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‘China made me realise India is expensive,’ says tourist after ₹600 BMW ride
An Indian travel vlogger asserts that China is more affordable than India, citing lower costs for hotels, transportation, and food.
A travel blogging-couple has compared India and China in terms of affordability, sparking a heated discussion in the process. Swati and Prateek quit their jobs last year to travel the world. After exploring India in 2025, the couple is now spending their savings on international travel in 2026, with China being their starting point.
In their latest Instagram post, Swati compared prices in China and India. She said that while China is generally considered to be an expensive country, that is not what she experienced.
“Every myth broke”
In her clip, the Indian travel vlogger listed three ways that “China made her realise India is expensive”.
The first was the cost of hotels. According to Swati, she and Prateek paid just ₹1,800 for a luxury hotel room — which is significantly lower than what one would pay in most Indian luxury hotels. Next, a 30-minute BMW ride cost them just ₹600.
(Also read: Founder compares walking in India with 15,000 steps in Bali: ‘Stepping out feels like assault on senses’)
Last was the cost of food in China. Swati revealed that a plate of authentic Chinese noodles can be bought for just ₹170, although she did not specify whether the food was bought at a street stall or a restaurant.
“‘China is expensive’ - heard this a hundred times before booking the ticket. Every myth broke the moment we landed,” the Indian travel vlogger said in her Instagram post.
After listing the ways in which China is more affordable than India, she added: “China isn’t expensive. China is embarrassingly affordable.”
What Instagram users had to say
Indian viewers offered their own take on the video comparing India and China.
One person said that India is “a third world economy with first world prices.” (A;sp read: Indian woman calls ₹3500 Singapore gym session worth ‘every penny’: ‘No stares, no unsolicited advice’)
“Because China’s economy is run down model. Companies are fighting with each other on prize basis to provide the best services at prices lower than the competition. It keeps the prices down and is subsidised by investor's money. That is not the case with India,” another opined.
“India is expensive due to taxation and unregulated product pricing!” read one comment under the video. “Even Thailand has better taxis than India. The uber cabs in India are least maintained and reek of weed and gutkha masala. The interiors of these cabs look like they were hardly cleaned in the past 2 years,” another said.
