You will be Surprised How Little it Costs to Live in China! 

Lived in Shenzhen for 5 years. Paid my UK mortgage off and planning on buying another outright very soon. In addition, China is unbelievably safe and relentlessly diverse in terms of travel.

I went home to NZ after a 6 years being away and was horrified at how expensive everything was, it was outrageous, I went out for dinner on my own and the bill nearly floored me, the cost would have fed my wife and I for over a week here in China, living in China, we don't know how lucky we are

When I went to the beautiful city of Shenzhen just before the pandemic, all public transits were free for anyone over 60 including foreigner like myself holding Canadian passport. The underground subway system was clean, safe and efficient. Wish I could retire there.

Thank you for sharing your insight of China. I spent 1 week in Shanghai with work and was taken to The Oriental Pearl Tower for dinner, what a buzz. I was completely blown away by the energy and pace of China. Retired now and will be back for more. 😊

I visited China twice and I agree with you! Life is great in China🇨🇳 👍

I lived in China for a year back in 2013 and I’m currently back here on holiday. I totally agree that living here provides a far better quality of life than the UK. Unfortunately, due to my career in the UK in a very specific industry I’m not able to do my job in China otherwise I’d move here permanently. It’s a fantastic country with incredibly friendly people and a fascinating culture. I’d also argue that the Chinese government despite its flaws does a better job for the country than any British political party.

You absolutely nailed it; council tax, what a daylight robbery. After deducting 20% off my salary and a sizable amount for national insurance, You go home and the council takes another 10% from your salary again.

I am a British international student who has just graduated and returned to Beijing. When I go out for a meal, I don't even consider the price. In UK, it takes more than 15 pounds to eat anything alone, but in China, 15 pounds can lead to three meals

£500 = $620 rent in Shenzhen Similar apartment in San Francisco rent should be about $4,500. The funny thing is that your rent paid in Shenzhen adds $7,500 a year in China GDP but that in San Francisco is counted as $52,000 added to US GDP. Also if you step out of your apartment in San Francisco, you see dozens homeless, trash piles, urine smell, faeces. Shoplifting in neighborhood shops, car jacking ect.. ect..

Great comparisons! Everything is so expensive in Australia - food, petrol, rent, housing.. It's out of control

Here in Hong Kong, many people go to Shenzhen during weekends to eat, buy things, have fun, because of its good qualities, varieties, and affordable prices.

We are going to Guangzhou on Monday for the first time in 4 years it will be interesting how things have changed. He in Aus we would not eat out much so looking forward to trying many new places and we hope to get the hi-speed trains to as many places as possible 😊

Living in the US costs so much because labor cost expensive, and add tips, tax, etc. Based on survey, that to live in China is about 25-50% cheaper in the US. I think it is under estimated. My son is in Colorado State Medical school, it costs about $50K US/year. In China is about $8K/year. No wonder our health insurance is so high. 1/2 of the Americans don't have $500 saving in bank. Living in the US is high cost, but low quality.

When it come to food, there is nothing comparable to China~😂

A lot of things in China are offered as public service (HSR, public transport, healthcare, education) instead of for-profit businesses. Which I'd argue are important aspects of human rights. One's freedom of movement, health and mental development shouldn't be commodities that are up for grab.

Lee should live a much happier life in China than in England in view of the food and living costs.

It’s also very safe in China . I feel so safe as a senior tourist walking by myself around 6 pm in Hangzhou, survey camera everywhere ( it’s like surrounded by police ) I feel very safe , whereas I would not walk around at night in any US cities .

I agree with you. I live in the uk and winter is coming. Many pensioners are in fear of switching on the central heating. The food people are buying are unheathy but its cheaper.

Great video! Would love the idea of living in China for awhile.

Live in the US Bay Area. Price is ridiculous. Politicians are totally not up to par. Crime, cost of living...noone dares to walk outside at night in Oakland or San Francisco.

A good and informative video. Thank you for posting. You could have also compared income tax between the UK and China....this would be interesting.

Your background looks better than before 😊😊

I lived in the US for thirty plus years, I visited china almost every year except the COVID-19 years, this year when I visited china, What shocked me the most is that the total inflation is only about 20-30 from 2019-2023, a stark contrast to the more than double of basic living cost in USA.

$589 USD/month to rent a 140 meters^2 or 1506 ft^2. That is great. I live in the USA, and my property tax and home owners insurance fee is about $845 USD/month. This isn't including the mortgage, with a mortgage it would come out to $4940/month if you add property tax and insurance. I was thinking about moving to China, it costs so much to live in the USA.

Thanks for that interesting video, with comparisons. We have a friend who works for a delivery company in Beijing Head Office and earns about £70k in UK money. Today, my wife and 2 of her friends went to an excellent restaurant in Shandong area and paid 300 yuan for 6 great dishes, including Beijing Duck, plus drinks. However, back home in Gloucestershire, there's an excellent Thai restaurant we go to, which has kept their prices fairly stable and usually charge about £20 for the 2 of us. But our electricity bill for a 1 bed flat in Uk, costs us about £130 a month, whereas my wife's mum's 4 bed flat in Shandong is about £30 a month.

I live in the centre so I pay about the same as you for rent for a one bedroom apartment. The rest of the outgoings are as you say, much cheaper. At home in the uk dairy foods are cheaper than here, but the supermarkets do that to get you into the shops. Nice and detailed video. 👍

When I was in Hong Kong at the beginning of 2020 I went with a group of friends to Zhuhai to view a few new apartments there. I was amazed to find that a newly built, fully furnished 3-bedroom apartment with all the mod cons in a complex with landscape garden for under ¥2 million (£200,000)!

Lived I Beijing for a few years and if you live with the locals it's cheap as chips!! And safe as houses 😍

No tipping required at restaurants in China. Here in Canada they want at least 15% of the total bill.

On my journey learning Chinese, I went to the mainland last month for 30 days, and going back next week for another (the max my visa allowed)... I couldn't have believed how cheap things are, and how nice it is. I'm in Taiwan now, and love it here too. Life compared to UK is completely different. Totally safe, totally reasonable prices... friendly, no druggies everywhere like UK. I love it here!

I think in the west public has been mislead by private owned is better than state owned. State owned will benefit public greatly than private owned.

Eating and dinning out are much cheaper in China. We should say the inflation problems are more serious in Canada here😢

I saw a comparison of IT salaries between China and Japan that showed that averages in China now exceed those in Japan.

I think affordability is an important part of freedom and "human right". Affordability in the UK, Canada, the US, Germany is way behind that in Shenzen adjacent to Hong Kong.

In China Electricity is 0.5 Yuan (0.069 USD)/kWh. Water is 2 Yuan (0.29 USD)/ton. Gas by pipeline is 3 Yuan (0.42 USD)/m³. The prices are already after tax. A regular family spends 300-500 yuan (42-70 USD)/month on this. It depends on your AC.

Great video Barrett, love this kind of content, very interesting.Thanks for sharing.

From London Heathrow to central London is not very far but the black cab fare cost me nearly £100 and that was about 10years ago.

Contemplating China's high-speed train systems, which the Chinese government heavily subsidizes for the public's benefit, millions of people can travel within 24 hours to engage in a popular activity known as 'eating all Chinese dishes in a day.'

I like the Government owning of essential services in China.

Love your video as always 加油!

I was in China four months ago, I can't tell you how surprised I was about almost everything. Hospitality, food and lots and lots. I didn't have to pay for hotels since friends would pay for it. When it comes to food, you will lose count of the variety and taste. I felt as if I've come to Mars. We never paid more than £20 for any hotel.

Thanks for revealing the true value of economic wealth of a country. 👍👍😊.

Absolutely agree. Same with US. That's why I'm seriously considering going back to China after I retire.

Local councils are cashing in Russia has cheap gas * electricity is 130 RMB / month ! USA is a ripoff ! Prices chasing wages , wages chasing prices, productivity is extremely low that is pay more for less & Less !

Good breakdown!

WoW 102 pounds for 4 persons was considered cheap to you That's more than RM550 in my country Malaysia Over here you can have at least 6 dishes including fish & meat dishes for 6 persons in a fancy restaurant for less than RM300-Rm400

EU has boycotted Russian energy but EU buy Russian energy from a third party LOL 😂. Informative video 👍

Excellent Video Barret. All you said is true. Very well done, living in China is a great choice!

In US every things so expensive and low quality food and bad services people just fade up over here.

On the topic of food inflation you would not believe how bad it is on the low end. Pre-pandemic an average mcdonalds meal in australia would cost just over $10, now its hovering at $15. In 3 years inflation has increased as much as 50%. for essentials, its terrifying.

Thank you for your informative video🙏👍🙏

China is getting cheap Russian gas now. So your power bill should be very low.

The cost of living here in Canada is sky high too! Me and my wife are considering retire or partially retire in China, like Gweilo 60.

Great information 👍👍👍👍

Just scrolled through the recommended videos after watching yours. RU-vid recommends that negative serpent instead of anything positive about China. Luckily I have been here long enough to know the truth.

Please share advice on obtaining banking services, paying taxes and finding healthcare insurance for foreigners in China in a future video.

Love your videos sir❤

Here when you eat out, you pay 15% tax + 20% tips, on top of the food prices what had risen about 20 to 40% the last few years

Nice video thanks 👏👏👏👏👏

Hi Barrettt! Thank you for making this video, really helpful. I want to ask you, how is the medical insurance issues in China? can you buy your own insurance or you have to pay out-of-pocket? Second, I want to do import/export in china, what cities do you think is the best for these kind of things? and lastly, do I have to learn Chinese language in order to do business in China? Thank you in advance, really appreciate it.

The most ridiculous cost in UK is the £5 drop of charge in all airports. Just to stop for one minute. Plus £12.50 if your vehicle does not meet the emissions going to Heathrow.

Very informative, thank you

Informative video.

中国的教育成本也很低，我大学一年学费是5000人民币，住宿费好象是1200一年，大学内的食堂都比较便宜。我家庭不好，申请了助学金，每年还可以获得3000元的补助。政府还提供助学贷款，直到你毕业后才开始归还并计算较低利息 有人说收入的问题，我们小区楼下服务员一个月3000元(低薪工作)，工作两个月可以负担大学一年学费，请问美国可以做到吗？

I heard some prices in the West are insane because of the sanctions. Gas in the US here is ~$6 a gallon where I live. It is nearly unlivable

Renting a 3 bedroom house in Ireland cost 2500 to 3000 euro per month 😱😱holy moly..

Because China do not have to import vegetables and fruits that’s why food and restaurant maybe cheaper. Unlike here in California a lot of vegetables are from Mexico or Canada and prices are marked up

eating out is so much cheaper in china. a bowl of beef noodles would cost me 25 usd in america, in a food court! for that money i can go for a all you can eat seafood buffet in shanghai!

Can foreigner buy house in China ? If I leave China , can I sell that property? Hi Barret, would you consider do a video about foreigner buying house or land in China?

CHINA IS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY .

Thank you for this report

Informative video. China seems very affordable. Lower costs of living in China should be advertised more on the internet and in the media to assist in increasing the interest of immigration to China from other parts of the world.

On a slightly unrelated note, Rishi Sunak supports sending British troops to both Ukraine and Kosovo, it seems to me that he's very concerned if the proxy war in Ukraine comes to an end.

I live in Shanghai. My electricity bill is 60rmb per month when AC is 24/7. 20rmb per month when not using AC. 20rmb per month for gas. 4rmb/ton for water. 99rmb for 500m Wi-Fi and 80g/month 5G data and 800minutes/month call that you can share with your family(there’re much cheaper ones you can choose).

Your analysis is really good. All your analysis is like that. Thanks for your effort. It helps us a lot.

I live a 2nd tier city and rent is 2000 cny = $280 a month. 3 bedroom apaetment. In US, it will be at least $3000/mo. It is very healthy damcing in many areas from 7 to 9pm everyday. In the US, i can go inside Safeway for a walk at night. Lunch in US costs about $28 = 200cny. In China, a full lunch costs around 40cny. In US, taxes on everything and tips, and..... In China, I get some breaks .....

Thanks for sharing.

❤❤❤❤ China's cost of living is so low and everything is so cheap that this drags down its nominal GDP. Actually China's economy is much larger than that of the USA. China's PPP GDP (Purchasing Power Parity GDP) is $33 trillion while that of rhe USA is only $27 trillion. The PPP GDP is a much more accurate measure of a country's economy than the norninal GDP because what you can buy locally with a given amount of local currency is far more relevant than what you can get with the same amount of money in a distant foreign country. 😊😊😊😊 For obvious reason none of the Western media ever mention the PPP GDP when talking about China's economy BUT WHAT REALLY ANNOYS ME IS THAT EVEN CHINA'S MEDIAS DO NOT EMPHASIZE THE FACT THAT CHINA'S ECONOMY IS MUCH LARGER THAN THAT OF THE USA IN PURCHASING POWER PARITY TERMS. 😢

Well on that wall behind you I could grow full flavoured strawberries - 10 chips a day all year round - Hydroponics under lights - full setup cost = 5 meals out - All the stuff you need - I get from China ... It takes 30 minutes a day ... so what could you trade for 10 chips a day? Before long you'd have half the block growing produce under lights in their homes and setting up a market at the front doors ...

The purchasing power of Canadian dollars is disgraceful! As someone who does all the grocery shopping from 16-22 in Canada, I can tell you for a fact! The inflation and shrinkflation is ridiculous. A machine made, very underwhelming baozi averages $1.50-$2.00+tax *tips if it’s from a restaurant* That is for ONE baozi. Dumplings and wontons also average around 0.80-1.50 each. Flavor and size is not great, texture sucks. I’ve had better premade bagged grocery dumplings than the ones at the store. I’ve had Chinese mainlanders who never left China telling me how lucky we are to make $3,000 a month (15,000 RMB) But if you look at purchasing power, there is nothing admirable about living in Canada. A studio apartment in the more convenient areas are over $3,000 a month! Even if you share with another person (no bedroom) it’s still not cheap. You’ll have to be lucky enough to find a decent place that is rent controlled, and is available to rent…even then more than half your monthly expenses are for rent and utilities. Groceries are insanely expensive right now, before I could spend $400 a month eating plenty of healthy food. Now a small steak costs me $15-$20, a pineapple from Costco is $6.50, bell peppers are $13 for 6 small bell peppers. I live in TORONTO!!!! Where food shipping costs shouldn’t be that expensive due to denser population. Shoppers is selling a tiny watermelon for $7.99 😢that’s 40 RMB for a watermelon the size of a grapefruit. And its not very tasty. You can’t even afford a McDonald’s combo meal WITH A COUPON on an hourly wage. Because you have to pay income tax. a large bag of chips is over $6 and a Costco size bag of chips is over $12 🙄this also isn’t “normal” inflation, even during the pandemic food prices were not this high. For 2017-halfway through 2022. A pineapple would fluctuate between $1.99-$3.29 depending on the season. Now it’s consistently $4.99-$6, unless there’s a sale ($3 per pineapple) I used to eat avocados semi frequently, 5 large avocados would range from $7-$10 depending on the season. Now I get either tiny bruised avocados (with a huge pit) for $8 or large ones for $10-$14. GDP and average salary is not a good or realistic measurement of people’s lives. Purchasing power is the better indicator

Four Baozhi for two yuan and a bag of soy milk in Wushan Chongqing in 2014. Big spicy and delicious Baozhi for breakfast and then 1 yuan for the bus to the school I taught. Amazing!

Which area of SZ do you live where I can get to city centre (Futian District) in 15 minutes? I was looking at Longhua, but it's more like 40.

Same as Canada. I only know if i retired in Shanghai, I can receive around 10000RMB ($2000CAN). Avg Canada retiree CPP ($CDN800) + Max. Old age security ($700), maybe +100/200 Supplement. So almost same. But cost way higher than China.

In the west, private utilities companies always increasing their prices and shafting people all the time. Politicians suggesting people to wear layers at home and use blankets like in Canada.

I do believe Huawei provides some savings for state-owned telcom in China too!

Thanks for this info Lived in North Thailand lived like a queen for 2years but looking to work n live in Guangzhou next year, want to leave Texas USA livn near poverty here. Thanks it helps😊

Lee, you are living the Chinese dream. I'm jealous.

OK, I have to comment here, I have lived in Shenzhen for 12 years now and the rent you are paying is unusually low, you must be living quite far on the outskirts of Shenzhen so your rent costs do not reflect the average cost of rent in Shenzhen certainly not the centre or original part of Shenshen. An apartment of 149sqm in Nanshan could set you back 15 to 20k and if you had a sea view that would be over 40k. When I moved out of Nanshan the rent was 5k for 2 bedrooms 45sqm one bathroom and a poky little kitchen so small you had to walk out to change you mind. I live out in Shajing north of the airport and 80sqm will set you back 6k to 8k in the new buildings and if you are lucky like me to live in an older building with a really nice landlord I pay just under 3.5k for 50sqm 2 bedrooms house.

compare the rents over there is much cheaper than renting in UK London! my son renting a room for his studies in London Camden is over £2000 per month, which is exclusive gas, electricity and council tax. after he graduated and he will having a huge amount of debts, if he luck could found a job straight away otherwise he will end up without job.. The government should let people retired at age 65, then youngest could have a job.

@9:38 - and i think you are expected to tip in the UK ( ~ 15%).

It’s certainly cheap and there is no doubt about it but it comes at the expense of many people earning a very low wage. In the UK the minimum hourly wage is £11.44 or around £1700 a month after taxes. I would love you to do a video rather than how inexpensive it is but as a percentage of peoples earnings. The two biggest expenses in the UK are definitely rent and council tax, as unlike China which went mental on overbuilding in the UK they didn’t build enough purely to keep house prices high.

I married a Chinese woman early this year. We came back to Australia for. 6 months have now sold my house and in the process of selling everything and returning to China to retire and enjoy life and I’m 56. Could I do this in Australia ? NO WAY IN THE WORLD COULD I.

How much does a cell phone cost in China? I am also interested in the cost of an EV. I was quoted $10,000.00 shipping included for a new EV directly from China that had all the extras.

With regards to Thatcher selling off the Utilities in the UK, that was a crime of Treason. Relate this to the game of Monopoly, you never sell your Utility cards/ properties. I am in the UK at the moment but am a PR of Canada. I have not found one point with regards to your video that I can argue against. I have subscribed.

"Virtue Signalling" is a very expensive activity.

Here in the UK even buying on ETSY and Amazon is beyond belief even buying from artisans in China is one tenth that in the UK and that includes delivery.

May I ask in which district you live? The apartments that we’ve lived in have ranged started at RMB 9,000 f a “3-bedroom” apartment.

I only live with £500.00 per month in the UK, all inclusive. Can I survive in China?

Lee, could you let us know how the medical insurance and expenses are like if a foreigner lives in China? Many thanks!

wages are also a lot lower in china, wow!