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4000 yuan a month?

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Shanghai Expat Forum Index » City Living Forums » Questions and Answers

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woodstock128

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Joined: July 05, 2009
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Posted: July 05, 2009 - 02:57 AM
Post subject: 4000 yuan a month?

What's it like living on 4000 yuan a month in China. Doesn't sound that great.

findus

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Posted: July 05, 2009 - 05:58 AM

Where in China? Makes a big difference.

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woodstock128

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Posted: July 05, 2009 - 05:59 AM

I was thinking Beijin

Juan_Tamad

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Posted: July 05, 2009 - 06:28 AM
Post subject: Re: 4000 yuan a month?

woodstock128 wrote:

What's it like living on 4000 yuan a month in China. Doesn't sound that great.

It would be pathetic...after taking out rent, you will be eating instant noodles all month long

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bloomark
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Posted: July 05, 2009 - 12:39 PM

To be considered well-off in Beijing, you are supposed to live on a monthly income over 8000 yuan.

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woodstock128

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Posted: July 05, 2009 - 02:32 PM

4000 + free rent + overtime

8lrr8
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Joined: Oct 14, 2004
Posts: 3720

Posted: July 05, 2009 - 03:55 PM

bloomark wrote:

To be considered well-off in Beijing, you are supposed to live on a monthly income over 8000 yuan.

and what is it allegedly for SH?

woodstock128

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Posted: July 05, 2009 - 04:06 PM

What's "SH"?

bloomark
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Posted: July 05, 2009 - 04:07 PM

8lrr8 wrote:

bloomark wrote:

To be considered well-off in Beijing, you are supposed to live on a monthly income over 8000 yuan.

and what is it allegedly for SH?

No less than 7000 I suppose.

Beg to differ?

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cantcheckemailnopw
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Joined: Dec 27, 2006
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Posted: July 05, 2009 - 04:22 PM
Post subject: Re: 4000 yuan a month?

It is way below any western country standard.

However, I know a few that are making less than this. 4 people in one bed. share the
rent (300-500 RMB per month). They all put in 10RMB per day for food.

8lrr8
Wonder Wit

Joined: Oct 14, 2004
Posts: 3720

Posted: July 05, 2009 - 04:40 PM

bloomark wrote:

Beg to differ?

dunno & dont care.

does that imply BJ's COL is ~14% higher than SH's?

bloomark
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Posted: July 05, 2009 - 07:26 PM

8lrr8 wrote:

bloomark wrote:

Beg to differ?

dunno & dont care.

does that imply BJ's COL is ~14% higher than SH's?

Not neccessarily, but I think the transportation cost and house rent in Beijing is much lower than Shanghai.

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BONNIE
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Joined: June 17, 2005
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Posted: July 05, 2009 - 07:48 PM

Actually Woodstock, if your rent is paid and you get the chance for some OT - it's doable - you won't live like a king but you'd be ok.

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woodstock128

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Posted: July 06, 2009 - 01:30 AM

Amsterdam/Shanghai? Do you party?

victorinchina

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Posted: July 06, 2009 - 05:20 AM

woodstock128 wrote:

What's "SH"?

That my friend is: Shanghai...

victorinchina

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Posted: July 06, 2009 - 05:22 AM
Post subject: Re: 4000 yuan a month?

woodstock128 wrote:

What's it like living on 4000 yuan a month in China. Doesn't sound that great.

Probably like living on 1000~1200 Euros back home... Duable, but not really what you want in the long run...

woodstock128

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Posted: July 06, 2009 - 09:27 AM

Do expats earn more money their second year?
70% return home?

zam

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Posted: July 06, 2009 - 10:54 AM

Since I am kind of totally mixed up with them, so I know.

Actually many of my young friends, even after 1 year of graduation, earn only 2500-3500 RMB and that is in a respectable job of being a software engineer. In fact in my team in my international company, 80% of my colleagues earn only 2500-4000 yuan.

Apartments?
Mostly 2 people will share a room that costs 600-700 RMB. The room will be really small about 15 square meter with no washroom; However there will be 3-4 rooms in one apartment and all of these rooms will be sharing one wash room and one kitchen.

Clothes?
If you notice at office, most of your colleagues will only wear same 3-4 dresses again and again. And these clothes are mostly shen zhai (fake copies of famous brands) or cheap clothes made by low class Chinese companies. Mostly one such T-shirt costs only 30-40 yuan, a pant costs 50-60 yuan and shoes cost 80-100 yuan.

Eating?
For sure, they are so hesitant in going to some real good looking restaurant because those places are expensive. In daily life, they would prefer cheap food with less taste over expensive food with more taste and quality. However, at weekends, some of them will throw eating parties for their friends in some small local restaurants that cost about 100-300 yuan.
The people who cook at home, they will just cook noodles, rice porridge or rice soup. For their dinner, they will mostly choose some thing from the street or go to some cheap restaurant like Xinjiang Muslim restaurant and eat noodles or rice.

Going out?
Interesting enough, once I took my friends to the bund near jinmao tower. 2 of them didn't even know that place while they were living in Shanghai for more than 1 year.
Most of my young friends and colleagues don't know 90% of the worth visiting places in Shanghai for which Shanghai is marked a modern and international city. So every time it is actually me, who is introducing them to these wonderful places; but since all of these places cost entry tickets about at least 100 Yuan so most of the times my friends refuse to go there because it's expensive.
So how do they spend their weekends? Mostly they will just go for window shopping, go to some park, play sports at some university or play snooker. They like to travel though and can waste a large percentage of their salary on traveling. However when they travel to some other city, they will never live in a good hotel because they can't afford it. Mostly they will stay at some hostels that cost only about 50 yuan per day.

Personal grooming?
Girls can spend much on their beauty though. One of my friends, who only earns 3500 and she is always ranting how poor she is. She just got a haircut worth 300 yuan.
Mostly young people like to have quality cell phones and cameras which takes away most of their one month's salary.

Overall it's really an inferior life style because of so low salary. Keeping in mind the money required for buying a house in Shanghai, I think it is impossible for most Chinese young people to buy a house and it's really a pity because most of these people are really warm, friendly and nice.

littlelion

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Posted: July 07, 2009 - 11:59 PM

Zam tells pretty much the fact.
Local people with the same salary are much happier. They live with their parents, saving up a lot of money, rent, meals etc.
Living in SH, a quality life, 12000 a month needed at least.

victorinchina

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Posted: July 08, 2009 - 08:13 AM

^ Living in SH as a local or as a laowai?

Chrisse

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Posted: July 08, 2009 - 09:31 AM

^ I think 12k will get you a very cushy life living as a local. Really living as a laowai (with "western" standards) might be a little tight. I mean 12k is usually less than what a English teacher (foreigner) at a private language school earns.

woodstock128

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Posted: July 08, 2009 - 10:02 AM

Thank You

BeiDong

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Posted: July 08, 2009 - 03:29 PM

What exactly does everyone mean when they say "Western standards" and living like a foreigner. Does that entail eating Italian and burgers every day for lunch and dinner? Taking taxis everywhere? Pretending to be rich while drinking on the Bund every weekend?

That's what I'd call an unnecessary lifestyle.