The one-line answer
For any trip under about 6 km inside a Chinese city, take the metro: it costs ¥3–7, it does not care about traffic, and the departure time is written on the platform screen. Take a DiDi (滴滴, the ride-hailing app) when you have luggage, when it is raining, when you are three or more people, or after the last train — which in most cities is somewhere between 22:30 and 23:30. That is the whole decision. Everything below is the detail that makes it feel obvious.
What the two options actually cost
These are the numbers from my own trips in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu over the past year, not averages from a survey. Fares vary slightly by city, but the shape holds: the metro gets cheaper per kilometre the further you go, while ride-hailing scales almost linearly with distance and then jumps when traffic hits.
| Situation | Metro | DiDi | Better |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 km, midday, no traffic | ¥3–5, 20–25 min door-to-door | ¥13–18, 15–30 min | Metro, unless you are 3 people |
| 5 km, Friday 18:30 | ¥3–5, still 20–25 min | ¥18–26, 40–55 min | Metro, by a mile |
| 15 km, cross-city | ¥6–8, 45–55 min | ¥45–60, 30–50 min | DiDi if you are rushing |
| After 23:00 | Closed on most lines | ¥20–70, always available | DiDi, no contest |
| Two suitcases | Stairs, security check, crowded transfer | Boot opens, 5 min of waiting | DiDi |
| First day, no Chinese | Line map, transfer signs, exit letters | Type the pickup point once | DiDi |
The pattern worth memorising: the metro's price is flat and its time is predictable; a DiDi's price and time both move with traffic. If you can tolerate a fixed 25 minutes, take the metro. If variance would ruin your day — a flight, a train, a dinner reservation — pay for the car.
Where the metro wins, and by how much
The concrete case I remember best: Guomao (国贸) to Sanlitun (三里屯) in Beijing, leaving at 18:20 on a weekday. Metro: Line 1 to Line 10, ¥4, and I was standing on the Sanlitun street in 24 minutes. My friend took a DiDi on the same trip, in the same minute: ¥32 and 41 minutes, because the whole of Dongzhimen was a car park. That is an 8× price difference for a journey the metro did faster.
Metro also wins on the things tourists do most: Wangfujing, the Bund, Tianfu Square, West Lake — every one of them sits on a line, and the station signs are in English and pinyin. Chinese metro networks are also astonishingly clean and safe, and trains come every 2–4 minutes at peak. If you are travelling alone with a small backpack and no deadline, this is the default answer, and you should stop overthinking it.
Where a DiDi wins
Four situations, and they are not close calls:
- Luggage. A 24-inch suitcase on Line 10 at 08:30 is a selfish act. The stairs alone cost you 5 minutes and three apologies.
- Three or more people. A ¥48 ride split four ways is ¥12 per head — often only ¥5 more than the metro, for door-to-door and one conversation instead of one navigation argument.
- Late night. Beijing and Shanghai run a few night lines, Chengdu fewer. After the last train, the only question is which app has a car near you.
- Rain and summer heat. July in Chongqing is 38°C with humidity. Paying ¥20 to not walk 900 metres from the station is the best money you will spend that day.
The two costs nobody counts
First, the metro is not door-to-door. Getting from the street to the platform takes 4–6 minutes in a big interchange like Shanghai People's Square, and the walk from the exit to your actual destination is often another 8–10 minutes. A 25-minute metro ride is realistically a 35-minute journey. Second, a DiDi needs a pickup point you can describe. Chinese city blocks are large, one road name can cover 500 metres, and drivers will call you within 20 seconds. If you cannot say which gate of which mall, the 5 minutes you saved becomes 10 minutes of phone tennis. My fix: drop the pin on the gate you are standing at, not on the building.
How to pay for each
Metro: open Alipay, search 出行 (transport), and use the QR ride code — it works in most major networks now, no ticket needed. WeChat has the same thing. Single-journey tokens from the machine are fine too, and the machines have an English button. DiDi: the app has an English interface, accepts foreign cards, and shows the fare estimate before you confirm. Both are covered in more detail in my paying-in-China FAQ.
Choose the metro when…
You are one or two people, carrying less than a backpack each, going under 10 km, before 22:00, and your schedule can absorb 10 minutes of walking at each end. A day of sightseeing in any Chinese city is basically built for this: two or three metro hops and one long walk.
Choose a DiDi when…
You have suitcases, you are three or four people, it is after the last train, it is raining or above 35°C, or you are going somewhere the metro does not reach — which is a real thing, because Chinese cities sprawl far past their last station. Airport runs are the classic case: the Shanghai Maglev is a fun 8-minute ride but only covers part of the distance, and with luggage most people end up in a car anyway.
My own rule after two years: metro by default, DiDi when the trip has luggage, a deadline, or three people in it. The exception that proves the rule is 18:00 on a Friday — that is when the metro stops being a choice and starts being a blessing.
Frequently asked questions
In China, metro or DiDi, which is cheaper?
For any trip under about 6 km inside a city, take the metro: it costs 3-7 yuan, it does not care about traffic, and the departure time is written on the platform.
When should I take a DiDi instead?
When you have suitcases, you are three or four people, it is after the last train, it is raining or above 35 degrees, or you are going somewhere the metro does not reach.
How much does a typical metro ride cost?
A concrete case: Guomao to Sanlitun in Beijing, leaving at 18:20 on a weekday, Line 1 to Line 10, about 4 yuan.
How do I pay for the metro?
Open Alipay, search chuxing, and use the QR ride code, or the same in WeChat; it works in most major networks, no ticket needed.
Is the metro door to door?
No, that is the cost nobody counts: from the street to the platform takes 4-6 minutes at a big interchange such as Shanghai People's Square, and DiDi drops you at the door.