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Boutique Starbucks in downtown Bangkok (my personal favorite during recent holiday trip)

How far is it to your nearest Starbucks?  What do you typically pay for your favorite drink at Starbucks?

Here’s a breakdown on my Starbucks stats:

The Journey:

  • 15 minutes – Walk from apartment to bus
  • 15 minutes – Wait for bus
  • 30-40 minutes – Bus ride to train station
  • 60 minutes – Wait for train
  • 5 hours – Train ride from Dali (Xiaguan) to Kunming
    • There is an 8-9 hour “night train” option, but we’ll ignore that choice for now!
  • 15 minutes – Wait for Taxi
  • 15-30 minutes – Taxi to my nearest Starbucks

So, total time to Starbucks: 7.5 hours!

But, to avoid an overnight hotel bill, I should probably return home, so that puts the round trip at 15 hours…minimum!

The Cost:

  • 1.8 RMB (or CYN) – Bus to Train Station
  • 198 RMB – “Soft Sleeper” Train from Dali to Kunming
  • 26 RMB – Taxi from Train Station to Starbucks

Since I still need to return home after visiting Starbucks, total cost: 452 RMB ($74 USD).

Including a Tall Americano, my cost is just over $75 USD for a single cup of coffee.

Does that sound a bit different than your normal experience?  Welcome to life in remote SW China.

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My nearest Starbucks – Kunming, Yunnan Province

Now that you know why it could easily be 5 months before my next Starbucks Americano, I hope you will enjoy your next trip to Starbucks just a little bit more!

Copyright © Kevin Beaty, YUNEV and “Feet on the Ground…”, 2015.  All rights reserved.

 

One Thought to “By the Numbers:”

  1. Mary Sue Beaty

    The beauty is almost worth the price, but I’m not a Starbuck coffee addict.

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