Is it true a good monthly salary in China is 200 dollars? Could I live in China a year with 2400 dollars?

Question

I love China, and it has nothing to do with the Olympics! I've been taking Mandarin classes on and off for since 2002.

I want to do something really different. I want to live in China an entire year. I'm waiting for the Olympics to be over, so prices go down again for Americans. I want to soak up the culture, and become completely fluent in that year.

It seems like it's a lot of trouble to get a work VISA. But I don't really want to work there. I don't want to get a student VISA either. I just want to live there for a year, and learn everything I can.

I'm not sure if 200 dollars is really a good monthly salary. If that were true, then I could easily live in China for a year.

Can someone tell me if this number is accurate?

Answer 1

How do you intend to get in the country with no visa? I dunno about immigration over there but...

Answer 2

200 dollars is about an average salary.

You could in theory live of 200 dollars a month but you likely to be sharing a bedroom with someone else. And you would not be able to go out much.

Answer 3

200 seems to be right. Of course there are much lower.

The Aiyis that basically when I lived in a compound in Beijing earned 32 kuai a day...roughly around 4.5 dollars. So multiply that by 30 and they earn around 135 dollars a month.

Answer 4

well , by just staying in China without work permit or student visa is very difficult to stay for a whole year without doing anything if you talking about a average wages of $200 is just a average general worker pay as the standard of living in China is going upthese days( I not sure which province you talking about) , with the amount you you going to spent is hardly to survive for the whole year even you live like them or eat like them.

Now the average salary minimum about $300 a month in China( Shanghai /Beijing / Guangzhou etc) unless you compare to those staying in the rural area which making about $100 or more doing farming but not those working or staying in the cities.  

Answer 5

If you can manage living in remote and rural China, willing to eat, drink, sleep ( heehhe) , live the Chinese way, then USD 200 would probably be OK .

But, if you wanna live in cities like Shanghai/Beijing/Wuhan/Nanjing etc .  minimum of  2000 is required for a decent life style.

Answer 6

First of all, you need a visa to enter China, there is no other way around that. Secondly, 2400 US dollars equals approximately 16,800 RMB (chinese dollars), I mean if you just want to live there and not travel anywhere, and eat and sleep everyday in the same room, yes, it could be enough. It also depends on where you are going to live, cities such as Beijing and Shanghai will be expensive, 16,800 aren't even going to cover half of a year.

On average, yes, the monthly salary in China is about 200 dollars, but since there are so many people in China, and people live on such a vast scale of living standards, you can't assume that having that amount works for everywhere.

If you want to actually enjoy your time in China, you need at least 80,000, which is about 10,000 USD to stay in China for the entire year.  

Answer 7

If you live in Chinese life style, then $200 will do except in Beijing, Shanghai, know more about in http://www.bayareavisit.com/Special.html

Answer 8

Only if you plan on living in small isolated villages. I was in Hong Kong in April and even though it is cheaper there, everything was still expensive and it is still a communist nation and do still tax the people...

Answer 9

China uses RMB, the Yen is Japanese currency.

NO you cannot live on $200 US/Cdn a month in China.

You cannot go to China without a Visa and an invitation from someone in China, who's name you put on the Visa application.

This is a brand new requirement as of this year. For instance I am "invited" by my employer in China.

$200 a month is a very low salary.  Most people who work for that work in hotels and room and board is included. And even then they usually make more than that.

An apartment in a village within 30 mins of a city, by train, will cost you about $50 US/Cdn a month, then there is heat, hot water, electricity, telephone, food, water, cooking utensils, towels, bedding, etc  and transportation costs on top of that.  

You will have to outfit an apartment with cooking utensils, bedding etc. For $50 a month you have to buy your own water heater and appliances

And that would be in fishing village 30 minutes by fast train outside of a suburb of a city like Dalian. Its also VERY cold in the winter and you have to pay for heating. You may not even find it on a map.

For about $150 Cdn a month you can get an apartment in the same area that already has a hot water tank, and appliances but again you will have to buy all the other stuff.

As for your diet over there, you cannot live on a bowl of rice or noodles a day. You are NOT Chinese.  You cannot eat all the same food the Chinese do, a lot of it would make you VERY sick. I have seen foreigners who have tried this and they have been as sick as dogs.

Our digestive systems and requirements are different.  

You will probably spend at least 1000 RMB a month on food. At least.  Thats about $111.00 US/Cdn because you will get sick if you dont eat properly and take vitamins.

You CANNOT drink the water, you cant brush your teeth in it and if you are smart you wont open your mouth while showering - so you have to buy water for drinking, brushing your teeth AND cooking

In Nanjing we they wanted $500 US/Cdn a month for a 5th floor walkup in a real dive.  We were lucky to find a better place in the burbs for the same price.

If you plan on heading to China and live there for a year and somehow manage to get a Visa and dont plan to work you will need at least $6000 to live in a style that is barely comfortable for you, $8000.00 US/Cdn to $10,000 would be more realistic. I wouldnt want to go with that small amount of money.

And that doesnt give you a cent for medical expenses or emergencies, doing ANY traveling or a flight back home again.

My advise is this whole idea is totally unrealistic and impossible they way you have planned (dreamed?) it.

Answer 10

it's not a good salary, you may barely sustain life with that amount there, don't expect to have an extravagant life and you may not be able to do a lot of sightseeings.. of cos it also depends on which city

if u do not work, do not go to school there, wt do you do there who do you stay with? life can be difficult there if you know no one. you are spending 1 whole year there, it's a big decision to make. so better have a good plan before you go. good luck =)

Answer 11

Don't assume you would have the same comfort levels. They get by with 200 dollars. They aren't totally rich with 200 dollars.

Answer 12

i heard that in some rural parts of china they live off of 2 dollar, it is some numbe of yen im not sure wat the dollar to yen thing is now but 2 dollars a day in rural china thats about 60 dollars a month but the more suburbial areas have more money  i do not think it is a good amount depending on how u spend it if u spend it wisely u could stretch it out

Answer 13

well it depends on which part of china you live at

a decent apartment in shanghai will cost u minimum 500 already per month

Answer 14

No, 200 USD is good for small cities and villages, but for middle and big cities it's not enough at all, not even enough to rent a apartment, hey, I'm only 25 and before I lost my job, I earned about 550~600 USD