Cheapest cities in China

This is a good question, but I am wholly unable to answer it. You need to be a person who has traveled all over China to be able to answer this, and I have only lived in a handful of cities. However, I can offer some suggestions;

Avoid 1st Tier cities. The prices and the costs are comparable with large Western cities such as London, New York City, and Paris. This would include Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing, etc.

Second tier cities are substantially cheaper. Here you are approaching the higher end of the Chinese economy. These cities offer many of the amenities that you would find in the West, but without the excessive price tag. Cities on this list include Guangzhou, Tianjin, and Chengdu.

Smaller cities that the second tier offer the best of all worlds. These cities are often far cheaper, have Western style (if not content) appeal, and are quite livable. You will, however, discover that they won't know how to make a pizza, and their idea of playing pool is a table outside in the rain.

In general, as you downsize the city size, you get an increase in a standard of living for a given wad of cash. In other words, if 100 yuan would buy you a taxi ride in HK, it would buy you three taxi rides in a second tier city, and ten taxi rides in a third tier city. Now, these are all general rules of thumb, and there are exceptions galore.

Best Regards.

Hi Vannrox,

Thank you for your feedback.

In terms of employment opportunities which region/city would be a good compromise ?

Have a nice day,
Bhavna

I would suggest the following second / third tier cities as a reasonable compromise. Here you would be able to live quite comfortably as an expat, and have enough of local Chinese culture without getting overwhelmed by it.

[1] Kunming. This city is located in a very beautiful area. It is in perpetual Springtime. It is the real-life Shangrala. There are some amazing mountains there, and the city life is quite active.

[2] Shangrila. Or, of course, you could actually go to Shangrila. It would certainly impress your friends, eh? Not to mention nearby excursions to Vietnam and Laos quite easily.

[3] Guilin. Home of the most delicious noodles in all of China. If the mountains don't appeal to you, the people and the culture there would.

[4] Nanjing. Here is a big-little city with a terrible recent history. It is my personal belief that this city can offer much for the ambitious young expat.

[5] Dalian. What's not to love. You are in a city that is literally surrounded by ocean. The place has seasons and tons of fresh air.

[6] Harbin. Yes, It can get really cold in the winter, but if you like the Northern climates, this is a city that will steal your heart. It has a kind of Chicago-urban feel to it.

[7] Sanya. It's like living in Hawaii, only with the cost of living of Kentucky. If you like sun, ocean and beaches, this is the place for you.

Hi;

The cost of living is directly proportional to the desirability.  If a city is cheap, you will give up many feature such as nightlife, expat shopping, convenience, etc.  There are some cities like Foshan or Tianjin or Dongguan that are smaller cities, so they are less expensive, but still connected to big cities for convenience.  Just follow the train line from Beijing to Shanghai, there are 20 cities along the way that are lower in cost of living yet still convenient.  In the south, as mentioned Dongguan, Foshan and others.  Be careful though as you go inland...

Hi There Bhavna,

I'm going to be in Weifang, Shandong.

From what I see I'm about the same distance from Jhb to Cpt from Shanghai. I believe it's the kite city. Not as expensive which is why I chose it and the accommodation is free and perfect for me.

Although it may not have that night life (not sure if it does or doesn't) I'm more of a home body who occasionally likes to go out and party. I'm not sure if there are a lot of expats in Weifang but I know there are quite a few in Jinan which is close by. There is one person from SA that is joining the same school as me. So maybe I'll have a friend.

****

Dating may be found in classifieds, but is unwelcome on the open forums, especially attempts with random strangers, even senior moderators.

Try here

https://www.expat.com/en/classifieds/asia/china/

Are there family friendly places to live. I am considering relocating to China with my family in 2 years or so.