Cost of living in China

We often get asked the question – Is the salary offered enough to live on? In fact, the salary is more than enough to live on and you’ll find that you start to save money too. teachers typically save between 30-50% of their monthly salary.

Whilst teaching in China won’t make you rich, it will provide you with a much better standard of living that you are used to back home. Your salary will be between 4-8 times the local average.

Back home you have to pay for your apartment, pay taxes, worry about insurance and bills. In China your apartment is paid for, the schools take care of your tax. Health insurance is provided and your salary is all yours to spend on anything you please.

Groceries, transport and leisure are all far more expensive in your home country than that in China ensuring you can save money whilst having the time of your life.

Below you can find the average cost of goods in China however if you want to check out how others are rating the cost of living in China feel free to check out www.numbeo.com. There you'll be able to see what other expats are saying about the cost of living in specific Chinese cities.

Food prices

Although food prices vary throughout China, prices are considerably lower than in western countries. Teachers have countless options when deciding what to eat. Chinese cuisine can consist of dishes that you are familar with back home or you can induldge in local dishes with hundreds of different dishes to choose from. Due to the salaries the schools offer, teachers can literally afford to eat out for every meal should they want too, although by shopping in supermarkets you'll save alot more.

Entertainment costs

As Chinas economy expands so do the various type of entertainment. Chinese gyms and cinemas are becoming increasingly modern and many are now pretty much the same as those back home. Except the prices! : )

Travel costs

Travelling in China is very convenient, especially these days as it's home to the largest and fastest train network in the world. Travel fares both locally and nationwide are often much cheaper than that in your home country. Teachers usually spend their holidays travelling to other parts of China as they know they can do it inexpensively and quickly.

Saving money

With increasing costs and bills its becoming harder to save more money in the west, whilst we try to save what we can we may find that it's only a small percentage of our salaries. Teaching in China can allow teachers to save a lot more. It's not unheard of for teachers to save more than 50% of their salary.

Teachers typically spend around 3,000 RMB on monthly living costs in China for things such as food & utilities and thats with enjoying a comfortable live and eating out regularly, that means the rest can be banked and saved for a rainy day. It's easily possible to save around 4,000 RMB ($650) each month.

Varying living costs

The cost of living in China varies somewhat depending on which area you are based in. Most teaching jobs in China are located in major cities of at least 3 million people. Generally cost of living in China is similar throughout these first and second tier cities however cities in the west of China are slightly cheaper than in the east. Some teaching positions are available in smaller towns where the living costs will be 20-30% lower. For teaching jobs in Shanghai and Beijing the cost of living is about 10-20% higher than other cities. Apartment rents can be 1,000-2,000 RMB (160-315USD) more per month than other cities.

Sending money home

It is relatively easy to send money from China back to your home country through either a bank transfer or using a money transfer company such as Western Union. This involves a trip to the bank with your passport and residence permit. Expect to pay a transfer fee of around 100 RMB per transaction (15USD)

.With a cost of living in China much lower than that of the west coupled with generous salaries and other benefits including a flight allowance and free accommodation, teaching English in China allows for a very comfortable lifestyle and the chance to build up some good savings.