Originally Posted by heathius

If you want to buy your own suit fabric, the cheapest place is the fabric market in Tianjin. If you have a free day, you can take the train there (takes a little over an hour). If you can't leave Beijing, I recommend Yue Xiu market on ChaoYangMen street. But, be prepared to bargain heavily if you go there. Yue Xiu won't be as cheap as Tianjin, but the price is still reasonable after bargaining and the fabric is good (but I don't recommend the tailoring service at Yue Xiu). I would avoid getting your fabric at the market in WangFuJing. This place is loaded with tourists, the prices are horrific, and the tailoring quality is questionable.

The price will vary depending on how much you spend on fabric. An average man takes about 4 meters of fabric to make a suit (safely). For nice 180 thread count Australian wool, the fabric should cost about 65 yuan (US$8) per meter in Tianjin, or about 85 yuan (US$11) per meter at Yue Xiu. Tailoring cost is usually about 400 yuan for a decent tailor. In total, you should pay between 600-800 yuan (US$75-$100) per suit depending on the fabric quality and how good you are at bargaining.

The tailors can make any suit you want, with any features. They are also very good at copying suits from pictures, so if you have a picture of the suit you want, bring it with you. They can also arrange to have the suits delivered to your hotel.