Which place is cheaper, Tokyo or Chengdu?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Chengdu or Tokyo?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Chengdu and Tokyo. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.
Where Should I go: Chengdu or Tokyo?
Chengdu
Chengdu is in China's Sichuan Provence and is in what is known as the Red Basin. It is a particularly fertile region in China that is known for its agriculture. For this reason it is sometimes referred to as the "Land of Milk and Honey". The Funan River cuts through the city but has almost no boat traffic anymore. The city itself has a wonderful relaxed vibe compared to the rest of China and is filled with green parks and places to relax. It is considered one of the most livable cities in China.
Tokyo
Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is by far the most populous city in the world with a staggering 37 million people. As a worldwide hub for technology and business, it hosts millions of visitors annually. But Tokyo is not just a place for business trips. With its incredible mixture of historical temples and shrines, remarkably beautiful parks, endless shopping malls, and genuinely wonderful people, Tokyo is a terrific place to visit and to explore.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Cultural Tours in China, The Best Luxury Tours to China, The Best 2-Week Tours from Tokyo, and The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Japan.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayChengdu $51Tokyo $169
The average daily cost (per person) in Chengdu is $51, while the average daily cost in Tokyo is $169. 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 Chengdu and Tokyo in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personChengdu $21Tokyo $82
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomChengdu $42Tokyo $164
Compare Hotels in Chengdu and Tokyo
Looking for a hotel in Chengdu or Tokyo? 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.
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: Tokyo Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Chengdu $6.05Tokyo $19
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Chengdu
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Chengdu:
- Downtown to Leshan or Mount Emei round way transfer for 2-day service: $251
- 1-Day Chengdu Layover Tour: Panda Base, city central with Round Airport Transfer: $240
- Chengdu Airport to Hotel: Private Transfer for up to 40 pax: $230
- Private Transfer from Chengdu to Mount Emei and Stops at Leshan Giant Buddha: $160
- Private Transfer from Chengdu to Sanxingdui Museum: $150
- Private Transfer from Chengdu Downtown to Airport: $140
- Chengdu Tianfu Airport Private Transfer: $119
- Round-Trip Private Transfer between Emei Shan and Chengdu City: $113
- Private Transfer to Leshan Giant Buddha: $98
- Chengdu Private Transfer from Chengdu central to Chengdu Airport (CTU): $83
- Chengdu panda ticket with one way private transfer: $70
- Dujiangyan panda base tour opt Chengdu base transfer with ticket: $70
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Tokyo
Also for Tokyo, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Private Transfer from Tokyo to Narita Airport: $244
- 1 Day Ticket to Tokyo Disneyland with Private Transfer: $145
- Airport Transfer between Narita and Tokyo or Disney or Yokohama: $239
- Airport Transfer: Haneda Airport and Tokyo 23 wards: $141
- Airport transfer between Haneda and Tokyo or Disney or Yokohama: $135
- Arrival Private Transfer: Haneda Airport HND to Tokyo in Sedan: $288
- DECKS Tokyo Beach & Odaiba 1 Way Door to Door Shared Transfer: $58
- Departure Private Transfer: Tokyo to Haneda Airport HND in Sedan: $288
- Departure Transfer from Tokyo City to Haneda Airport HND by van: $75
- Doraemon Future Department Store: 1-Way DoortoDoor Transfer: $24
- From Nikko Private Sightseeing Tour with Transfers: $474
- Gundam Base & Odaiba Divercity 1 Way Door to Door Shared Transfer: $57
Is it cheaper to fly into Chengdu or Tokyo?
Prices for flights to both Tokyo and Chengdu 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
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Food Meals for one dayChengdu $22Tokyo $40
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Chengdu
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Chengdu.
- Half day Chengdu Dumpling making Cooking Class: Make from Scratch: $62
- Discovery more Chengdu evening food tour with locals : $65
- Tuktuk Food Tour Through Chengdu's Local Eats: $69
- Half-Day Professional Mapo Tofu Cooking Class with Local Spice Market Visit: $69
- Half-Day Chengdu Cooking Class with Local Market Visit: $75
- Half-Day Chengdu Farm Cooking Class & Spice Market Exploration: $75
- Chengdu Evening Food Tour: $76
- Tuk Tuk Food Tour with Unlimited Beer and Soda: $79
- Half-Day Chinese Bun Cooking Class with Local Spice Market Visit: $80
- Half-Day Private Sichuan Hot-Pot Cooking Class with Local Spice Market Visit: $80
- Spicy Local Food Tour through Chengdu: $80
- Cooking Class with Fresh Market Half Day Experience: $81
Typical Food Prices in Tokyo
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Tokyo:
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Late Night Noodles$5.62
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Conveyor Belt Sushi Snack$5.62
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Meal at Airport$7.33
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Tokyo
For Tokyo, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Easy Ramen Cooking Experience in Kabukicho, Shinjuku: $28
- Small Group Food Tour in Tsukiji Market: $40
- Private Sushi Roll Cooking Class in Japan: $42
- Shibuya Walking, Cultural, and Food Tour: $42
- Ueno Private Walking Tour and Night Food Tour: $43
- [Shibuya][Shibuya] Japanese Food Tour by Popular YouTube CH: $49
- 【Special Offer】No1 Cooking Class in Japan! Sushi Making Tokyo!: $52
- Sushi Making near Tokyo Tower - Cooking Class - Photo Shoots: $57
- Japanese Traditional Cooking Class: $64
- 【NEW!】Cooking Class in ASAKUSA! Making Sushi!: $65
- Japanese Home Cooking Class near Tokyo Disneyland: $66
- Wagyu and 7 Japanese Dishes Cooking Class: $66
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Chengdu $16Tokyo $74
Tours and Activities in Chengdu
Here are a few actual costs in Chengdu for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Chengdu Private Day Tour to the Leshan Giant Buddha and Huanglongxi Old Town: $248
- Chinese Traditional Massage Experience In Chengdu: $90
- Private Chengdu Panda Base and Sichuan Cuisine Museum Day Tour: $120
- Private Chengdu day Tour of panda base with Leshan giant Buddha: $298
- Private Full Day Chengdu Panda Base and Jinsha Site Museum Tour: $136
- Private Leshan Buddha Day Tour with Local Market visiting: $160
- 1 day Chengdu City Highlights Mini Group tour: $102
- 1-Day Chengdu Ancient History and Culture City Tour: $179
- 1-Day Chengdu Cultural Discovery:Jinsha,Shu Brocade Museum & Dufu Cottage Tour : $189
- 1-Day Chengdu Leshan Giant Buddha Private Tour With the Lunch and Boat tour: $242
- 1-Day Chengdu Panda Base and Leshan Giant Buddha Private Tour with the Lunch: $246
- 1-Day Chengdu Panda Research Base and Sanxingdui Archeological Museum Tour : $256
Tours and Activities in Tokyo
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Tokyo.
- Tokyo Imaginary Experience: $3.33
- 24-hour, 48-hour, or 72-hour Subway Ticket: $5.62
- Audio-Guide Tour Akihabara's Otaku Culture and TechBazaar: $7.07
- Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Admission Ticket + Special Exhibition (when being held): $8.63
- Tokyo Self-Guided Audio Tour: $9.00
- Private Audio Guided Walking Tour in Tokyo: $9.03
- Tokyo Subway Ticket: $9.24
- Water Bus Ticket Odaiba ↔ Asakusa: $12
- Kadokawa Culture Museum Standard Ticket: $13
- Tokyo City View (Indoor Observation Deck) Admission Ticket: $13
- Rickshaw Experience and Asakusa Highlights Walking: $14
- Roppongi Hills Observatory Ticket: $14
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayChengdu $4.01Tokyo $35
Typical Alcohol Prices in Tokyo
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Tokyo:
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Sake$4.22
Sample the Local Flavors in Tokyo
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Tokyo:
- Afilia Wine Tasting: Japanese Wines with Maid Witches!: $17
- Tokyo Pub Crawl: $26
- Low-cost local pub & bar crawling: $32
- 2.5 Hours Pub Crawl Welcome Guided Tour in Shibuya: $56
- Shibuya: Local Bar and Pub Crawl: $90
- Private Shinjuku Nightlife Walking Tour & Golden-Gai Bar Crawl: $104
- Tokyo's Oldest Sake Brewery and Summer Retreat in Nature Tour: $115
- Shibuya Local Bar and Pub Crawl: $126
- 【Harajuku】Night Pub Crawl with Local Japanese: $130
- Sake Brewery and Spiritual Nature Tour in Okutama Tokyo: $147
- Private Local Craft Brewery Tour in Tokyo: $150
- Cultural Sake Brewery Private Tour & Unlimited Tasting Near Tokyo: $174
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Chengdu and Tokyo, we can see that Tokyo is more expensive. And not only is Chengdu much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Chengdu would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Chengdu 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 Tokyo would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Tokyo than you might in Chengdu.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Chengdu Expensive? and Is Tokyo Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Chengdu or Tokyo?
Tokyo has a larger population, and is about 2 times larger than the population of Chengdu. When comparing the sizes of Chengdu and Tokyo, 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.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.