $190

Tours and Activities in La Paz

For La Paz, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • Walking tour of the city of La Paz: $2.50
  • Walking city tour La Paz: $2.50
  • La Paz Half-Day Walking Tour: $3.00
  • La Paz City Walking Tour Including Historical Streets: $5.00
  • Be a Local - La Paz Walking Tour: $8.00
  • City Walking Tour in La Paz: $8.00
  • Be a Local Walking Tour: $8.00
  • City Tour plus Cable Car La Paz: $10
  • La Paz Walking City tour plus Cable cars: $10
  • La Paz and El Alto: Cable Car Rides and Walking Tour: $10
  • Titicaca Lake - Bus Ticket - From La Paz City - Ow: $12
  • Street Food Walking Tour: $19

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Beijing $11
    La Paz $11

Sample the Local Flavors in Beijing

Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Beijing:

  • Beijing Brewery Bike Tour: $99
  • Evening Food Private Tour with Brewery Taproom Hopping at Slow Boat in Beijing: $110
  • Private Tour-Drum Tower, Hutong Food Taste and Local Brewery Beer: $150
  • 5-Hour Private Changyu Chateau Wine Tasting Tour from Beijing: $178
  • Private Changyu Chateau Wine Tasting Tour and Mutianyu Great Wall Visit: $238

Sample the Local Flavors in La Paz

Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in La Paz:

  • Cultural Pub Crawl La Paz Nightlife Tour : $50


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Beijing and La Paz, we can see that Beijing is more expensive. And not only is La Paz much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Beijing is in Asia and La Paz is in South America, 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 La Paz would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in La Paz 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 Beijing would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Beijing than you might in La Paz.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Beijing Expensive? and Is La Paz Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Beijing or La Paz?

Beijing has a larger population, and is about 9 times larger than the population of La Paz. When comparing the sizes of Beijing and La Paz, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.