| Cost of living in China | |
|---|---|
| Oct 23, 2006 15:04 |   |
 | I am thinking of spending a few months in China. It would be my first time. Would like to ask, can someone live comfortably in China, say in a smaller city like Guilin or Shenzhen, on a modest budget of RMB4,000 a month? |
| Oct 23, 2006 17:17 | #1 |
| Shenzhen is a huge city and probably one of the top 10 as an expensive place to live. Guilin is much smaller, has a counttryside feel, but is full of tourist hence prices are a bit higher than normal. Lijiang in Yunnan province is smaller, less expensive (4000 will let you live well) and has a good climate.  |
| Oct 23, 2006 18:58 | #2 |
| Do you plan to live as a backpacking traveler? Or as a resident - cooking your own meals and living in an apartment? My guess is that 4000 RMB is a pretty thin wallet. You could easily outspend that amount of money. I'd suggest you double or even triple the amount for budgeting purposes. You do not have to spend it all. I return to China next year traveling on the cheap. I am budgeting much more for 4-6 weeks, but my planning includes train travel, taxi service, entrance fees, food, backpacker style accomodations and miscellaneous expenses. Remember to tell your bank and credit card companies that you are traveling in China. They locked my credit cards on my trip this summer. |
| Oct 23, 2006 22:32 | #3 |
| Yes, Lijiang is a very good suggestion. I hope to live like a local, eating local food and staying away from tourist joints. My intention is to take photos of the landscape and document the local way of life. Perhaps some Lijiang locals can give me some tips? |
| Oct 26, 2006 23:44 | #4 |
| I just read somewhere that the average salary for a teacher in China is around CNY4,000-5,000. Is that correct? |
| Oct 27, 2006 00:54 | #5 |
| It depends on your activities. The most expensive part will be lodging. If that is taken care of you can survive with about RMB4,000.00 per month. Travel by bus or train, stay in one city only. Helps if you can stay with a local family. |
| Oct 28, 2006 06:33 | #6 |
| The teacher's salaryu heard are for the lucky and fortunate English native-speaking teachers only, Wong. There are probably some who are paid much higher than this range - but they won't tell u lah - exactly like those expats u face in your own country. But from what I know, if u are prepared to live more or less like a localman + a certain levelof comfort, that figure is sufficient to pass by quite easily - but again depending on the cities & what comfort/luxury leve u need. I always wanted to try living in China too - mpre like a local. But the only way to findout is to really take the step and try it out there. Wanna join me ?? |
| Oct 28, 2006 08:53 | #7 |
| Btw, if u intend to live in Lijiang, I know that cost of food is low. Accomodation - not sure, tho. What I know is that on 4000 rmb/mth, u should be able to live off comfortably in most of China. A lot of the locals don't earn that much. So u can make an estimate of where this figure stands. |
| Oct 29, 2006 07:44 | #8 |
| I have just completed three months cheap travel in China and worked as a teacher for a year before that. I think you will find your budget insufficient unless you can reduce the accommodation cost. I needed Y60 a night. Entrance fees to the parks etc are also high, allow Y60 for that on average. Transport is cheap but it soon adds up. Food is cheap if you eat in the smaller noodle shops etc, you can eat for Y5... but that is not much fun each day when you are on an exciting trip. If you are staying in one place, try to rent a furnished appartment, you should get one for under Y800 a month plus elec and watewr in all but the big cities. But you might find it hard to get one for just a month. Not only is the accommodation cheaper but you can also cook for yourself. |
| Dec 14, 2006 05:56 | #9 |
| Sorry I haven't been monitoring this thread. I need to rephrase my question. Can someone live LIKE A LOCAL on a modest RMB4,000 a month budget? By living like a local, I mean to do homestay or rent a room from a local family, avoid bars & karaokes, eat & travel like the locals etc. My sole purpose is to immerse myself in the local culture, improve my Mandarin and possibly to take some great photos. I grow up in the city so I would prefer rural & historical towns with character. |
| Dec 14, 2006 05:59 | #10 |
| pinetree, when do u plan to visit? I am thinking of spending a week every month to explore different parts of China. Beginning late Jan 07. |
Page 1 of 4 < Previous Next > Page:
Post a Reply to: Cost of living in China
Copyright © 1998-2024 All rights reserved.